fsu will most definately be back -- and with a vengance. i'm going to go out on a limb and predict at LEAST one national championship over the next three years.
you guys just don't know how loaded this team is. they have a TON of playmakers.
what a lot of people don't realize about last season is that they were just a couple of injuries away from going 10-2. losing anquan boldin before the season was devastating. he was the best athlete on the team and a superstar playmaker.
they struggled early on because they had no identity. no proven receivers, no proven runningback, no proven quarterback and this was the first year of a new offensive coordinator/philosophy in almost a decade. and that's just on offense. fsu lost a four-year starter at runningback and a three-year starter at quarterback. that's a lot of transition.
on defense, they had to overcome losing the linebackers and defensive line, plus 4-year playmakers in the secondary.
and then there's dealing with the death of a player and the stabbing of another one during an attempted robbery.
it takes time to gel and i'll bet that no other team in the country could go through that kind of transition and not drop SOME games. finishing 8-4 and playing in a new year's day bowl was a heck of an accomplishment -- and a credit to the raw talent on the team.
fsu's recruiting class this season is probably it's fastest, most athletic group of playmakers they've ever brought in. you'll see at least three of these guys get good playing time this season.
fsu will bring the heat in waves. darnell dockett has to overcome his knee injury sustained on the last play of the bowl game, but he should be an absolute terror in this his junior season.
rix will be back and he'll have REAL targets to throw to this year and a full off-season of working with the receivers and OC jeff bowden to better understand how to score and not turn the ball over -- which cost the noles two games.
i'm telling you guys, this team is going to be quick as cats next season and will challenge for the title. if everyone stays (most notably greg jones and darnell docket) for the 2003 season, this team will roll to the national title.
2002: 12-1 (but it wont be an acc game and it wont be florida)
