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2008 Florida State Football Picks & Predictions

Written by Jimmy Boyd

I thought I’d never see the storied Florida State program reach the state it’s in. The Seminoles were pummeled by rival Florida 45-12 last season in a game which we used to expect to go down to the wire. This program has declined, but a stable of offensive weapons and seven home games should give FSU fans something to cheer about this season – just not an ACC title. Jimmy Boyd’s 2008 Florida State Seminoles preview provide his college football predictions on the upcoming season.

Offense

Drew Weatherford has 33 career starts at quarterback but he has never emerged into the player he was supposed to become. There is a chance that Christian Ponder or D’Vontrey Richardson could be taking some of the snaps this season. Weatherford will need to quit making costly throws into coverage. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a QB look so good at times and so bad at other times. Perhaps a bolstered supporting cast will help him out. Wide receiver Preston Parker was the team’s best overall player in 2007 and will likely be back despite an arrest in April for marijuana possession. The team also likes the progress of wide receiver Bert Reed. The ground game used to be FSU’s bread and butter and now yards have been tough to come by with a thing offensive front and lesser caliber tailbacks. Antone Smith should see the bulk of the carries, but like Weatherford, is yet to live up to his potential.

Defense

As many as 10 returning players, most of them on defense, will miss the first three games of the season as suspension for last year’s academic fraud scandal. What happened to the days when Bowden used to be able to keep this stuff in house? Anyway, that most certainly means a loss to Atlantic rival Wake Forest in week three. Derek Nicholson, younger brother of former FSU player A.J. Nicholson, will play at linebacker along with Dekoda Watson, who was tagged the best defensive player of the spring by the team. The Seminoles also like the way defensive end Everette Brown is coming along. The best defensive players are in the secondary starting with cornerback Tony Carter and safety Myron Rolle. It will take some time for this unit to be hitting on all cylinders since it won’t be intact for the first three weeks of the season.

Special Teams

FSU will greatly miss place kicker Gary Cismesia who had his best season in 2007. The Seminoles will start the season hoping that Graham Gano can do both the punting and the kicking. A little bird told me he was struggling to make 35 yarders in the spring. The Seminoles always have very athletic guys in the special teams and have always been great at blocking punts. They’ll need to come up with some big plays throughout the season with this unit.

Prediction – 3rd ACC Atlantic

Florida State enters another season outside the top 10 where they used to figure in perennially. Clemson and Wake Forest should leave the Seminoles in the dust this year, but with seven home games FSU should be able to challenge for another bowl.

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