CFB Prediction: Florida State Cracks Top 10 in Countdown

With many of the top players opting out of the Orange Bowl, the season ended with a humbling 63-3 loss to Georgia. The college football odds view Florida State as a playoff team even with the loss of some key players.

With the College Football Playoffs expanding from four to 12 teams, the champions of the top five conferences are guaranteed slots in the CFP. The ACC champion won’t automatically be one of those conferences, but it seems unlikely that two champions from the Group of Five conferences would be ahead of the ACC winner.

The Seminoles offer good value at +130 to make the playoffs. According to the college football futures odds, Florida State is tied for 10th at +3000 in the odds of winning the national championship.

There are -115 odds for Florida State to either go over or under 9½ wins. The Seminoles are currently listed by the NCAA football betting line as the underdog against only Miami and Notre Dame.

Florida State received 81 of 167 first-place votes to finish first in the ACC preseason poll. Offensive linemen Darius Washington and Maurice Smith join defensive lineman Joshua Farmer and punter Alex Mastromanno as first-team selections on the preseason All-ACC team.

Florida State is 10th in both the Associated Press and American Football Coaches Association preseason polls. The BetUS Top 25 countdown has Florida State at No. 10.

Florida State Seminoles at a Glance

2023 record: 13-1
2023 ACC Record: 8-0
Head coach: Mike Norvell
Odds To Win ACC: +290

Can FSU Overcome Loss of Several Key Contributors?

Florida State saw Travis, leading rusher Trey Benson, top pass catchers Keon Coleman, Johnny Wilson and Jaheim Bell, leading tackler Tatum Bethune and Kalen DeLoach, sack leader Jared Verse and defensive tackle Braden Fiske all head to the NFL.

The Seminoles dipped into the transfer portal and ended up with a top-10 class of incoming transfers.

Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei began his college career at ACC rival Clemson after a stop at Oregon State. Now he is ready to take over as the FSU quarterback. The sportsbook odds have Uiagalelei tied for 13th in the odds of winning the Heisman Trophy.

Georgia edge rusher Marvin Jones, LSU receiver Jalen Brown and Alabama receiver Malik Benson are higher-rated transfers than Uiagalelei.

The ultimate irony is that Alabama was the team that took the final spot in the 2023 College Football Playoffs that Florida State longed for. Following the retirement of legendary Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban, the Seminoles brought in not only Benson but linebacker Shawn Murphy, running back Roydell Williams, cornerback Earl Little and offensive lineman TJ Ferguson as transfers from Alabama.

Quarterback Luke Kroemenhoek and cornerback Charles Lester are top-100 recruits as FSU had a top-15 rated class of incoming freshmen.

Florida State returns a veteran offensive line led by Smith and Washington, who were both named to the Lombardi Award watch list.

The best linemen in college football@PatPayton6 & @DariusW76 are on the @LombardiAward Watch List!#NoleFamily | #KeepCLIMBing pic.twitter.com/IMMp8S0Ln9

— FSU Football (@FSUFootball) August 15, 2024

Lawrance Toafili ran for 118 yards in the ACC title game. Is he ready to take on a larger role? Perhaps Caziah Holmes could step up as well. Williams was the No. 2 rusher at Alabama in 2023 so there are options at running back. They are both in the top 10 in the odds of leading the ACC in rushing yards. Freshman Kam Davis is another back to watch. There are plenty of unproven but talented pass catchers on hand as well.

Eleven freshmen or sophomores had at least 10 tackles last season while senior DJ Lundy is the top returning tackler. Add in the transfers and the Seminoles have the pieces to be a solid defense once again. Keep an eye on defensive linemen Joshua Farmer and Patrick Payton.

Defensive player of the year@colaboy_j5 and @PatPayton6 are on the @BednarikAward Watch List!

🔗: https://t.co/HtNzm2sSgb#NoleFamily | #KeepCLIMBing pic.twitter.com/4587Gn9pKI

— FSU Football (@FSUFootball) August 12, 2024

Florida State 2024 Betting Outlook

Florida State was tied for the ACC lead by covering in eight games during the 2023 season. Eight of those games also landed over the total including four of the six home games.

The Seminoles head to Dublin to face ACC rival Georgia Tech in the Aug. 24 season opener. The college football spread has Florida State as the 11½-point favorite. They are also double-digit favorites on Sept. 2 against Boston College.

Once again, the ACC pitted the two favorites – Florida State and Clemson – against each other in the middle of the season. That Oct. 5 matchup will also be FSU’s first against a ranked team in 2024. There will be road games against Miami and Notre Dame that could be rather challenging.

Florida State is a double-digit favorite in the regular-season finale against Florida. The Gators might be playing the toughest schedule in the country so that could be a tricky matchup even if the Seminoles are currently heavy favorites.

Touchdown Profits! Bet $200, Get $450 Bonus on first time deposit.

Florida State 2024 Schedule

Aug. 24 vs Georgia Tech (at Dublin, Ireland), noon ET (ESPN)
Sept. 2 vs Boston College, 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN, ACC Network)
Sept. 14 vs Memphis, noon ET (ESPN)
Sept. 21 vs California
Sept. 28 at Southern Methodist
Oct. 5 vs Clemson
Oct. 18 at Duke, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
Oct. 26 at Miami
Nov. 2 vs North Carolina
Nov. 9 at Notre Dame, 7:30 p.m. ET (NBC)
Nov. 23 vs Charleston Southern
Nov. 30 vs Florida

Bet on Florida State (+3000) to win the NCAAF Title

Odds and information are accurate at the time of writing. Please check with official sources for the latest updates before placing any bets.

Take A Look At These Other 2 NCAAF Special Articles

• CFB Prediction 2024: No. 8 Michigan has Challenging Path to Repeat
• CFB Prediction 2024: No. 9 Penn State to Ride Arm of Allar

Questions of the Day