A Confusing Farewell

If you know me you know that I love Florida State football. A little too much as my friends would tell you.

Today's news is something we were expecting for the past few week, but it still hurts.

Over the past 8 years, I have payed close attention to Jimbo and his teams. I read all the articles, attended open practices, watched every snap of every game, rewatched every snap of many games, and fell in love with the players and culture that he instilled at FSU.

Since he has been here he has done wonders for this program. He modernized our program's facilities, he dominated our rivals, he gave us one of the greatest seasons in the sports' history, and more than anything, he gave us countless, priceless memories as fans. There is no doubt in my mind that even after this season, Jimbo Fisher is a top 5 coach in the nation based on experience, philosophy and accolades.

But this season the can of worms was opened. A ridiculously talented roster was wasted. I beleive it was a mixture certain circumstances (Irma) and a poor coaching staff, but six losses with any FSU team much less this one is beyond disgust.

For the third straight year, Jimbo has dangled a job offer over our heads to squeeze more funding out of our administration. His intentions may have been good, but his antics are old, and on top of it, his timing could not have been worse. If this is the game Jimbo wants to play every year, it may have been smart to sit this year out. FSU is no doghouse in the facilities department. Six losses is unacceptable and isn't the result of us not having a football-only facility. Jimbo picked the wrong battle and it cost him.

I'm not sure Jimbo ever really wanted to take the A&M job. It certainly wouldn't make sense to want that job over Florida State, regardless of how stale his message has gotten with the players. He had the talent stockpiled, the record over his rivals, the job security, and the respect implemented and in place at a school that some other guy from West Virginia made history at for over 25 years. Why flirt with a program that hasn't won anything since before the Second World War? Especially after turning down other jobs like Texas and LSU.

Part of me feels bad for Jimbo because I don't completely think this is what he wanted. The theme with beat reporters is that he badly misplayed his hand and it backfired on him. But the other part of me hates him. I mean this really hurts.

Despite Jimbo asking fans to stay loyal after a 35-3 loss to BOSTON FREAKING COLLEGE he makes Florida State look like a stepping stool job. Reports of recruits not hearing from the coaching staff for weeks, players threatening to transfer if he is back, and a fan being shoved out of Jimbo's call-in show after questioning his loyalty. The hysteria this week has brought could all have been avoided if Jimbo had handled it better by simply addressing the job offer. Instead, he continuously declined to comment, and people started writing the narrative for him. On top of all of this, players are now flooding social media saying Jimbo never told them he was leaving.

It's been an ugly week for Jimbo Fisher, and if his offseason strategy is to entertain job offers from other schools, it is not something Florida State fans want to deal with annually.

So good riddance Jimbo. And good riddance to young talent being wasted, tunnel screens every 3rd down, overly complex plays, blaming terrible offensive performances on inches, calling out fans in the stands, and a 10-10 ACC record to finish your career.

There was plenty of good that Jimbo brought to Tallahassee, but the handling of his last week puts a huge black eye on that.

So now what? Many say Willie Taggart of Oregon, a Florida boy who has a history of turning programs around with far less talent than what consistently comes through Florida State. Taggart grew up an FSU fan, so if he accepted the job I don't believe we would have to deal with this drama every December.

That would be nice. We will see.

Regardless of who is given the keys to this Ferrari next year, Florida State will be Florida State. It will be 14 straight top 5 finishes in the 90s and 29 straight wins in 2013 and '14. It will be legends like Deion Sanders, Charlie Ward, Derrick Brooks, Jameis Winston and Dalvin Cook. It will be Cheif Osceola and Renegade, it will 80,000 fans yelling the tomahawk chop late in the 4th as the defense takes the field. It will be garnet and gold, and it will be football in Tallahassee.

#InThrasherWeTrust

Week 1 Reactions

Week one was something else. Between Texas, Wisconsin, and Houston pulling off landscape-shaking upsets and our beloved 'Noles' comeback win over Ole Miss, the weekend was packed with exciting action to bring in the new year.

Sean and I had many a discussions after the Week 1 slate as to what we thought about the chaos. Here are 6 observations and our cumulative top 10 after the Week 1 action:

1) Football is awesome.
Absolutely wonderful. We are so happy it has returned to us. There are few things better. This Week 1 schedule had all of the hype in the world and more than lived up to

2) Texas is... actually pretty good.
What a difference a quarterback makes, huh? Notre Dame is a very good team with two solid quarterbacks (Kizer > Zaire if you ask me) but young Buechele looked like a veteran dropping dimes all over the field. It's good, at least for me, to see Charlie Strong succeeding in Texas. I hope they have an excellent season but I don't see them making them playoffs, not with that defense.

3) Houston is looking at a playoff spot, however.
I'm not sure how I feel about Tom Herman but whatever the dude is doing IT IS WORKING. Houston is rolling with great play-makers, schemes, and most importantly, heart. They are a fun team to watch and I really hope they run the table and make the final four.

4) Large gap between Alabama and the rest of the SEC.
Boy there were some ugly performances from SEC teams this weekend. Tennessee, with all of their hype, was an absolute train wreck. So were Arkansas (1 point win over LA Tech), Kentucky (blew a huge lead and lost to Southern Miss), Missouri (scorched by West VA), Florida (didn't pull away until 4th quarter), OH, and LSU. LSU will apparently never have solid quarterback play ever again under Les Miles. Wisonsin came to play and, despite the score, outplayed the Tigers throughout the games. The SEC looked pretty awful in week 1, we'll see if that changes in the coming weeks. You do, however, have to give it to Texas A&M and Georgia for their big wins to bring in the season.

5) The ACC is looking pretty damn good.
Despite Clemson squeaking one out against the other Tigers, the ACC had a solid weekend. 10-2 vs non-conference competition to be exact. Louisville, Clemson, and Florida State will lead the ACC charge with North Carolina right behind them. If Florida State and Clemson win every game outside of their matchup on October 29th, as they're each expected to, they could both be in playoff contention despite having a loss.

6) ... and so are the 'Noles.
Speaking of our Seminoles WHAT A GAME. I was there and can tell you that the atmosphere was 100% electric and rightfully so. Deondre Francois surpassed many people's expectations after he found his confidence. The defense was nasty when it got lined up correctly. There is talent and depth across the board for the 'Noles, we knew that, but now they know that and what they are capable of. Shoot me for saying it, but that third quarter was 2013-esque. Look out.

OUR TOP 10:

10) Washington
9)   Texas
8)   Michigan
7)   Georgia
6)   Stanford
5)   Ohio State
4)   Houston
3)   Florida State
2)   Clemson
1)   Alabama

Pictures are not ours.
Twitter: @RenegadeSports_
Facebook: Renegade Sports

2017 Basketball Recruiting Update

Everyone is pumped about football so I thought that it would be a great time to talk about FSU basketball recruiting. The 2017 'Noles class will not be as star studded as the last two cycles, but I am okay with that. If Florida State wants to compete consistently in the best basketball conference in the nation (a.k.a. the ACC) they will have to do so through teams made up of high tier three star recruits and four star recruits. Do not get me wrong, we should go after one and done type talents but we should not put all of our eggs in a recruit's basket that is also hearing from Duke and Kentucky, because 9/10 times we lose that battle. This year's class could have as many as six spots and we currently have two commits. This article has three groups of recruits: the commits, the one-and-done recruits, and the program building recruits.

THE COMMITS

Bryan Trimble Jr. 6'3" 190 lbs, 3-star Shooting Guard

FOOTBALL. IS. HERE.

AW YEAH. Florida State football held their first installment of fall camp yesterday and the Seminole beat was lighting up with tweets,stories, pictures, and videos. Here we have a collection of the best snippets of coverage for you to view and there may or may not be a hype video at the end to send you over the edge so keep an eye out for that as well. (Click on the pictures they are links to external articles).

Full opening Jimbo Press Conference:

Here Come the Sixers #2017NBAFinals

It's over. It being the 2016-2017 NBA season. No that is not a typo. So you're confused? Dude, I know the 2015-2016 season ended Sunday night with the Cavs winning one for the "Land," but the 2016-2017 season ended today. Reports from Philadelphia are that we (yes, we) informed Ben Simmons that we will pick him with the #1 overall pick in Thursday's draft. Ben Simmons is one of the more unique talents as he is 6'10" 240 lbs with elite vision and the ability to finish with either hand around the basket and he is a Sixer. But wait the great news does not stop there, as the Sixers twitter legend Joel Embiid is cleared to scrimmage in 5 on 5 action. The Sixers should dominate the NBA next year with these two elite talents.

TRUST THE PROCESS FAM #WeWereTalkingAboutRihanna lol pic.twitter.com/xdswU4NjAF

— Joel Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) June 21, 2016

With today's news, the Rookie of the Year race has become the race for third place. It'll be intriguing to see if Simmons or Embiid will be Rookie of the Year in the 2016-2017 season. Don't worry Steph Curry, you will still be the only unanimous MVP in league history just because Simmons and Embiid will split MVP votes next year so rest easy Mr. Curry and prepare to get dominated in the Finals. Also Ayesha Curry do not start a twitter war with the Sixers as Joel Embiid will end you. Without a doubt. All I am trying to say NBA, is be prepared.

Hopefully you believed very little in the previous two paragraphs, except for the fact that Joel would own Ayesha in a twitter fight. I do not think the Sixers are winning the championship next year. What this news truly means is that Philadelphia finally has a star to build the team around in Ben Simmons and if Embiid reaches his potential this is a scary team for the future. The Sixers can now build around their superstar, or superstars with this draft, next year's draft and in upcoming free agency. The future is bright in Philadelphia no matter what people say. Also, thank you Hinkie and as always: #TrustTheProcess

What if 1 and Done... Wasn't?

With the NBA draft approaching, Sean and I have had many discussions about potential moves and picks for our Celtics and Sixers. Both teams have assets and draft picks and a lot of room for improvement ('76ers probably more than anyone in the NBA which Sean actually talked about) but the one thing that stuck out to us when talking about these young prospects is just how many have left early, especially from teams like Duke and Kentucky. I started thinking (which isn't a normal occurrence): what if the rule was the same as football and these players were forced to give a damn about the college experience and school pride, staying around at least three years? What would the landscape of talent look like across college basketball?

The Sixers: Frustrating Fanhood

To the 12 readers that have been asking: I am still a Sixers fan even though they got rid of the genius that was President of Basketball Operations, Sam Hinkie.

Since I became a Philadelphia fan roughly two years ago, we have struggled mightily. We drafted Joel Embiid with all of the promise along with overseas wonder Dario Saric, neither of which have played a single minute. Is it frustrating that two of our top picks during Hinkie's Era have not played? Yeah it is frustrating, very frustrating, but it is all about collecting assets folks.

Status Update: FSU Basketball

First off, I want to apologize to my mother and the other eight people who read this blog as our posts about this team being "different" and "tournament bound" misled our readers. To say this year was a disappointment is an understatement. Yeah, I know, let's blame Leonard Hamilton. I believe we can, but we have to put the blame on the players as well.

When it comes down to it, their effort on the defensive end for the majority of the season was terrible. That is on the players because Hamilton has a proven record on the defensive side of the ball. We focused our complaints on Boris (rightfully so) but, plain and simple, our defense sucked because our on ball defense and off ball defense on opposing guards was terrible. Basketball is a guard driven game right now and there was nobody on this team who was an elite defender. Devon Bookert was a good defender because he paid attention to player tendencies and gave his all on every position, something I cannot say about any other player on the team. During our four straight years to the tournament every player on our team bought into the defensive scheme of Leonard Hamilton. We used to have great on-ball defenders like Toney Douglas, Deividas Dulkys, and even Michael Snaer. The closest thing we have had to this on the perimeter in the last four years was Aaron Thomas but that was a short stint. The biggest issue with this team over the last four years is its lack of toughness and that has to be what bugs Leonard Hamilton the most.

Potential Breakout 'Noles for 2016

With FSU spring practice in full swing, the thoughts of what 2016 could be are fresh in Seminole fans' minds. Pictures and videos are constantly being tweeted out from the scarce amount of time media is allowed to peak into practice and it gets fans giddy about the future. I'm one of those fans. This team has real talent, real depth, and some scary-real potential. We already know about key pieces returning to the team from 2015 that will keep the team towards the top of the ACC, but what players will emerge to take the Seminoles to that next step? Here are 8(ish) players currently participating in spring practice that haven't seen much playing time but could be big names by the end of the season.

Sophomore DT, Walvenski Aimé
Meet JUCO transfer Walvenski Aimé. Walvenski Aime is a bad dude. As a 6'4", 289 early enrollee, Aimé could find his way onto a loaded defensive line for the Seminoles come fall. Out of JUCO he was rated as the 3rd best defensive tackle prospect and the 30th best prospect overall. With other players Derrick Nnadi and DeMarcus Christmas already on the depth chart - with experience - it may be another year until Aimé sees considerable playing time, but if he is able to break into the starting lineup it will be because he has earned it and is the real deal. If not, that's okay too, Aimé comes into FSU with three years of eligibility.

Sweet 16 Preview

By now there is a solid chance that your bracket resembles a dumpster fire with the crazy amount of upsets that took place in the first two rounds. The madness will continue tonight through Sunday as we find out who will get a trip to the Final Four.

South

The South Bracket will be in action tonight starting with (3)Miami and (2)Villanova before (1)Kansas vs (5)Maryland. 

Miami is led by point guard Angel Rodriguez who is averaging 26 points in the tournament including a huge 3-point dagger to hold off Wichita State. Villanova has coasted to the Sweet 16 with two 20+ point wins. Miami will have their hands full tonight with the Wildcats.

Another Tournament Pool...

Think again. This isn't just another tournament pool. Sean and I drafted 8 teams each, one by one, whom we think will have the best tournament showings. We will be keeping track of each group of teams by points and whoever ends with the most points will be buying the other a 12-pack of Barq's Root Beer, same as our college football pick 'em wager. The points system is simple (because we have to keep track ourselves), each team that advances will get points for each round they advance. We will multiply each rounds' point-worth by two so 1st round will be 1 point, 2nd round will be 2, 3rd round will be 4 points and so forth.

Here are our picks. I let Sean go first since I may or may not have ever gotten him the root beer I owed him from the college football picks, and why we picked the teams we did. Oh, and just for fun, our last pick had to be a 10+ seed.

1st - 2 Michigan State
Sean: It's Tom Izzo's time of the year and his team has a good draw to get to the Final Four. Denzel Valentine might be the nation's best player and I look for Bryn Forbes to hit some big threes along the way.

2nd - 1 Kansas
JK: Kansas is probably the best team in the nation right now and they're on a roll. I passed on North Carolina because I think their region is the toughest of the 4 - Xavier, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, and Notre Dame are all lethal contenders.

Kansas' 12th-year senior Perry Ellis Jr./Joakim Noah's older brother

The Alaskan Assassin Bids Farewell

On Saturday the Noles will honor five seniors before they take on the Syracuse Orange. Boris Bojanovsky, Devon Bookert, Montay Brandon, Michael Ojo (Ojo could be granted a medical redshirt) and Michael Saxton will play their last game in the Civic Center but this article is not about these five seniors, it is about the one who has made Seminole fans everywhere proud. Devon Bookert, the Alaskan Assassin, has had an amazing senior year. I will not give my opinion on the other seniors that play as I am glad they are moving on but we will miss Devon Bookert next year. Bookert is the closest thing that the 'Noles have had to a leader this year and you could see his frustration and disappointment during Florida State's recent 5 game losing streak. The senior from Alaska, would be awesome to have next year if Bacon and Beasley were to come back and accompany Jonathan Isaac but that won't happen. This article is about appreciating Devon Bookert for the player he is and understanding that he was asked to do too much in his previous three years.

Huge Week for FSU's Tournament Hopes

The Seminoles seem to have found their stride recently. We've beat four teams that we should have beat. That alone is a big deal if you have ever followed Florida State basketball, and that's great, but it is our next two games that could lock up a tourney berth for the 'Noles. We play at Syracuse tonight, a fellow bubble team, and host #12 Miami on Sunday. These are two chances at statement wins and I believe Florida State can win them both if we come out and play with focus and energy. All of a sudden we are talking about a team fighting for higher tournament seeding rather than reading everything Joe Lunardi puts on ESPN to see if he thinks we are in or out.

#Tribe16 Draft Grades

I am sure you have heard the news by now that Jimbo Fisher did his thing on the recruiting trail once again. After the 2016 version of National Signing Day added 6 new 4-star prospects to the newest Seminole recruiting class, Florida State jumped to - depending on what site you look at - the number one recruiting class in the nation. This was a major statement for coach Fisher and his staff after what was considered to be a "down year" for the 'Noles, bouncing back to dominate the recruiting trail and letting the college football world know that Florida State isn't going anywhere.

So, since you have heard all of the hype around how great Tribe 16 was, let's take a deeper look into how these new players will fit into the squad with some position-by-position grades.

(rankings according to ESPN.com who ranked Tribe 16 #1)

Quarterbacks: A
We all know about how difficult of a year 2015 was on our quarterbacks, especially a year removed from one of the best to ever play the position, but the future has a great deal of promise. Despite Maguire returning, Deondre Francois is the guy many think will be taking the reigns of the offense come fall. With those two in place along with JJ Cosentino in the mix, it was likely that whoever came from this class would not be starting immediately; therefore this cycle was likely going to bring in someone who will red-shirt.

But that didn't happen. Instead, Jimbo brought in Malik Henry who he recently said has a "tremendous chance to start." Henry (6'2", 185) is rated as the #2 dual threat quarterback in the country. He stole the show in the Under Armor game (highlights below) going 9-12 for 72 yards and a touchdown. There is not only a lot of talk about this kid's arm talent but also that he is a very smart player which will be crucial in picking up Jimbo's offense. It also helps that he is an early enrollee. I don't see Henry starting this year but we will get to see some of him this spring and he should be THE GUY in a year or two.

It's Time to Believe the Hype

The Florida State basketball program's history has been in one word - average. With just 14 tournament appearances, one national championship appearance back in 1972 and only 10 years finishing the season ranked by the AP or Coaches polls since the program began in the 1940s, the Seminoles have not had a very relevant program. In the 2010-11 season, the Seminoles cracked the surface. Hamilton's ninth year brought a third straight tournament appearance, but this time his 'Noles surged all the way to the Sweet Sixteen for just the fifth time ever. The following year came the first ACC Championship in school history.

The 'Noles have not returned to the tournament since. Hamilton's teams have gotten comfortable with NIT appearances and last season they were not even invited to the tournament - the first time the 'Noles did not make either the NCAA Tournament or NIT since 2005. Despite the hype around the team since its ACC Championship, the Seminoles have not been able to put it together on the court.

Xavier Rathan-Mayes (via NoledOut.com)

So what's the point? Why do we care that our basketball program is the definition of average? Because this year is different.

Watch Guide: Week 11

Week 11 is here as the college football season is flying by and I am still kicking Johnathan's butt in the picks. Last week was not great for either of us as we both struggled (JK: 2-6 and Sean: 3-5) and Florida State lost a tough one to Clemson.

JK: 25-31 Sean: 36-19

We have a solid slate of games this week with a couple of possible upsets brewing and another week provides another opportunity for the Big 12 to play no defense.

Status Report: College Football Heading into Week 11

The 10th week of the college football season taught us a lot. There were upsets galore and some impressive wins by multiple teams. As the playoff picture becomes cloudier, Sean and I will try to make sense of what we've seen according to the CFB rankings)

AP Top 15:

1) Clemson (9-0) Wins: 24-22 vs #4 ND, 23-13 vs #16 FSU
Clemson had a huge win this weekend and now have a clear path to the ACC Championship game. Barring an upset they will likely play red-hot North Carolina which would give them another impressive win, solidifying them as the #1 team for the CFP.

via SportsIllustrated.com

8 Takeaways from Southeastern @ Florida State

The Florida State Seminoles took care of business against a trigger-happy Southeastern team (they took 36 2s and 33 3s), beating the Fire 117 to 76. Once again we saw the new talent and the improved veterans put on a show at the Civic Center. This entertaining style could become a "thing" for the 'Noles this year, just don' expect 100 points a game. This Southeastern team is a top tier NAIA program, they are already 3-0 (I'm pretty sure this loss does not count against them).  I was very impressed with FSU as both the defense and offense showed they could be scary at times this year. Here are my eight takeaways from the FSU's second and final exhibition game of the year.

1) This team is fun.
I have seen this team twice in person and these guys definitely have a good time when they play basketball. The team has great chemistry on and off the floor and so far this season, this team seems to have them beat in that department. In my opinion, the freshmen have been a big part of the on court chemistry as I believe they bring just the right amount of Jameis Winston-esque goofiness and skill to an experienced team. They haven't faced any adversity yet but the 'Noles look like they will be having fun all year long. This team seems to have a great feel for where everyone is at on the court and seemed to cut without the ball as good as any Leonard Hamilton team. For the common fan, more chemistry usually means more alley-oops.

The Eight Keys to Seminole Victory

When Johnathan first asked me to write about this week's showdown between Florida State and Clemson, my first reaction was to write about how we could get blown out. As the week progressed, I became more and more confident in the Noles to pull off the upset. On Tuesday when Clemson became #1 in the first edition of the College Football Standings, I felt more confident as it is extremely difficult to be the number one team in the nation. Also seeing FSU as 12.5 point underdogs was even more ammo for the Noles to get up for the biggest game on their schedule. The icing on the cake was when Clemson defensive end, Shaq Lawson, said, " We're going to show Dalvin Cook why he should have come to Clemson." LOL. For once, Florida State has no pressure and Clemson has all the pressure of proving they are the number one team. Understand that Clemson has the talent to blow us out of the water, not mention they have the motivation to beat us as they have not done it the past three years. Florida State will have to play their best game of the year and have a couple bounces go their way to beat Clemson. Here are the eight keys to a Florida State victory over Clemson.

1. Jump on Clemson Early

Death Valley will be rocking post petting of the "Rock," and Florida State will need to silence them early. If Jimbo Fisher's offense gets the ball first they have to go down the field and put seven on the board, take the energy out of the place. I believe Jimbo will have a few tricks up his sleeve as our offense has been very vanilla all year long. As for the defense, we need to force a three and out or at least not allow Clemson to score on their first drive. I would love to send Jalen Ramsey or Derwin James at Deshaun Watson on a blitz on the first third down of the game and make their presence known. For Florida State to win this ball game they will need to come out ready to play from kickoff.

2. Get Dalvin Cook the Ball

Okay, I know this one seems a little obvious, but just to make it clear Dalvin Cook will need 25 to 30 touches for Florida State to win this game. Key word, touches, as I believe we need to take advantage of Cook's ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. If Dalvin has over 150 yards and two touchdowns I like our chances to pull off the upset. Another reason Dalvin needs to touch the ball as much as possible is because it will be raining in Death Valley Saturday and I believe that works in Florida State's favor as they have one of the most elusive running backs in the nation. With the emergence of Jacques Patrick, look for Dalvin to possible take advantage of a banged up defense after they tackle the freshman a couple of times. I believe Dalvin re-enters his name in the Heisman race after the game tomorrow.

3. Stretch Clemson's Defense Vertically Down the Field

Florida State has struggled in the passing game all year, especially when it comes to taking the top off a defense. Some of that is attributed to the offensive line, some to the receivers and their inability to separate from cornerbacks, and some on the quarterback for missing them when they are open. Last week, Sean Maguire displayed the deep ball, granted against a pourus Syracuse defense but at least we were completed passes down the field. Travis Rudolph finally showed up last week, I attribute this towards the extreme criticism that Johnathan threw his way. As for Clemson, dalvin will need help and the best way to make sure Clemson does not stack the box is to complete passes down the field. No matter who the quarterback is tomorrow, we will need the receivers to go up and get the ball on Saturday. Look for the emergence of Ermon Lane, Pigg Harrison, or George Campbell to provide this deep threat. If Maguire starts, I think we could see an out of nowhere appearance from Pigg Harrison as these two showed great chemistry in the Spring Game ( 5 receptions, 94 yards). One of our receivers will have to step up if we want to silence the Clemson fans and their overalls.

4. Make Deshaun Watson Uncomfortable

In my opinion, Deshaun Watson has been disrespected by the national media as he has not received the attention he deserves. The biggest reason Clemson is undefeated is Mr. Watson and of late he has been flat out dominant (Season Stats: 70.3% completion percentage, 1936 yds, and 24 TDs). Florida State is not going to shut down Watson. He is too dynamic of a player. What the Noles' defense can do is make him uncomfortable. We will need big games from Jalen Ramsey, Derwin James, Demarcus Walker, Derrick Nnadi, and Niles Lawrence-Stample. The defensive lineman in particular will have to disrupt Watson. We do not necessarily need big sack numbers we just need pressure to force Watson to make a throw he does not want to make. If Clemson is to win the game, I believe it will be due to the fact that Deshaun Watson solidified his Heisman campaign.

5. Win the Turnover Battle

This stat always has a huge impact on the outcome of a game, but with a rain soaked field turnovers will play an even bigger role. Clemson has turned the ball over 14 times this year ( six fumbles and eight interceptions), while FSU has only turned it over twice this year. Florida State will have to take care of the ball and force turnovers to win this game. If Florida State turns the ball over more than twice, it will be near impossible for the Noles to win. Look for Jalen Ramsey and the defense to create some havoc on a rainy Saturday and possibly be the difference in the game.

6. Capitalize in the Red Zone

We were so spoiled with Jameis Winston, as #5 excelled in the red zone. Granted, when you have Kelvin Benjamin for one year and Rashad Greene and Nick O'Leary for two scoring touchdowns in the red zone seems to be pretty easy. This year's Noles have struggled mightily in the red zone. We have been in the red zone 29 times this year and have only come away with 15 touchdowns and 11 field goals. While we have consistently put points on the board in the red zone, we need to finish off drives with touchdowns more consistently. Our ineffiencies in the red zone have reared their head in the Miami and Georgia Tech game. In the Miami game, we struggled to score touchdowns and as a result we found ourselves having to score a touchdown late to win the game late. As for Georgia Tech, we had four red zone opportunities and came away with 13 points. If you want to be an elite team, you have to score a touchdown on close to 75% of your red zone trips. Our ineffiency in the red zone cost us the game against Georgia Tech, as we allowed them to hang around and win on a miracle play. If we plan on beating Clemson, we will have to score touchdowns and not settle for field goals.

7. Score a Defensive or Special Teams Touchdown

As I adressed right above, we struggle to score in the red zone, therefore we will need a touchdown from our defense or special teams. Defensively, I would love to see Jalen Ramsey have a pick 6, as I believe his celebration may be legendary. Same goes for Derwin James, if he were to score a touchdown it will just add another story to his budding legacy. More than likely, I see a special teams touchdown more likely simply due to Kermit Whitfield. One of the fastest players in the country is going to take one back to the house soon as he is one of the most explosive players in the nation. He's returned a kick for a touchdown in a big game before, and I look for him to add another one against Clemson. If we can get a defensive or special teams touchdown, I believe our chances of the upset increase dramatically.

8. Play Aggressive

If you do not think that Jimbo Fisher is a conservative coach then you live under a rock. Do not get me wrong Jimbo is one of the best coaches in college football, but I would like to see him be more aggressive at times and put teams away. Anyways, Florida State needs to be aggressive for 60 minutes against Clemson. From kickoff to the victory formation (hopefully). What is important is even with a lead the Noles need to stay aggressive and look to stomp on the Tigers throat. Up seven or down seven the Noles and Jimbo Fisher need to be aggressive in order to pull off the upset.

Honestly, it is going to be difficult to beat Clemson, but we have the talent to do it. The Noles have been disrespected all week, nobody is giving us a chance and that is why I believe we will win. For once, the chip is on our shoulder and the opponent has all the pressure. Am I biased? yes. But I have the Noles beating Clemson 34-31.

Watch Guide: Week 10

Last week the watch guide took bye week because, well, we have lives too. And I needed a break from Sean killing me in the picks. As it stands:

JK: 23-25   Sean: 33-14

This week we have a series of games that will shake up the playoff rankings including three top 25 matchups. View accordingly: