The start of the regular season is exactly one month away as No. 8 Florida State will begin its quest for a fourth straight ACC championship. The 2014 season ended with a loss to Oregon in the Rose Bowl after 29 straight victories which included three ACC titles and the 2013 national championship.
This season, the Seminoles will have a talented, but young and less proven roster. FSU has as many question marks entering the season as its had in a long time and the Noled Out staff comprised of editor Mike Ferguson along with staff writers Clint Eiland and Jon Marchant will attempt to answer some of those questions. Here’s three pertaining to the 2015 campaign:
1. Which player will lead FSU in sacks this season?
Mike Ferguson: After only 17 sacks a season ago, I feel Florida State will be improved when it comes to getting to the quarterback. The Seminoles have depth along the defensive front with Lorenzo Featherston, Jacob Pugh, Chris Casher, Derrick Nnadi and Nile Lawrence-Stample among others, but the guy I look to be the team’s best pass-rusher is junior DeMarcus Walker. Walker was the Most Outstanding Defensive Player of the spring and will be the guy who makes the biggest strides this year. I’m not predicting double-digit sacks for Walker, but he’ll surpass the four Eddie Goldman had last season to lead the team.
Clint Eiland: DeMarcus Walker seems to be the prime candidate for most sacks in 2015. Walker has gotten better every year and now that he’s getting major minutes, he’ll have more opportunities to get to the quarterback. If I had to predict a number, I’d say he’ll have around 7 sacks on the year.
Jon Marchant: I like Lorenzo Featherston. Jacob Pugh is a candidate, as is the spring’s co-Most Outstanding Defensive Player Rick Leonard, but Featherston’s length gives him the edge. He played very well when healthy last season and I think he’s in for a monster year.
2. Who will win the starting quarterback job?
Ferguson: I don’t expect head coach Jimbo Fisher to name a starter until the final week of August, but conventional wisdom seems to suggest that Notre Dame transfer Everett Golson is the guy. Redshirt junior Sean Maguire is Golson’s biggest competition and has been learning the offense for four years, but if Golson can grasp the playbook, he has the obvious edge in talent and experience. Having played in a national championship at Notre Dame, Golson is no stranger to the national spotlight and could potentially be a great fit in Tallahassee.
Eiland: Everett Golson will ultimately win the job in the long run. He just has too much talent and experience to be sitting behind Sean Maguire.
Marchant: Everett Golson. Sean Maguire is plenty good enough but Golson is probably more talented and raises the ceiling of this team by about a game, making a final record of 10-2 more likely than 8-4. 10-2 instead of 9-3 or 8-4 may be just enough for FSU to earn another trip to the ACC title game.
3. What are the odds of FSU four-peating as ACC champions?
Ferguson: I’ll say about 33 percent. The key contest will obviously be a November trip to Clemson. The winner of the annual FSU-Clemson game has won the ACC Atlantic in each of the last six years. Games against Boston College, Georgia Tech, Louisville and Miami won’t be easy, but even if FSU goes 2-2 in those games and beats Clemson, that would force the Tigers to run the table to get to Charlotte. I think the Seminoles would stand a very good chance on a neutral field against anyone from the Coastal division.
Eiland: I’d say around 40 percent. The biggest challenges in the division will be Louisville and Clemson, though thankfully, FSU gets the Cardinals at home this year. If the Seminoles can beat Clemson, I like their chances against anyone in the Coastal.
Marchant: Vegas has FSU with a 20 percent chance to win the ACC, but it comes down to the Clemson game, and I think the win share there is 45 percent for Florida State. Still, there are seven loseable games for FSU this year. Maybe 20 percent isn’t far off.
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