Seminoles looks buck trend against Eagles

It has been quite a while since the Florida St Seminoles were relevant in college football. Depite being ranked in the top 5 prior to the start of the season by college football experts, it will be yet another year until FSU makes a case for being one of the premier teams in division 1. Two blowout wins early on against cup-cake opponents made the Seminoles look as though they were the real deal, but we quickly learned that they were far from it as they dropped their next 3 consecutive games.

A loss to number 1 Oklahoma in week 3 was expected, but the manner in which it ended didn’t give us the feeling that FSU was a legitimate threat to the BCS in 2011. An under-rated Clemson squad gave them more than they could handle the following week, which could also be expected as they were fresh off a tough loss and playing on the road again. However, losing to Wake Forest was totally unexpected and a solid indication that head coach Jimbo Fisher didn’t have control over this talented team.

E.J. Manuel has done his part in solidifying the Seminoles offense, but their rushing attack has room for improvement. Devonta Freeman and Jermaine Thomas have combined for just over 500 yard through 8 games, and are the reason why FSU is ranked 89th out of 120 in division 1 in rushing. The lack of balance has allowed their opponents to stay back in coverage, and load up against the pass. Florida St has bounced back from their 3 game losing streak with 3 wins in a row, but not one of those wins came against what would be considered a quality team.

The Boston College Eagles also wouldn’t be considered a quality team. However, they are coming off of a good win against the Terrapins and always seem to play the Seminoles well. BC has covered 3 consecutive meetings against FSU including two outright wins as underdogs. NCAA football handicappers have loaded up on the Eagles in this match-up as they have shown tremendous value in an increasingly profitable trend.

Chase Rettig is the type of quarterback that you’d put your hard earned money on as a college football handicapper, but he has leadership skills and a pair of productive running backs to rely on. Rolandan Finch and Andre Williams may not be the most powerful or elusive backs in the conference, but they tend to take their toll on defenses over the course of a game. FSU has had problems offensively at times, and if they get off to a slow start or turn the ball over, this has the potential to be a much closer game than anticipated. Tune in Thursday night at the Seminoles and Eagles collide in what should be a highly contested ACC battle.

 

Related posts:

1. Seminoles and Irish Battle in Champs Sports Bowl
2. Top 25 Chick-fil-A Bowl: Seminoles & Gamecocks
3. ACC Showdown: Florida St vs. N. Carolina St
4. Florida St faces test Saturday against Oklahoma

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