There is a ton of football left to be played. After this week (Alabama vs. LSU and TCU vs Utah) there will be a lot more clarity as to how the BCS picture will shape up. For now, here is CFB Kings best prediction as to what teams will land where in the BCS Bowl Games:
BCS Championship Game: Oregon vs. Auburn
Orange Bowl: Florida State vs. Pittsburgh
Fiesta Bowl: Utah vs. Oklahoma
Rose Bowl: Ohio State vs. Boise State
Sugar Bowl: Alabama vs. Nebraska
Showing posts with label Florida State Seminoles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Florida State Seminoles. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Updated BCS Bowl Projections
Here is CFB Kings best projection as to what teams will land where in the BCS Bowl Games:
BCS Championship Game: Auburn vs. Boise State
Orange Bowl: Florida State vs. West Virginia
Fiesta Bowl: Utah vs. Oklahoma
Rose Bowl: Oregon vs. Michigan State
Sugar Bowl: Alabama vs. Ohio State
BCS Championship Game: Auburn vs. Boise State
Orange Bowl: Florida State vs. West Virginia
Fiesta Bowl: Utah vs. Oklahoma
Rose Bowl: Oregon vs. Michigan State
Sugar Bowl: Alabama vs. Ohio State
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Here We Go...
As I was watching football on Saturday night, I saw one of those Bud Light Commercials. You know, the ones that start with a serious dilemma like a plane crash. Nobody knows how their going to overcome the issue at hand when suddenly a character in the commercial discovers a couple cases of Bud Light and somebody then inevitably says the beer company’s catch phrase: “Here we go”.
It got me to thinking. As I do with almost everything in life, I compared it to football. I related the first part of those commercials (the dilemma portion) to the first month of this season. The hectic, wild ride of non-conference play that provided us with some great matchups. It provided us with “Monster Saturday”. It provided us with UCLA over Texas and Miami over Pitt and Michigan over Notre Dame. The first 4 weeks has indeed been fun.
But…… Here we go.
Just as the commercial turns to a chaotic party of drunkenness, so does the season now turn to the chaotic beauty that is Conference Play. Gone are the dream matchups such as Ohio State vs. Miami and Florida State vs. Oklahoma. Now we start playing the part of the season that matters. No longer will teams be fighting the stranger at the bar. Instead teams will be fighting their next door neighbor, their brother-in-law, their parents.
Conference play puts an end to the first quarter of the season and it takes us into the month of October which is where inevitably the war of attrition truly begins. Slowly, but surely teams fall along the waste side. Upsets, injuries, coaches being fired. This is when the season and conference championship races really takes shape.
Sure there is an excitement about playing a team that you only play once every 20 years (e.g. USC vs. Minnesota). But there is something even more special about turning on the TV and seeing that matchup that has stayed consistent throughout the years. These are backyard brawls. Texas and Oklahoma start the brawling out in the Cotton Bowl on Saturday. Florida and Alabama will continue the bitter emotion well into the night. And so, it begins.
The glitz and glamour of the first quarter of the season is over.
Full fledged Conference Play is upon us.
It got me to thinking. As I do with almost everything in life, I compared it to football. I related the first part of those commercials (the dilemma portion) to the first month of this season. The hectic, wild ride of non-conference play that provided us with some great matchups. It provided us with “Monster Saturday”. It provided us with UCLA over Texas and Miami over Pitt and Michigan over Notre Dame. The first 4 weeks has indeed been fun.
But…… Here we go.
Just as the commercial turns to a chaotic party of drunkenness, so does the season now turn to the chaotic beauty that is Conference Play. Gone are the dream matchups such as Ohio State vs. Miami and Florida State vs. Oklahoma. Now we start playing the part of the season that matters. No longer will teams be fighting the stranger at the bar. Instead teams will be fighting their next door neighbor, their brother-in-law, their parents.
Conference play puts an end to the first quarter of the season and it takes us into the month of October which is where inevitably the war of attrition truly begins. Slowly, but surely teams fall along the waste side. Upsets, injuries, coaches being fired. This is when the season and conference championship races really takes shape.
Sure there is an excitement about playing a team that you only play once every 20 years (e.g. USC vs. Minnesota). But there is something even more special about turning on the TV and seeing that matchup that has stayed consistent throughout the years. These are backyard brawls. Texas and Oklahoma start the brawling out in the Cotton Bowl on Saturday. Florida and Alabama will continue the bitter emotion well into the night. And so, it begins.
The glitz and glamour of the first quarter of the season is over.
Full fledged Conference Play is upon us.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
#16 Florida State Seminoles
For the first time since 1975, there will be a different man roaming the sidelines on Saturday afternoons in Doak Campbell Stadium. And what he will accomplish in his first season at the helm may surprise a few people.
Bobby Bowden has relinquished the reigns of his brainchild (the Florida State Football Program) to Jimbo Fisher… and the First-year Head Coach is walking into about as ideal a situation as he can hope for.
The Seminoles return 10 of 11 starters on Offense, including Heisman contender QB Christian Ponder. Ponder (who missed the last 3 games in 2009 with a shoulder injury) had a great Junior season, throwing for 2,700 yards and 14 TDs. Most impressive was his 69% completion percentage (which was up 13% from 2008). His giant leap in decision making has Tallahassee buzzing about the Heisman Trophy along with an ACC Championship returning to Tallahassee.
Behind him, RB Jermaine Thomas returns after posting 849 yards and 9 TDs in 2009. Joining him will be youngster Chris Thompson, whose inspired play during spring practice has coaches raving about his leg drive and playmaking ability. The Seminole offensive line returns all 5 starters and will undoubtedly be the most talented group up front in the conference. Florida State’s running game will be dominant… simply put.
Out wide, Ponder will have plenty of targets to find his passes homes for. WR Jarmon Fortson has the size and speed that is drawing many comparisons to former Ohio State great, David Boston. Bert Reed brings a valuable speed and quickness to the slot position, and Taiwan Easterling is poised for a breakout performance. Due to experience, the Red Zone, an area where ‘Nole receivers often disappeared last year, will instead be an area where they flourish.
Defensively, the ‘Noles will be stacked with athletes… but for the past 5 years, those athletes have not produced cohesive, consistent units capable of stopping the likes of Florida, Georgia Tech, and even Miami. Longtime Defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews has retired and replacing him will be a coach with a lineage of defensive coaching prowess… Mark Stoops (brother of Bob and Mike of Oklahoma and Arizona, respectively). On the Defensive line, keep an eye on Everett Dawkins. The LBs will be fast, but must quickly adapt to the new schemes. That group will be headed by a player with immense talent and potential, Nigel Bradham, who has yet to harness it. The defensive secondary is where they might be the most solid, highlighted by 2009 Freshman All-American CB Greg Reid. Reid has the potential to be the best Seminole player so far this millennium and his versatility will be more widely used as he will return punts, as well as play some slot WR (according to Head Coach Jimbo Fisher). He is almost sure to garner All-ACC honors.
The biggest thing that will stand in FSU’s way of an ACC Championship and BCS bowl is their schedule. It is, in my opinion, the absolute toughest schedule in the Country. Their non-conference slate, consisting of Oklahoma, BYU, and Florida, is unrivaled by any team. And with the recent improvements by North Carolina, Clemson, and Boston College, the in-conference schedule is going to be challenging as well. This is one of the toughest teams to predict an outcome for. The talent on the roster would lead me to say that this team has NO BUSINESS getting less than 10 wins… but because of the difficulty of the schedule, it wouldn’t surprise me to see them struggling to get 7 wins. We will know MUCH more about the Garnett and Gold’s 2010 prospects after their Week 2 foray to Norman, Oklahoma.
Key Returning Players:
QB Christian Ponder
WR Jarmon Fortson
RB Jermaine Thomas
OG Ronnie Hudson
OT Zerbie Sanders
LB Nigel Bradham
CB Greg Reid
Key Games:
Sept 11 - @ Oklahoma
Sept 18 - BYU
Oct 9 - @ Miami
Oct 16 - Boston College
Nov 6 - North Carolina
Nov 13 - Clemson
Nov 27 - Florida
Bobby Bowden has relinquished the reigns of his brainchild (the Florida State Football Program) to Jimbo Fisher… and the First-year Head Coach is walking into about as ideal a situation as he can hope for.
The Seminoles return 10 of 11 starters on Offense, including Heisman contender QB Christian Ponder. Ponder (who missed the last 3 games in 2009 with a shoulder injury) had a great Junior season, throwing for 2,700 yards and 14 TDs. Most impressive was his 69% completion percentage (which was up 13% from 2008). His giant leap in decision making has Tallahassee buzzing about the Heisman Trophy along with an ACC Championship returning to Tallahassee.
Behind him, RB Jermaine Thomas returns after posting 849 yards and 9 TDs in 2009. Joining him will be youngster Chris Thompson, whose inspired play during spring practice has coaches raving about his leg drive and playmaking ability. The Seminole offensive line returns all 5 starters and will undoubtedly be the most talented group up front in the conference. Florida State’s running game will be dominant… simply put.
Out wide, Ponder will have plenty of targets to find his passes homes for. WR Jarmon Fortson has the size and speed that is drawing many comparisons to former Ohio State great, David Boston. Bert Reed brings a valuable speed and quickness to the slot position, and Taiwan Easterling is poised for a breakout performance. Due to experience, the Red Zone, an area where ‘Nole receivers often disappeared last year, will instead be an area where they flourish.
Defensively, the ‘Noles will be stacked with athletes… but for the past 5 years, those athletes have not produced cohesive, consistent units capable of stopping the likes of Florida, Georgia Tech, and even Miami. Longtime Defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews has retired and replacing him will be a coach with a lineage of defensive coaching prowess… Mark Stoops (brother of Bob and Mike of Oklahoma and Arizona, respectively). On the Defensive line, keep an eye on Everett Dawkins. The LBs will be fast, but must quickly adapt to the new schemes. That group will be headed by a player with immense talent and potential, Nigel Bradham, who has yet to harness it. The defensive secondary is where they might be the most solid, highlighted by 2009 Freshman All-American CB Greg Reid. Reid has the potential to be the best Seminole player so far this millennium and his versatility will be more widely used as he will return punts, as well as play some slot WR (according to Head Coach Jimbo Fisher). He is almost sure to garner All-ACC honors.
The biggest thing that will stand in FSU’s way of an ACC Championship and BCS bowl is their schedule. It is, in my opinion, the absolute toughest schedule in the Country. Their non-conference slate, consisting of Oklahoma, BYU, and Florida, is unrivaled by any team. And with the recent improvements by North Carolina, Clemson, and Boston College, the in-conference schedule is going to be challenging as well. This is one of the toughest teams to predict an outcome for. The talent on the roster would lead me to say that this team has NO BUSINESS getting less than 10 wins… but because of the difficulty of the schedule, it wouldn’t surprise me to see them struggling to get 7 wins. We will know MUCH more about the Garnett and Gold’s 2010 prospects after their Week 2 foray to Norman, Oklahoma.
Key Returning Players:
QB Christian Ponder
WR Jarmon Fortson
RB Jermaine Thomas
OG Ronnie Hudson
OT Zerbie Sanders
LB Nigel Bradham
CB Greg Reid
Key Games:
Sept 11 - @ Oklahoma
Sept 18 - BYU
Oct 9 - @ Miami
Oct 16 - Boston College
Nov 6 - North Carolina
Nov 13 - Clemson
Nov 27 - Florida
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