Florida State @ Virginia Preview

Happy Friday Everyone! The 'Noles are in Charlottesville, Virginia this weekend for their game against the Cavaliers.

Kickoff Time: 12 noon
Location: Scott Stadium; Virginia
Game Time weather: 66 degrees and sunny at kickoff. Chance of rain: 0%
Records: FSU 3-1 (1-0 in ACC)
              Virginia 2-1 (0-0 in ACC)

So far this season......

Virginia has beaten two FCS schools (Richmond and VMI) but lost by 3 points to the 16th ranked USC Trojans.

Florida State has beaten Samford, BYU, and Wake Forest but struggled in Oklahoma in their game against the Sooners.

Team Overviews:

Virginia has a pretty strong defense this year (ranked top 25 in the nation). They've only allowed an average of 12.3 points per game this season. Although, two of the games were against FCS schools. Virginia did perform much better than anticipated in their road game against Southern Cal. Judging from that game, this Virginia team looks much better than the team from last year that finished with a record of 3-9.

Florida State has had a much improved defense the last two games against BYU and Wake Forest. The team leads the entire nation in sacks with a total of 19. FSU's offense has somewhat struggled a bit compared to last season's offense. Despite scoring 31 points against Wake Forest last week, the Seminoles got off to a slow start in the first half once again and had a few turnovers.

Keys to the game:

Virginia's defense must continue to play strong in order to keep the Cavaliers in the game. If they do so, the game will remain a close one and homefield advantage could then really benefit Virginia.

Florida State's offense must get off to a quick start in the first half and limit turnovers. This Virginia defense is much better than Wake Forest's defense.If the Seminole's defense can perform as well as they did the last two games, the Cavaliers will have a tough task ahead of them.

Prediction:

I believe the improved FSU defense will help the 'Noles prevail with ease. The Seminoles just have too much talent on their side. I see the Seminoles winning this game 31-17 and head into Miami next week with a 2-0 record in the ACC.

source:
Florida State
 Virginia