Why Florida State will NOT dethrone the SEC

Florida State University defeated Clemson last Saturday night in a game that many thought was a very impressive win. I personally watched the game and was entertained throughout. It was a game between two top five teams in the country and both with impressive offense's. But, the story going in was how FSU's defense was ranked "number one". OK, really FSU faithful? Your really going to brag about that in week four, with the schedule you have played??? Lets look, FSU so far has played Murray State, Wake Forest, and Savannah State who lost to Oklahoma State 84-0. How in God's green earth can you be running your mouth about a defense that has faced two bowl subdivision teams, and then Wake Forest who hasn't been relevant since Aaron Curry was there, and they went 8-5 that year. They also gave up thirty-one points to an offense that tore up the ACC last year, but only put up thirty-three against West Virginia last year in the Orange Bowl. This is how good WVU's defense was last year...they gave up forty-seven points to LSU....

Let's look at Florida State's program recently..

They haven't won a National Championship since 1999, haven't won the ACC since 2005, haven't won more than ten games since 1999, and haven't won a BCS bowl game since 1999. Does this sound like a program that is going to come up and take down someone from the conference that has won the last six National Championships? This is how BAD the ACC is when it comes to playing in BCS games. They are 2-13 ALL-TIME when playing in a BCS game. The fact that they even are allowed to send a team to a BCS game is a joke. You could probably throw Baylor, or Kansas into the ACC and they would walk away with the conference championship every year. Florida State has also been one of the most over-rated teams over the last five years when pre-season rankings come out from the AP. Their average pre-season ranking over the past five years is twelfth, their average post-season rank in the AP, is twenty-third. Go and look up what LSU and Alabama's have been over that span. Now looking at the schedule, Florida State has the easiest road now that they have beaten Clemson, the only other ranked team currently on their schedule is Florida, who has been turning some heads. I expect FSU to runt he table, but I would love to see an upset from Florida, who if they stay healthy will show them what playing against a real defense is like. However, if LSU, or Alabama end up with one loss, and Oregon, and FSU both go un-defeated, I don't see how you leave out an SEC team that has proven it's dominance the past decade, and would consider it a travesty.

Now lets look at offensive styles. FSU runs mostly out of the spread, run and pass. When you think of an effective offense like that, you think Oregon. They have completely evolved the spread offense, and other teams have taken notice, including FSU. Let's look at how Oregon has fared against SEC defense's the last two years. Two years ago they played Auburn in the National Championship, yes they had 374 passing yards, but what we think, when we think of Oregon's offense is their rushing attack. They had seventy-five rushing yards in that game, and Auburn's defense was in the middle of the SEC that year. Then when LSU played Oregon, Oregon had less than 300 passing yards, and less than 100 yards rushing. You would have to be crazy to think that FSU's rushing attack is half as good as a backfield with Lamichael James in it. Now E.J. Manuel, who I consider to be the most over-rated player in the entire nation. He's never thrown for more than twenty touchdowns in a season, or more than 2,500 yards. He's only won one big game in his career, and has never had any pressure like this before on his shoulders. I expect him to crack, whether it's next week, or in the National Championship.

Regardless, I will not consider FSU a true contender until they defeat someone who didn't lose in a BCS bowl game by thirty-seven points, or until they dethrone the SEC in the National Championship*. Anyways, the true National Championship is November 3rd.

*Defeating a team from another conference won't impress me at all unless its WVU.


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