Florida State’s Fall
Florida State University had a disappointing start to the 2024 college football season, suffering a 24-21 upset loss to Georgia Tech. The Seminoles struggled without QB Jordan Travis and their offensive weapons from last season, managing only 98 rushing yards. Additionally, their defense was outmatched by Georgia Tech’s mobile quarterback, Haynes King. Despite the loss, Florida State is still in the conversation for the College Football Playoff (CFP) due to the expanded format. The Seminoles’ transfer-heavy roster may take some time to jell, but they could compete for the ACC auto-bid in the conference championship. This loss serves as a case study for the significance of regular-season upsets in the new 12-team Playoff era.
Coach Tiers
This year’s college football coach tiers look different without Nick Saban at the top. Georgia’s Kirby Smart and Clemson’s Dabo Swinney now hold Tier 1, as the only active FBS coaches with multiple national titles. Several coaches, including Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer, Kansas’ Lance Leipold, and Florida State’s Mike Norvell, rose to Tier 2, which consists mostly of coaches who have made the CFP or come close to it. Bronco Mendenhall, the new coach at New Mexico, is the highest-tiered first-year coach, while Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz, Auburn’s Hugh Freeze, Miami’s Mario Cristobal, and others are in Tier 3. Mendenhall, although not coaching since 2021, has extensive head-coaching experience with a combined record of 135-81 at BYU and Virginia.
Make Your Picks
Readers are invited to submit their preseason predictions for this season’s national champion, Heisman Trophy winner, and more. The picks will be reviewed in a future newsletter.
Documentary Takeaways
Netflix’s documentary “Sign Stealer” explores the sign-stealing scandal at Michigan through the perspective of ex-staffer Connor Stalions. However, Stalions is deemed an unreliable narrator. According to writer Austin Meek, the documentary confirms that Stalions is neither a supervillain nor an innocent caught up in a conspiracy. He appears to be an eccentric individual in a sport full of eccentric people, with the right combination of intelligence, ambition, and naivete. Stewart Mandel suggests that Stalions wants viewers to believe he’s a victim, but his credibility is questionable. The documentary does not answer the question of whether Stalions was on the Central Michigan sideline in a fake mustache and Chippewas attire.
Quick Snaps
– Michigan State is starting fresh under new coach Jonathan Smith.
– Tyler Van Dyke is looking for a fresh start in Madison after a tumultuous ending at Miami.
– LSU could be a wild-card pick for the College Football Playoff.
– The Athletic ranks the top contenders from the SEC for the 12-team field.
Readers can purchase tickets to every college football game.
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