Noles News: USA Today ranks FSU 18th in its CFB Top 25 program rankings

Football:

Duce Robinson’s leadership and impact in the community has been recognized nationally.

Happy belated birthday to Karson Hobbs:

USA ranked the top-25 overall college football programs in the country and FSU came in at 18th.

18. Florida State

FSU does not have the century-plus history of other schools in the region, having a football program that only dates to 1954. But legendary coach Bobby Bowden built the program into a household name, and the Seminoles arriving in the ACC proved mutually beneficial to both institution and conference, elevating the league’s profile in the sport while keeping FSU was one of the leaders in the national conversation. Success has been difficult to grasp after Jimbo Fisher’s departure, but the program still has the cachet needed to be national contenders.

FSU has a daunting road trip to Pittsburgh in November a game that Florida State could win but would not realistically project at this moment.

Realistic Case

I’m not confident that FSU will be able to consistently get into the backfield enough to rattle Pitt’s quarterback. This could be a repeat of last season when the Panthers were able to do what they wanted on offense for most of the game. FSU should be able to put up some points on Pitt’s aggressive defense thanks to Daniels’ mobility and none of their defensive backs being able to match up with Duce, but the offense is likely to turn the ball over at least once. I think a victory for the Panthers is more likely than one for FSU, especially in the cold weather.

The best way to describe the ACC schedule this year would be ‘weird’.

Sorting out the ACC

There will be 12 ACC teams playing nine conference games in 2026. The five that will play just eight conference games are Boston College, Clemson, Florida State, Georgia Tech and North Carolina. Boston College and Georgia Tech play three non-conference games against Power 4 teams. Clemson and Florida State each play two non-conference games against Power 4 teams. North Carolina faces TCU in Ireland on Aug. 29, plays Notre Dame at home on Oct. 3 and at UConn on Nov. 7. The Tar Heels will play nine straight weeks without a bye, the Huskies the only one of those games that’s not a Power 4 foe.

All Sports:

Link Jarrett continues to add talent via the transfer portal; Callum Early the left-handed infielder out of Texas is coming to Florida State.

We are one month away from the return of FSU Soccer; championship soccer is just around the corner:

Lajae Jones made a positive impact with the Warriors in Summer League; step 1 to the making roster as a second-round pick:

16 Seminoles earned All-Academic Honors from the US Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.