CBS Sports Predicts ACC; Where Does FSU Football Land?
Florida State Football is due for a huge season. Mike Norvell has both established his system and brought in adequate talent to compete on the highest stage. There's potential the team can compete for an ACC Championship and maybe more this season.
CBS Sports made their preseason picks and predictions for the ACC Conference. Every analyst that picked took Florida State to finish in one of the top-two spots in the conference, either defeating or losing to Clemson in the conference championship.
"I think Clemson is the proper favorite, but there's a gap between these two programs that still needs to be closed. Florida State just broke through with a 10-win season but also lost all of its games against ranked opponents," Chip Patterson wrote for CBS.
"Mike Norvell has built up the most complete roster we've seen in Tallahassee, Florida, in years, but Clemson has been stacking blue-chip-laden recruiting classes for a decade. I'm not ready to put them on the Tigers' tier just yet."
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Evidently, the Seminoles' jump to being an early candidate for the College Football Playoffs still leaves them being underrated. This is bound to happen to a program that was recently pulled out of the mud, but the writing is on the wall for FSU to make yet another leap.
The team of analysts was also asked to write a bold prediction about the ACC ahead of the season, and a couple included Florida State.
"Clemson and Florida State will be the only two ACC teams to finish the regular season with fewer than four losses," Tom Fornelli writes.
The two programs are undoubtedly at the top of the conference and pull the most weight for the ACC. There's a reason both are projected by every analyst to be in the conference championship game.
"Clemson, Florida State and Miami, at a minimum, will leave the ACC but not before the 2026 season. That will be the impetus for the next round of realignment," Jerry Palm writes.
Again, as mentioned, Florida State and Clemson carry the conference and Miami is on their way back up as well. If they want to continue to compete with the top programs from the SEC or Big Ten, they'll have to be in one of those conferences.
Finally, Will Backus projects Jordan Travis to be one of the three quarterbacks in the ACC to throw for more than 4,000 yards.
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Stick with NoleGameday for more coverage of Florida State football throughout the 2023 season.
