On The Road: Florida State Football's Three Toughest Away Games in 2023

Which team will be the biggest challenge for the 'Noles on the road?

The Florida State Seminoles are coming off their best season in over half a decade finishing with 10 wins for the first time since 2016. The 'Noles have gone through highs and lows throughout recent years and are now heading into 2023 with high expectations after ending after being named No. 10 in the country in the USA Today Coaches Poll and No. 11 in The AP Poll to finish the year.

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The schedule for FSU could be considered tough due to a projected top-10 season opener against the LSU Tigers, the onset of an early bye after week four, and then an eight-game gauntlet that ends with an annual showdown against the Florida Gators. 

Regardless of the path the Seminoles take, here is a list of the toughest matchups the 'Noles will face on the road.

Clemson Tigers

FSU will take on the Tigers after an away game against Boston College. Florida State is historically bad in Death Valley, winning only one of their last eight games at Clemson, and depending on how tough the LSU and BC games are, the 'Noles could see that streak continue. However, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney will be breaking in a new offensive coordinator in Garret Riley, and a new starting quarterback. 

The Tigers return four out of five starting offensive linemen from last year so that should take some pressure off quarterback Cade Klubnik but it remains to be seen whether or not they will have their offensive kinks ironed out when FSU comes to town. Florida State's biggest problem offensively will running back Will Shipley, who rushed for 1182 yards and 15 touchdowns last year.

One of the more intriguing storylines to follow will be how FSU head coach Mike Norvell and offensive coordinator Alex Atkins' high-powered offense fares against the Tiger defense which has two of the top-5 returning linebackers in Jeremiah Trotter Jr and Barrett Carter per Pro Football Focus and also returns four out of five starters on the defensive line. Outside of LSU, this will be the toughest matchup on the schedule prior to the beginning of the year.

Florida Gators

The Seminoles head to 'The Swamp' to close out their regular season facing Billy Napier's Florida Gators in their annual historic rivalry game. Last season, FSU beat UF 45-38 in field-storming fashion at home.

The backend of the Gator defense has been thinned out with safeties Trey Dean III and Rashad Torrence II moving on to the NFL. They will also have true freshmen in the two deep on the defensive line due to how depleted it was last season which will cause problems for them upfront. 

There is an open quarterback competition between Graham Mertz III and Ohio State transfer Jack Miller on offense. Regardless, they have two solid running backs to take the pressure off of whoever is under center. 

Either way, when it comes late November, you should know who both teams are. FSU should win this game but it's always tough in Gainesville and although they've won four out of the last six, they haven't won in the swamp since 2017.

Pittsburgh Panthers

This one was a toss-up between Wake Forest and Pittsburgh. The Demon Deacons lost starting quarterback Sam Hartman who transferred to Notre Dame in the off-season which could significantly impact the slow mesh offense that Wake Forest is known to run. Florida State has to play them on the road and then the Panthers on the road again the following week, which is why it could be a tougher matchup.  

Pittsburgh faced significant losses in terms of talent following their 9-4 season. They had the highest number of players drafted among all ACC teams in the 2023 NFL draft but also have 12 Athlon Sports' preseason All-ACC projections only trailing Florida State and Clemson, who have 15.

Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi will have his guys ready and they generally rise to the occasion against tougher opponents. Florida State could find itself in a sleeper game regarding both matchups.

READ MORE: Three Exciting Home Matchups For FSU Football In 2023

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