Five Thoughts on Florida State's 2023 Football Schedule
The entirety of Florida State's 2023 schedule was released a week ago. That's provided plenty of time to begin to dissect and evaluate the positives and negatives of the Seminoles' 12-game slate. There's an energy and optimism that's reverberating internally and externally around the program following a ten-win campaign last season. That success has provided a belief that head coach Mike Norvell can take the climb a step further and push FSU back amongst the elite of the sport.
With an experienced roster that is stacked with depth alongside a top class of transfers and a solid group out of high school and junior college, Norvell and his staff will be judged on the fruits of their labors this upcoming year. One aspect that could play in Florida State's favor is that the 2023 season will mark the first time that the ACC has scrapped divisions, meaning the top-two teams based on conference record will play in the championship game. The Seminoles finished as the second-highest-ranked team in the conference and compiled a 5-3 ACC record a season ago.
Here are five thoughts on the Seminoles' 2023 schedule.
1. Playing two top teams on the schedule early in the year may be beneficial later on
At first glance, September looks like a gauntlet for Florida State on paper. The Seminoles will play two of their top opponents in LSU and Clemson during the first four weeks of the season with matchups against Southern Miss and Boston College sandwiched between them. The game against the Golden Eagles could be especially tricky as it falls just six days after what is expected to be an extremely physical contest in Orlando against LSU. I'm sure everyone remembers what happened the last time that the Seminoles matched up with a massive underdog days after a premier game. This team has matured since then but anything can happen in college football.
Drawing LSU and Clemson early in the year may be beneficial for Florida State as the season progresses. If the Seminoles go undefeated during the stretch, it'll set the team up for what could be a special run through the final two-thirds of the regular season. In the same vein, if the team drops a game to either iteration of the Tigers, there will still be enough time left in the year for FSU to make its case as a potential playoff contender.
Outside of that, LSU will be integrating multiple new transfers and is losing a couple of key players like defensive end BJ Ojulari and wide receiver Kayson Boutte. Clemson is bringing in a new offensive coordinator and it's probably best to face Cade Klubnik before he can get into a true rhythm.
2. Florida State only plays two home games in the first six weeks of the season
This was one of my main gripes whenever the schedule was initially released. Florida State got zero favors during the first half of the 2023 season with the team only hosting two home games leading up to the second week of October. For those counting, that's two contests inside Doak Campbell Stadium during the first six weeks of the year for a program that's one of the premier brands in the conference.
The first four weeks will be tough as Florida State racks up the frequent flier miles. The Seminoles will host Southern Miss for the home opener on a short week after taking on LSU. Following that, the team will travel to Boston College and Clemson on consecutive weeks for what marks the first two-game road trip of the season (there's another pair of road games that will be discussed later in the article).
The Seminoles are off during week 5 before playing their second home game of the season against Virginia Tech on October 7. That sets up a stretch of Florida State ending off the year with five of its final eight games at home. If the team can make it through September unscathed, the sky is the limit.
3. Is Duke the Seminoles' toughest home game on the schedule?
It's a down year on the home schedule with Clemson and Florida falling on the road. It might be more noticeable with the ACC eliminating divisions and making one of Florida State's three permanent opponents Syracuse. All jokes aside, the Seminoles will have six games that fall inside Doak Campbell Stadium; Southern Miss (Sept. 9), Virginia Tech (Oct. 7), Syracuse (Oct. 14), Duke (Oct. 21), Miami (Nov. 11), and Northern Alabama (Nov. 18).
Looking at that slate, there's a real possibility that the Blue Devils are the toughest opponent that Florida State will face in Tallahassee. Duke went 9-4 in 2022 under first-year head coach Mike Elko and is returning star quarterback Riley Leonard, who completed 63.9% of his passes for 2,967 yards with 20 touchdown passes to six interceptions during a breakout campaign. Leonard also led the team in rushing with 124 carries for 699 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Outside of that, a case can be made for Southern Miss as well, which finished 7-6 and is bringing back Frank Gore Jr., who rushed for a bowl-record 329 yards and two touchdowns in December. Virginia Tech and Miami both finished with below .500 records in 2022 while Syracuse went 7-6 but has lost multiple starters and members of its coaching staff.
4. Don't sleep on road trips to Wake Forest and Pittsburgh
Nightmares on the road have doomed promising seasons in the past for the Seminoles. My mind instantly wonders to games away from home like Georgia Tech (2008, 2015), North Carolina State (2010, 2012, 2022), and Louisville (2016). There will be a couple of tricky road games for Florida State to grapple with once again in 2023.
Possibly overlooked on the back end of the schedule is a two-game trip to Wake Forest and Pittsburgh that will span from the end of October to the beginning of November. The Seminoles have dropped three straight games to the Demon Deacons and haven't walked out of Winston-Salem with a victory since 2017. Head coach Mike Norvell is 0-2 against Wake Forest but FSU has a chance to right the ship this season with former star quarterback Sam Hartman moving on to Notre Dame. Dave Clawson will have to replace one of the best players in program history.
The Seminoles haven't played on the road at Pittsburgh since 2013 when one of the best teams that college football has ever seen began a legendary run. However, the Panthers will be no slouch. Head coach Pat Narduzzi has only finished with one below .500 season in his eight years at the helm of the program. That includes a 20-7 mark over the last two years and an ACC Title in 2021. Plus, there's no telling what the weather will look like up north at that point of the year.
5. The Seminoles have an opportunity to end a losing streak in Clemson and Gainesville
Florida State can snap a couple of different road losing streaks in 2023. I've already mentioned the game at Wake Forest but the Seminoles also have scores to settle in Clemson and in Gainesville. Funnily enough, this will be the ten-year anniversary of the team's last victory against the Tigers in Death Valley. Since then, FSU has come up short four times and seven times overall. This will be the best opportunity to end the streak in nearly a decade.
The Seminoles have also come up short against the rival Gators in their last two trips to Gainesville. In Mike Norvell's only road trip to face Florida, FSU came up short against an interim head coach and failed to achieve bowl eligibility to conclude the 2021 season. In the same year, the 'Noles squandered a fourth-quarter lead at Clemson in the final minutes.
To say the least, there are some demons for FSU to rectify in more ways than one.
READ MORE: Florida State's full 2023 football schedule released
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