It’s the dawn of a new era for the Florida State Seminoles. Jimbo Fisher couldn’t say no to the fully guaranteed $75 million contract that Texas A&M offered him in the off-season, so Willie Taggart will be patrolling the sidelines for the Seminoles in 2018. Taggart has brought new energy to the program, but he has typically been unable to find much success in the first year at any of his previous three stops. FSU hopes that he will be able to turn things around quicker than he has been able to in the past.
Florida State 2018 regular season win total
Over 8.5 (-115)
Under 8.5 (-115)
Odds courtesy of BetDSI Sportsbook
What Happened Last Year
Expectations were high heading into last season. Florida State started the season ranked No. 3 in the AP poll, and the Seminoles likely would have been the No. 1 team in the country if they beat Alabama in their season opener.
Unfortunately, disaster struck in that game and it derailed the rest of the season. Starting quarterback Deondre Francois suffered a season-ending injury and that thrust freshman James Blackman into the starting job. Blackman performed admirably, but the team was very one-dimensional and the defense struggled too. FSU managed to go just 7-6, by far the worst season of Fisher’s tenure.
What Will Change This Year
The bigger question here is what won’t change. Taggart is going to install his Gulf Coast Offense, and that means the Seminoles will play at a much faster tempo than they did under Fisher. Under Fisher, FSU played at one of the slowest paces in the nation. Taggart’s teams at Western Kentucky, South Florida, and Oregon were all known for playing quick, and the Seminoles have had to adjust to that.
Florida State will be leaning heavily on its running back duo of Cam Akers and Jacques Patrick in 2018. Akers showed why he was one of the top running back recruits in the country as a freshman last season, and Patrick is a big bruiser who can get the tough yards in between the tackles. The Seminoles managed to rush for just 4.4 YPC in 2017, but that should change under Taggart.
On defense, FSU has plenty of talent up front and in the secondary. Brian Burns and Demarcus Christmas are both solid along the defensive line, while the secondary might boast the best pair of cornerbacks in the conference in Stanford Samuels III and Levonta Taylor. However, there are major concerns at linebacker. All three starters from last year are gone and the Seminoles have not recruited well at the position.
Outlook & Prediction
FSU gets to host Clemson this season, but it’s hard to see the Seminoles beating out the Tigers for the ACC Atlantic. There is going to be a big adjustment in terms of scheme. Fisher was a perfectionist who liked to constantly tinker, and his playbooks were massive. Taggart’s strategy is to wear down defenses with tempo, but it will take some time before the system really sinks in.
The Seminoles should be the second-best team in the ACC Atlantic. However, winning nine games with this schedule is tough. FSU will be an underdog at home against Clemson and on the road against Notre Dame and Miami. It’s unlikely that the Seminoles get to nine wins.
