2011 Florida State Football Predictions

Written by Steve Janus

The Florida State Seminoles found themselves back in the ACC Championship game for the first time since 2005 last year. The Seminoles won the ACC Atlantic Division with a 6-2 conference record, but were unable to beat the Virginia Tech Hokies in the championship game. Florida State did go on to beat South Carolina in the Chick-fil-A Bowl to finish the year 10-4 overall. While the Seminoles lose starting quarterback Christian Ponder, they not only come into the 2011 season as the favorites to win the ACC but they are legitimate National Title contenders as well.

To get a better idea of what the Seminoles will look like this season, lets take a look at who they will send to the field on both sides of the ball, plus I will give my prediction on where I see them finishing the season in the ACC.

Offense:

Many teams would expect to see a drop off in production when they lose a starting quarterback that was drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft, but the Seminoles don’t figure to lose much of anything on the field with junior E.J. Manuel taking over. Manuel started two games and played a huge role in the bowl win over South Carolina last year. He finished the year 65 for 93 (69%) with 861 yards and four touchdowns.

Manuel will benefit from the Seminoles returning their three leading rushers from last year. Junior Chris Thompson led the way with 845 yards and six touchdowns, but also got a combined 1,117 yards and 11 touchdowns out of seniors to be Ty Jones and Jermaine Thompson.

Manuel will also have plenty of experience to throw to, as the four top receivers from 2010 are all back. Senior Bert Reed led the way with 58 catches for 614 yards, but the guy to watch out for is junior Willie Haulstead, who had a team best six touchdowns. Also back are senior Taiwan Easterling, junior Rodney Smith, and starting tight end Beau Reliford.

The Seminoles lose a couple of very talented guards from last year’s team in Rodney Hudson and Ryan McMahon, but the other three starters are all back. Senior tackles Andrew Datko and Zebrie Sanders are two of the best in the conference, and senior David Spurlock is entering his third season as the starting center. Junior Jacob Fahrenkrug and sophomore Bryan Stork are the leading candidates to take over for Hudson and McMahon inside.

Defense:

With the addition of junior Tank Carradine (JC transfer), the Seminoles should have one of the most feared pass rushing defensive lines in the entire country. Carradine is expected to start at the defensive end spot opposite of junior Brandon Jenkins, who had a monster sophomore season with 13.5 sacks and eight tackles for loss. Inside juniors Jacobbi McDaniel and Everett Dawkins return at the two defensive tackle spots. McDaniel should be one of the top four defensive tackles in the ACC this season.

While Florida State returns one of the top outside linebackers in the conference in senior Nigel Bradham, they will have o find two new starters to play alongside him. Heading into fall practices it looks as though sophomores Jeff Luc and Christian Jones have the early edge at earning the starting roles. The loss of two starters will be eased by all the talent the Seminoles have up front and in the secondary.

Speaking of the secondary, all four starters return from last season. Junior Greg Reid and sophomore Xavier Rhodes are two of the top corners in the entire country, and safeties Terrance Parks and Nick Moody bring a bunch of experience in the defensive backfield.

SEC Prediction: 1st ACC Atlantic - If Manuel lives up to the expectations he has created for himself, I believe the Seminoles will roll to a perfect 8-0 conference record. As of right now I have them beating Virginia Tech in the ACC Championship Game, but whether or not they find themselves in the National Championship game will depend largely on how they do at home against Oklahoma and on the road against Florida in non-conference play.

ACC Football Predictions by Team
Boston College Football Predictions	Clemson Football Predictions
Maryland Football Predictions	NC State Football Predictions
Duke Football Predictions	Georgia Tech Football Predictions
North Carolina Football Predictions	Virginia Football Predictions
Florida State Football Predictions	Wake Forest Football Predictions
Miami Football Predictions	Virginia Tech Football Predictions

College Football Predictions
ACC Football Predictions	Big 12 Football Predictions
Conference USA Football Predictions	Independents Football Predictions
PAC 12 Football Predictions	SEC Football Predictions
Big East Football Predictions	Big Ten Football Predictions
MAC Football Predictions	Mountain West Football Predictions
Sun Belt Football Predictions	WAC Football Predictions

Archived Predictions:

Additional Resources:

Kyle Hunter – Sees the Noles finishing 11-2 with a date set with Va Tech in the ACC title game.

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