College Football 2015 Predictions – Florida State Seminoles National Title Odds & Expert Picks: The Florida State Seminoles had a lot of success the past two seasons with Jameis Winston behind center but now they begin a new era in Tallahassee as Winston has gone on to be the #1 pick in the 2015 NFL Draft and will be taking snaps for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this season. Can head coach Jimbo Fisher keep the Seminoles in the National Championship talk this season or will his doubters that think he is simply a byproduct of Winston’s greatness be proven right when Florida State struggles this season? Let’s take a closer look at Florida State’s odds to win the 2016 National Championship this season and also make our expert college football picks on Florida State’s total team wins over/under odds and chances to win the ACC Title this season.
College Football 2015 Predictions: Florida State Seminoles Football Predictions, Odds and Team Preview
Offense
The Seminoles only return three starters on offense from last season’s 13-1 team that went undefeated before losing to Oregon in embrassing fashion 59-20 in the College Football Playoff. The Noles will have to replace Winston at quarterback and that job looks like it will go to junior Sean Maguire. Maguire only started one game last season when he filled in for a suspended Winston againt Clemson and he didn’t perform all that well. He passed 39 times and completed only 21 in FLorida State’s 23-17 overtime win and was also picked off two times and sacked five times. He has some talent but going from Winston to Maguire will be like trading in a brand new Rolls Royce for a solid and serviceable Toyota with 50k miles on it.
The good news for the Noles on offense this season is the overall talent level at the skill positions. The Noles appear to be in good shape at the running back position with sophomore Dalvin Cook looking to improve upon his impressive freshman numbers when he had 170 rushes for 1,008 yards and 8 touchdowns. Florida State is also in good shape at the wideout position as returning junior starter Jesus Wilson, sophomore Travis Rudolph and sophomore Ermon Lane are more than talented enough to keep opposing defenses honest and concerned.
The offense line could make or break the Noles offensively this season as they return just one starter in sophomore left tackle Roderick Johnson. However, the Noles are welcoming in a couple of talented junior college transfers who did not play last season and we feel the offensive line will continue to improve throughout the season and be good enough to keep Florida State’s offense from having too drastic of a fall off from last season.
Defense
FSU is in great shape defensively this season as they welcome back 7 starters from last year’s unit. Last year’s defensive unit wasn’t that great as they ranked just 49th nationally in scoring defense and 61st nationally in total defense, but the returning experience and talent of this season’s newcomers should make Florida State’s defense vastly improved.
Defensive coordinator Charles Kelly will look to redeem himself in his 2nd season on the job and will need a better pass rush to get the job done. The Noles registered just 17 sacks last season but do return two starters from last year in junior defensive end Demarcus Walker and senior defensive tackle Derrick Mitchell. Both guys can play and they will also have help from three more teammates with previous playing experience.
The back seven of FSU’s defense was a disappointment last season and things will need to improve big time in 2015 if FSU is to win the ACC and make it back to the College Football Playoff. The Noles have two returning starters at linebacker in seniors Reggie Northrup and Terrance Smith plus three returning starters in the secondary in senior safety Tyler Hunter, junior safety Nate Andrews and junior cornerback Jalen Ramsey. Ramsey was an all-amerian at safety last season but moved over to corner in spring practice and impressed the coaching staff big time. His move to corner gave an opportunity to sophomore Trey Marshall to land the “nickel” position in the secondary and that should allow FSU to better defend offenses that will spread them out.
Special Teams
FSU is strong in the kicking department with the return of outstanding junior place kicker Roberto Aguayo and solid senior punter Cason Beatty. The kicking game and special teams for FSU should be well above average this season.
2015 Florida State Seminoles Expert Predictions
The Seminoles should be much improved defensively this season and that will help overcome the loss of Winston and the offense taking a step back this season. Maguire is obviously the key to the season and the Noles’ National Championship hopes. The jury is definitely still out on Maguire as many FSU fans and national experts are still wary of putting faith in the FSU QB position since it annually was subpar for years prior to Winston’s arrival and Maguire’s talent is certainly not 5 star status in our opinion. We do look for FSU to find a way to win the ACC Title but we do not see them being good enough to make the College Football playoff. We look for FSU to go 11-2 overall including a win in the ACC Title Game before they head to their bowl game.
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2016 Florida State Seminoles National Championship Odds: +1400
2015 Florida State Seminoles ACC Championship Odds: +250
2015 Florida State Seminoles Total Wins Over/Under Odds: OVER 9 Wins -120, UNDER 9 Wins -120
2015 Florida State Football Schedule
September 5 8:00 p.m. Texas State* Doak Campbell Stadium • Tallahassee, FL ESPNews
September 12 11:30 a.m. USF* Doak Campbell Stadium • Tallahassee, FL ESPN
September 18 8:00 p.m. at Boston College Alumni Stadium • Chestnut Hill, MA ESPN
October 3 TBA at Wake Forest BB&T Field • Winston-Salem, NC TBA
October 10 TBA Miami (FL) Doak Campbell Stadium • Tallahassee, FL (Rivalry) TBA
October 17 TBA Louisville Doak Campbell Stadium • Tallahassee, FL TBA
October 24 TBA at Georgia Tech Bobby Dodd Stadium • Atlanta, GA (Rivalry) TBA
October 31 TBA Syracuse Doak Campbell Stadium • Tallahassee, FL TBA
November 7 TBA at Clemson Memorial Stadium, Clemson • Clemson, SC (Rivalry) TBA
November 14 TBA NC Statedagger Doak Campbell Stadium • Tallahassee, FL TBA
November 21 TBA Chattanooga* Doak Campbell Stadium • Tallahassee, FL TBA
November 28 TBA at Florida* Ben Hill Griffin Stadium • Gainesville, FL (Rivalry) TBA
*Non-conference game. All times are in Eastern Time.
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