Rivalry Week

It's the greatest week of the college football season, rivalry week. Huge games take place all around the nation this week with bragging rights on the line. Records are thrown out the window and predictions are difficult to make. When rival teams meet, nothing is guaranteed, except an intense 60-minutes of football. Some of the best rivalry games played in the final week this season include Auburn-Alabama, South Carolina-Clemson, Florida-Florida State, Oklahoma-Oklahoma State, Michigan-Ohio State and Notre Dame-USC. So sit back, relax, and enjoy your Thanksgiving leftovers this weekend as rivalry week 2010 kicks off.

Rivalry fact: The last time Florida State has defeated both Miami AND Florida in the same season was 1999. It was the same year as FSU's last national championship.

ACC Predictions Week 13

Happy late Thanksgiving folks. The blog has been slow due to the holiday but this is Florida week and rivalry week so here are my predictions for the final week of the season:
Last Week's record: 5-1
Season record: 44-13 (77% correct)

Syracuse 13 Boston College 10
South Carolina 27 Clemson 24
Florida 24 Florida State 27
NC State 28 Maryland 24
Vanderbilt 21 Wake Forest 13
UNC 28 Duke 14
Georgia 31 Georgia Tech 27
Miami 27 USF 17
Virginia Tech 28 Virginia 13

ACC Predictions Week 12

Due to there being no ACC games on Thursday this week, I decided to wait as long as possible before making my picks for this week. Last week I went 5-1, picked GT to upset Miami but that didn't happen, so I am now 39-12 for the season. This week in the ACC all 12 teams play an ACC opponent meaning there are once again 6 games to pick. However, this week and next week are likely the two tougest weeks to pick games due to all the good match-ups. Here we go:

Boston College 17 Virginia 10
Florida State 27 Maryland 21
NC State 24 North Carolina 27
Clemson 24 Wake Forest 6
Miami 28 Virginia Tech 31
Duke 17 Georgia Tech 24

Gameday: #25 FSU @ Maryland

It's the final game of the ACC regular season for the Seminoles as they travel to Maryland to take on the Terps. As mentioned in earlier posts, this is a must-win game for the 'Noles if they want to have any hope of reaching the ACC title game. The NC State-North Carolina game kicksoff at noon so the 'Noles will know the results of that game prior to the 8pm kickoff in Maryland. The Seminoles are pulling for a Tar Heel win tomorrow afternoon.

Christian Ponder has been practicing all week and he is expected to start at QB. However, E.J Manuel will be available if needed. It's a late November night game in Maryland so the temperature will be pretty chilly so it'll be key for FSU to start off to a quick start unlike last week. Another key to the game would be to control time of possession. The 'Noles struggled greatly against Clemson with time of possession and it almost cost them. So getting an early lead and controlling the ball are my two keys to victory.

Don't overlook Maryland. They are a program that FSU has had much success against over the years but this Maryland team is much improved from last year's team, as seen by their 4-2 conference record. Many people credit Maryland's easy schedule for their good record but that shouldn't prevent the Terps to put up a great match against the Seminoles. There's no doubt that the 'Noles must be 100% focused on this game and not looking ahead to next week's rivalry game against the Gators.

News and Notes

• Chris Singleton had the 3rd triple-double in FSU basketball history on Sunday night in a win against UNC-Greensboro. FSU is now 2-0.
• The men's team returns to Tallahassee Tuesday night to host Gardner-Webb.
• Christian Ponder is expected to start on Saturday against Maryland, according to his interview on Seminoles.com
• Ponder had enough fluid drained from his elbow last week to fill a 16 oz. soda bottle, the Orlando Sentinel reported.
• The FSU-Florida game on November 27th will either kickoff at 3:30 or 7pm, ESPN and the ACC announced today. The official time will be announced on Sunday.
• In addition to a World Series ring, Florida State grad Buster Posey won the 2010 NL Rookie of the Year award.

FSU-Clemson Photos

All photos were taken by Chris Alford

Updated ACC Atlantic Division standings

As we enter the final two weeks of the regular season, three teams remain in the Atlantic Division race. N.C State and Maryland are both 4-2 and Florida State is 5-2 in the conference. N.C State plays at North Carolina this week while Maryland and Florida State face-off head-to-head. Then, in the final week of the season, Maryland will then play N.C State. Florida State still has a slight advantage in the race as they already have 5 wins. However, the Seminoles are the only team that doesn't control its own destiny. If Maryland or N.C State wins-out, they will represent the Atlantic Division in the championship. Here are the scenarios for Florida State to win the division:

• First, Florida State MUST defeat Maryland this weekend. Otherwise, the 'Noles will be eliminated.
• Second, N.C State MUST lose to EITHER North Carolina OR Maryland.

A Florida State victory paired with an N.C State defeat is required for the 'Noles to participate in the 2010 ACC Championship game.

Florida State returns to the BCS standings

After dropping out of the rankings last week following the loss against North Carolina, the Seminoles climb back into the rankings at the #25 spot. Here is a complete look at the rankings courtesy of espn.com:

1. Oregon
2. Auburn
3. TCU
4. Boise ST.
5. LSU
 6. Stanford
 7. Wisconsin
 8. Nebraska
 9. Ohio State
10. Oklahoma St
11. Alabama
12. Michigan St
13. Arkansas
14. Oklahoma
15. Missouri
16. Virginia Tech
17. South Carolina
18. Nevada
19. Texas A&M
20. Iowa
21. Miss ST.
22. Arizona
23. Utah
24. Miami
25. Florida State

Redempion for Dustin Hopkins

It's amazing how sweet redemption can be. Especially if you're Dustin Hopkins. Exactly one week after he took majority of the blame for the loss against North Carolina, Dustin Hopkins became the hero against Clemson. As time expired in the 4th quarter, Hopkins drilled a game winning 55-yard field goal that could have been good from another 10 yards away.

Hopkins setting up for the game winning kick. Photo by Chris Alford

In a game which Christian Ponder was sidelined due to his elbow injury, E.J Manuel and the FSU offense got off to a slow start and were held to just 3 points in the first half. Clemson entered the game as one of the top defenses in the conference and they certainly lived up to that. The Tigers led 10-3 after a low scoring first half.

However, the Seminole's offense showed a little more life in the second half of the game. E.J Manuel was pretty successful running the option throughout the game and it eventually led to the first FSU touchdown of the game in the 4th quarter. The 'Noles took a 13-10 lead but with just under a minute left in the ballgame, Clemson hit a fieldgoal to tie it up at 13-13.

Put into a similar situation as last weekend, the Seminoles had less than a minute to make a game-winning score. The only difference this time was that the game was all tied up. This proved to be helpful for Hopkins as it took off some of the pressure. With just 3 seconds remaining in the game, Hopkins lined up for a career long 55-yard field goal attempt. The kick was accurate and certainly far enough to give the Seminoles a huge win against division rival Clemson. The team stormed the field following the game in celebration. It was sweet redemption for sophomore kicker Dustin Hopkins.

ACC predictions week 11

Last week I went 4-2 in my predictions. The season record is now 34-11. Let's see if I can pick up the pace this week. Here are my picks:

Boston College 21 Duke 17
Clemson 24 FSU 27
Maryland 21 Virginia 14
NC State 31 Wake Forest 10
Georgia Tech 27 Miami 24
Virginia Tech 24 North Carolina 21

'Noles Catch Break as N.C State Loses to Clemson

Despite Florida State being defeated by North Carolina, the Seminoles still sit a half-game ahead of the Wolfpack and the Terps in the Atlantic Division. Maryland and NC State both lost over the weeken giving each of them 2 losses in the ACC as well. Here is the updated look at the ACC Atlantic Division Standings:

FSU                   4-2
N.C State           3-2
Maryland            3-2
Clemson            3-3
Boston College  2-4
Wake Forest      1-5

Remember, N.C State holds the tie-breaker over Florida State so the Seminoles must continue to hope for another N.C State loss. The 'Noles can eliminate Clemson and Maryland with wins over each of them in the next two weeks.

Florida State-North Carolina photos

 

Photos Taken By Chris Alford

North Carolina upsets FSU in a heartbreaker

For the second time in two games, the Florida State Seminoles are defeated in heartbreak fashion. While the offense played slightly above average, it was the defense that seemed to look like the defense from last year rather than the successful defense of this year. North Carolina's quarterback, T.J Yates put up 439 passing yards against the 'Noles defense despite the team only rushing for 34 yards. The Tar Heels stuck early within the first two minutes of the game to jump out to an early 7-0 lead. But then it was back and forth until the Seminoles eventually led 28-21 in a high scoring first half.

The Seminoles offense slowed down emensely in the second half giving way for a North Carolina comeback. With 55 seconds remaining in the game, North Carolina led 37-35 but the Seminoles still had a shot. After a long Greg Reid kick return, the Seminole's offense managed to set Dustin Hopkins up for a 40-yard field goal with 7 seconds remaining in the game. However, Hopkins missed his second field goal of the game and North Carolina went on to win for just the second time ever against Florida State.

Link: Box Score/Recap

What equals a successful season?

As we enter the final month of the football regular season, I'd like to pose a question to all the readers... what will it take in this final month of the 2010 FSU football season in order for it to be considered a successful year?

The 'Noles currently sit at 6-2 overall and 4-1 in the ACC. FSU is tied with Maryland and NC State in the loss column right now and the Atlantic Division race is expected to come down to the final few weeks. Last year at this point Florida State was 4-4 overall and 2-3 in the ACC. A division title wasn't even on FSU's radar at this time last year, they were still fighting to become bowl elgible and avoid a losing season. So it's obvious that this season has been better thus far than last season. However, is that good enough to mark this season as successful?

A division title is still up for grabs and the 'Noles still have a lot of work to do and teams to pul for in order to win the Atlantic. Are the 'Noles in need of a division title in order for this year to be successful?

If the Seminoles win the division, they would then travel to North Carolina and face the Coastal Division winner in the ACC Championship game. Does FSU need to win the ACC in order for the 2010 campaign to be considered successful?

Last month Florida State crushed Miami and with the annual FSU-UF game comming up at the end of November, would a 2nd victory over an in-state rival in one season equal a successful season?

What if none of the things above happen, but the Seminoles finish with 7, 8, or 9 victories this year? And then go on to win a bowl game. That would still surpass last year's record. Is that all that is needed for this year to be successful?

Everyone has a different opinion as to what needs to be done this month in order to label the 2010 football season a successful one. What is your opinion?

News and Notes

• The FSU Men's Basketball team won last night in their first exhibition game of the season The Seminoles defeated Rollins by a score of 95-74.
• The first basketball game of the regular season for the men's team is next Friday, November 12th at home against UNF. I will have a preview of the season prior to the first game.
• The kickoff time for the FSU-Clemson football game on November 13th was announced, kickoff is set for 8pm on ABC. Get ready for some primetime football.
• Buster Posey is a world champion. The San Francisco Giants won the World Series with rookie catcher and former Seminole standout Buster Posey catching the final pitch behind the plate.

ACC Predictions Week 10

Last week was just a horrible week of predicitng. I went 2-4 last week, thanks to Miami falling apart against Virginia, Boston College pulling off the upset in Clemson, Duke comming alive against Navy, and the FSU heartbreak. Well last week nearly doubled my losses, so I am now sitting at 30-9 for the season. Here's a look at this week's predictions:

Virginia Tech 35 Georgia Tech 24
Boston College 17 Wake Forest 14
NC State 20 Clemson 21
Florida State 31 North Carolina 17
Miami 24 Maryland 21
Duke 24 Virginia 27

Florida State slips to #24 in the BCS

After losing to NC State, FSU falls to number 24 in the BCS standings. NC State enters the top 25 this week after defeating the Seminoles. The Wolfpack are now ranked 25th. Miami drops out of the rankings after their loss against Virginia. Oregon leaps over Auburn for the #1 spot in the BCS. For a complete look at the newest rankings, visit the link below.

College Football Rankings Week 10