College Football Preseason Rankings 2011: Florida State Has to Finally Be Back

E.J. Manuel will finally be the undisputed leader of the Seminoles and there's no reason why his team won't be great this season.
Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

College football media and fans clearly want Florida State to be the powerhouse it once was. Every year someone proclaims that this is the year the Seminoles will be “back.”

Every year up to this point has been purely speculation but now it seems to be a general consensus that this will in fact be the year, as evidenced by their No. 6 ranking in the preseason AP Poll.

It’s not hard to see why, either. The progress made under head coach Jimbo Fisher and defensive coordinator Mark Stoops has been astonishing, going from the 108^th best defense in 2009 to the 42^nd best defense in 2010.

They’ve also been recruiting like the best team in the country.

With 16 returning starters in addition to both specialists, if Florida State isn’t able to return to glory this year, it really needs to stop playing football.

E.J. Manuel is finally the main man after playing more than his fair share of games behind the injury-prone Christian Ponder. Brandon Jenkins, Greg Reid and Xavier Rhodes lead a defense who, based on last year’s success, projects to finish the season as the 16^th best defense in the country.

A home game against Oklahoma will go a long way in determining the national success of this team, but there’s no doubt that the rest of this season can be special. Florida State is back. Finally.

Most recent updates:

Flag

Props (0)