Florida State Seminoles Sportsbetting
Will Florida State's stranglehold on the ACC title over the last decade-plus be threatened now that the league has gotten bigger and better? After all, Miami has won five straight over the Noles, while programs like Maryland, Virginia and NC State have gotten even better. With more overall balance, the ACC has become the new power conference and FSU will have to be better than ever to maintain its spot at the top of the heap.
No longer can the Noles simply blow teams away with their athleticism as there are too many good players spread out in the ACC and Miami will always be at least FSU's talent equal. Even so, they'll win more than their share of league titles over the next several years, and should be the favorite this season, with almost all the key parts returning to a very good offense and more talented prospects taking over for the lost stars on defense.
Keeping the championship isn't going to be easy going on the road to face Miami, Maryland and NC State, but this is still Florida State and this is still the program that won 11 of 12 ACC titles. Starting the season off in the Orange Bowl will set the tone for the rest of the year, but if they can beat the Canes and come up with a few big breaks and if the offense plays as expected, the Noles might make a return trip to Miami in January.
The Schedule: With an eye on the BCS formula, this is a schedule conducive to winning a national title if the Noles are up to the task. There's the Miami game right off the bat, but it comes early enough to potentially overcome a loss. A win would launch a huge season. Clemson, Virginia and Florida come to Tallahassee, but there are landmines at Maryland and NC State.
Best Offensive Player: Senior OT Alex Barron. QB Chris Rix will be the one in the Heisman hunt if he leads the Noles to a win over Miami, but Barron is the top player on the loaded offense. He has the talent to be Florida State's greatest offensive lineman.
Best Defensive Player: Senior DE Eric Moore. While he doesn't make too many plays against the run, there are few better pass rushers in the ACC. Moore is lightning quick coming off the edge leading the Noles with 7.5 sacks last year with 12 tackles for loss.
Key player to a successful season: While Florida State will always showcase a devastating passing attack, an effective running game makes the offense roll that much better. With big bruising back Greg Jones off to the NFL, it will be up to Leon Washington and Lorenzo Booker to take over the workload with Washington getting the first crack at the starting job. He has to prove he can stay healthy for a full season and has to provide the expected bolt of lightning to take the heat off Chris Rix.
The season will be a success if ... Florida State wins the ACC title. It will mean more than ever if the Noles can pull off yet another championship. If that happens, they'll be in the mix for the national title as well.
Key game: October 30th at Maryland. Obviously the opener against Miami will be the game everyone focuses on, but the Noles can lose that game and still be in the hunt for the national title if they run the table. If they beat the Canes, the road date at Maryland provides a scary upset game and is a must-win with at NC State and Florida still to come.
2003 Fun Stats:
- Second half scoring: Florida State 203 - Opponents 88
- Rushing touchdowns: Florida State 20 - Opponents 7
- Punt return average: Florida State 11.1 - Opponents 5.3
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