Florida State Football Will Not Be 2015 Preseason ACC Favorite

For this currently brief chunk of the ACC football timeline, the Florida State Seminoles are for once not the clear front-runner of the conference. Since 1992, the Seminoles have won 15 ACC championships. These Atlanta Braves of college football have also won the last three, but a forecasted change is on the horizon. FSU lost 11 players to the NFL in 2014, and are on pace to lose 11 more this year.

While premium talent is leaving Tallahassee, premium talent is flowing into other ACC hubs. The Clemson Tigers currently hold the fourth-ranked recruiting class according to the ESPN 300. These rankings also hold the Miami Hurricanes at 20, the North Carolina Tar Heels at 22, and the Virginia Tech Hokies at 23. Even though Florida State sits solidly in second, it’s clear their adversaries are not backing down.

It will be Sisyphean to replenish the talent the Seminoles have lost the last two seasons, but losing Jameis Winston to the NFL Draft is what deals the most damage. There are few coaches not named Pete Carroll who have replaced a Heisman trophy winner and future first round draft pick by simply reloading with another QB of the same caliber. Combine these factors, and an off year for FSU is in the works.

How far could the Seminoles slide? Considering history, that’s tough to answer. The Seminoles have won the conference with depleted teams before. What makes 2015 so interesting is that the ACC could be on the rise while Florida State is on the mend.

Clemson projects to be loaded, bringing in a viking ship worth of talent to add to the Atlantic division’s runner-up. FSU’s closest 2014 contemporary, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, will lose a few branches from their offense, departing with Zach Laskey, Synjyn Days, Shaq Mason and DeAndre Smelter. However, 2015 won’t be about who left for Georgia Tech, it will be about who stayed.

Head coach Paul Johnson returns for his program-stabilizing eighth year, and quarterback Justin Thomas should be ready to roll in his second year as a starter. With Thomas’ potential to become a Heisman candidate, the Yellow Jackets lowest ceiling could be the one on the Georgia Dome.

Looking a little north to Durham, Duke Blue Devils head coach David Cutcliffe has built a program that perennially expects 10 wins per year. The Boston College Eagles have also retained their no-nonsense coach Steve Addazio, and could give teams other than the Seminoles a tough out in the fall as well.

In an odd historical twist, Frank Beamer is beset with an implied ultimatum to prove it or move it with Virginia Tech. The Hokies should have a much healthier campaign and could respond strong in 2015, having already built momentum in last month’s Military Bowl.

Other candidates will likely emerge from the ether, and should make 2015 the most competitive year in recent ACC memory. Maybe Florida State will ride the dark horse, thriving in the absence of high expectations. Yet before the season has begun, Florida State will have to start proving itself from behind the driver’s seat — because as of right now, Virginia Tech and Clemson hold the keys to the conference.

Jerry Landry is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow Jerry on Twitter at @Jerry2Landry, “Like” him on Facebook or add him on Google.