Preseason Top 10 Countdown

Preseason Top 10 Countdown

   Florida State comes in at #6 in my preseason top ten countdown. Another highly talented group is heading into the 2012 season with high expectations, again. Will the Seminoles finally get over the hump? Every ESPN analyst seems to think they are a lock for the ACC Championship this year.....just like last year right? In my most in depth look at a team so far, you decide for yourself if the Seminoles are really back.

THE SPRING GAME.

  I attended the 2011 spring game and the 2012 spring game and got a first hand look at what to expect from the Seminoles this year. At the 2011game there was hardly any offense. It wasn't pretty. 19-17 was the final score. 15 of those points were fieldgoals. No running game, and only a few broken plays that turned big on blown coverage. And needless to say, it translated into a terrible season for the Seminoles running the ball during 2011, where they ranked 104th in rushing. Now while the coaching staff and analysts will blame injuries to the offensive line and other key positions, I blame the lack of skill at that position. In April 2011during the spring game, they couldn't run the ball.....months later during the season, they still couldn't establish the run. Sometimes you have to be honest with yourself and admit that you didn't have the players to play at the level we are used to seeing on the offensive line. Yes, there were injuries to a couple key players on the offensive line but if you couldn't run the ball in the spring and couldn't run the ball months later during the season, there were problems with depth and even talent because even the guys who weren't injured didn't do any better. So, we all know what the Seminoles needed to work on in 2012, right?

  I made the trip down to Tallahassee to see what the Noles had to show for their efforts during 2012 spring practices. To my shock, the Noles looked a little pass happy. Ej Manuel throwing all over the place. Clint Trickett throwing a TD pass on the very first play from scrimmage. At first I liked what I was seeing but I came to my senses later when I sat back and asked myself...."where is the run game?" Are the Seminoles switching the offensive playbook to more of a spread? Jimbo Fisher says he likes what he saw from his guys during spring but had some things to work on going forward.....maybe one of those is the running attack? The Gold team had 27 rushing attempts and only 84 yards gained with 1 TD for the game. The Garnet? 31 attempts for 24 yards and 1 TD. Now while Sacks factor into that stat, it doesn't make it much better. Passing? I have to admit the offense on both sides had great success. And there were a few more points scored this year. Garnet-35 Gold-20. Every QB the Noles put in looked good for spring.......'for spring'. Ej still has some work to do. I can't discredit him too much. He is a fighter and he will do everything he can to win a game and that's the guy you want in there. At the end of the day, though, I still wonder if this team can live up to the hype and if they will have a run game that can contribute this season. FSU has the runningbacks. Chris Thompson is back, although he did not play in the spring game. Devonta Freeman looks great when he gets the blocks. Mario Pender has some lofty expectations for a freshman. James Wilder Jr. is coming along. This just goes to show, you can have great runningbacks but if you can't block for them, they are useless. So, going into 2012, I still have my questions about the rushing attack or lack thereof.

IS FISHER'S SEAT AS HEAD COACH GETTING WARM?

  Some people out there truly feel as though the clock is ticking on Fisher. Fans may have gotten a little spoiled after Fisher went for 10 wins in his first year, and almost winning the ACC that year as well. I will make it short and sweet. Jimbo Fisher has done more to bring FSU back than Bowden had done in his last six years as head coach. The recruiting classes are back in the top five. Most importantly FSU is back in the mix when you start talking about teams in the mix for BCS Bowls. Where is the patience? I know fans want them back to the team they were in the 90's but times have changed. Teams have changed. Doing what FSU did during the 90's was amazing. What other team finished in the top 5 for 14 consecutive years? 1987-2000 was an incredible run. We may never see that kind of run ever again. I was one of those fans watching through the years when they destroyed teams every week. I was spoiled. All FSU fans were spoiled. But don't hold Fisher up on them not being back yet. He is on the right track and I hope FSU continues to trust him to be their head coach. They say you never want to be the guy who follows right after a legend......Jimbo Fisher is that guy and he is handling it very well. 

WHAT TO EXPECT.

 Now I know I may have just made it sound like Noles' Fans should be about ready to hit the panic button.....but hang in there. They wouldn't have the expectations they have right in front of them if that was the case. We all remember the great bowl game this past year against Notre Dame. FSU showed its worst and best qualities all in the same game and won. The first half had Florida State fans ready to leave the game. And fans watching on TV were channel surfing to help themselves deal with the terrible showing in the first half. Four true-freshman started for the Noles on the offensive line....and in the first half they played like freshman. Ej was injured in the first half (little did anyone know at the time that he had actually fractured a bone in his leg) The second half showed signs of life as the offensive line began to show a little improvement. It may have only given Manuel an extra second or two, but that's all he needed as the receivers for FSU were clearly too much for the Notre Dame secondary. That forced Notre Dame to back off the blitze to try to cover receivers. Ej showed his toughness playing through injury, refusing to leave the game. And the offensive line got some momentum. FSU won the game with great defense and a great effort from the offense. Not to mention, the patience by the staff, understanding freshman were scattered all over the field.

 FSU has the atheletes to live up to the hype. They may have the best and deepest wide receiver group in the country. The defense is loaded. If you thought last year's defense was good.....get ready. The only part of the defense that was missing in 2011 was consistency. Part of that can be explained by only being in Mark Stoops' system for hardly a year. Now they are 8 deep on the defensive line. They have great corners in Greg Reid and Xavier Rhodes. Throw Lamarcus Joyner into the mix and that is a highly talented secondary. And don't forget about Karlos Williams. He will have an impact on the defense and special teams as well. Make no mistake about it......This is the best defense FSU has had in over a decade. More like a vintage defense from the 1990's. FSU lead the nation on defense in yards per carry given up at 2.3 yards a carry. Not Alabama, not LSU. If the offense can put it together, look out for the Noles in 2012.

                                                                   WHAT WILL FSU DO IN 2012?

 FSU has a schedule that is made for a team to have a great season. They play a total of three (3) games outside the state of Florida. They have a tough game on the road against Virginia Tech. They have rivals Clemson, and the Gators at home. They play at Miami and at South Florida. The trap game that I have circled is at South Florida. If FSU expects to be in National Title talks , they have to go down there and take care of business. The Noles were stunned by the Bulls a few years ago.....that can't happen this time. I have them favored in every game. V-Tech is the only question mark I have on their schedule. Mainly because nobody knows where to put the Hokies as far as ranks go. And more than likely FSU will play V-Tech again in the ACC Championship Game. As long as FSU's offense gets it done, it will be special for FSU this year. FSU will make it back to a BCS Bowl. Remember that part of the schedule where they only leave the state of Florida 3 times? The BCS Title Game is being played in Miami this year. Again, I have to say that the schedule for FSU this year is built for something special to happen for the Seminoles. You saw it here. You read it here. FSU rises in 2012 and finally gets back to where they belong in college football.

 Next in the Preseason Top 10 Countdown is Oregon at #5. The quack attack is back?