Game Preview: No. 4 Florida State Seminoles vs. North Alabama Lions
We've hit Florida State's senior day, as the 10-0 Seminoles welcome a true cupcake to town: the 3-7 North Alabama Lions, who compete in the NCAA's FCS subdivision. This is a nice cooldown between two rivals and should give FSU the chance to evaluate some of the younger guys throughout the game.
There actually are some connections between FSU and North Alabama, as legendary FSU Defensive Coordinator Mickey Andrews was the head coach at UNA from 1973-1976, as was Terry Bowden from 2009-2011. Bowden left UNA as their all-time leader in winning percentage.
For those that can't make it to Tallahassee and a sold-out Doak Campbell Stadium, this will be at 6:30 p.m. on the CW Network. Get ready for some horrible TV commentary.
Seminole Headlines
Honoring a Legendary Class of Seniors and Legendary Team
Florida State has 17 seniors listed on the roster, which list as follows (alphabetical order): DB Danj Altine, LB Tatum Bethune, DL Dennis Briggs Jr., DL Dylan Brown, LB Kalen DeLoach, DB Akeem Dent, OL D'Mitri Emmanuel, DL Braden Fiske, DB Renardo Green, OL Bless Harris, DB Jarrian Jones, K Tyler Keltner, DL Fabien Lovett Sr., OL Casey Roddick, LS James Rosenberry Jr., QB Jordan Travis, and DB Dwayne Wells Jr.
There are a lot of players here who started their careers in different ways, whether it be at Florida State or at another school before transferring in. But there are a bunch of guys who made a massive impact on this program. Between Emmanuel, Lovett, Jones, Green, Briggs, Harris, Roddick, and obviously Kalen DeLoach and Jordan Travis, those guys have started a lot of games and made a lot of winning plays. The impact they had on the program will be felt for years after they've moved on to the next level. It's also fitting that their senior day, in a season when they're chasing a national title, comes in the same game that FSU is celebrating their last national championship.
The 2013 team will be celebrating their 10-year anniversary on Saturday, and while the list hasn't come out yet of who will be in attendance, it is pretty good planning that FSU is doing this the same week Jameis Winston, Cam Erving, and the New Orleans Saints have a bye week. The only other players from the 2013 team that are still in the NFL are Jalen Ramsey (Miami Dolphins do play at home this week; there's a small chance he could catch a private flight to and from Tallahassee the same day), DeMarcus Walker (Chicago Bears play at Detroit on Sunday, don't see him being able to make it), Mario Edwards (Seattle Seahawks play at the LA Rams Sunday), and Ronald Darby (Baltimore Ravens play the Cincinnati Bengals Thursday Night, he could possibly fly down after). It should be good to see all of these guys back in Tallahassee, no matter how many of them show up.
A CFP Matchup Guide Going Forward
We've made it to the point where Florida State fans can start worrying about potential College Football Playoff Matchups while the team focuses on finishing the season undefeated. Barring complete and utter chaos these last two weeks of the regular season and in conference championship week, the most likely playoff bracket looks like Georgia, Big Ten Champ (Ohio State or Michigan, I'd prefer Ohio State though I think Michigan is better, and likely to win next weekend), Florida State, and Washington.
Washington has the shakiest path, having to play Oregon State this weekend, Washington State next weekend, and presumably a rematch with Oregon in the PAC-12 Conference Championship. Personally, I'd rather potentially face Washington instead of Oregon in the playoffs, just because of how many flaws their defense has.
While it totally doesn't matter who wins the Big 12, Texas has a head-to-head win over Alabama that could come into play here very soon. If we want to get slightly chaotic, Alabama beating Georgia could likely knock out the SEC, as Big 10 Champ would be in, Florida State would be in if they win out, Washington would be in if they win out, and a 12-1 Texas would have to be in over Alabama just due to their win over the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa in September. If Oregon beats Washington, then the argument becomes do you put in Oregon or Alabama, and the way they've voted so far makes it seem like they'd favor the Ducks. A Playoff of Ohio State, Florida State, Washington, and Texas seems like it'd be a lot of fun, seeing new matchups, and is a bracket FSU matches up better with in my opinion.
Louisville winning out would help Florida State out a ton, as a potential win over a top 8 or 9 ranked Louisville team in the ACC Championship looks a little better on the resume if they have to argue for seeding against Washington. A nightmare scenario would be UNC or Virginia Tech, who is mathematically still alive somehow, making the ACC Championship Game.
Of all the teams I mentioned, here are their remaining schedules, with conference championship games if they're already locked in: Ohio State (vs Minnesota, at Michigan), Georgia (at Tennessee, at Georgia Tech, SECCG vs Alabama), Michigan (at Maryland, vs Ohio State), Florida State (vs North Alabama, at Florida, ACCCG vs Louisville/UNC/Virginia Tech), Washington (at Oregon State, vs Washington State), Oregon (at Arizona State, vs Oregon State), Texas (at Iowa State, vs Texas Tech), Alabama (vs UT-Chattanooga, at Auburn, SECCG vs Georgia), Louisville (at Miami, vs Kentucky).
Burning Questions
Will This Be a Game?
No.
And if it is something went terribly wrong. This should be a game where the seniors get a chance to make a couple of plays in their last home game before the backups and young players come in so the coaches can get some in-game film and analysis for the future.
To me, if North Alabama even gets multiple scores, it's a disappointment. Florida State is overwhelmingly better in every facet.
How Long Do the Starters Stay In?
At the worst, the starters will play all of the first half and maybe one series in the second half before the backups come in. Ideally, the starters run up a five-score lead early in the first half, and that allows the backups to take over.
Coach Norvell will make sure guys like Jordan Travis and Kalen DeLoach have their one last great moment at Doak Campbell, and then save everyone from getting hurt before next week's game against Florida.
Is Jimbo Fisher Returning For the 10-Year Anniversary of the 2013 Team?
Heh. Probably not.
There will be a time and a place when Jimbo Fisher is welcome back in Tallahassee, as the mastermind and builder of the 2013 National Championship team. I don't think this is that time. The scar of Fisher leaving for Texas A&M at the end of the 2017 season is way too fresh, and he left FSU in such a bad state in terms of locker room and talent and made such a fuss on the way out the door that for now, it'd be better if he takes his buyout money from College Station and takes a very long vacation far away from the state of Florida.
While the official list of everyone who will be coming back hasn't been released as of the time of this writing, it's hard to imagine Coach Fisher will be on that list.
Game Forecast
As is the case with most FCS vs. FBS games, there is no spread or projected total for this game.
This will not be a competitive game, barring some wild voodoo magic. Even then, I think Tate Rodemaker could come out throwing left-handed and they'd still win by five touchdowns. I can't imagine Coach Norvell shows anything on tape that Florida might pick up on, so I expect a very vanilla game plan to still be effective. I'll say Coach Norvell finally gets his first spiked baseball while the offense is steady all day.
Florida State 69 - North Alabama 0
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