Florida State Football: 7 Things Holding the Seminoles Back from a BCS Bid

Since Florida State joined the ACC in 1992, the Seminoles have been the premier football program in the league.

Despite winning 12 conference titles, their last one came in 2005—the current six year championship drought is the longest for FSU since they have been a member of the ACC. 

That was also the last time the Seminoles received a BCS bowl bid—which was almost considered a birth right when the current system took over college football’s postseason in 1998 (the Seminoles clinched a BCS bowl berth in four of the first five years it was instituted).

With a bevy of starters returning from a team that finished their season with a thrilling 18-14 comeback victory over Notre Dame in the Champs Sports Bowl, the Seminoles are likely to be favored to win the ACC for the second consecutive season and make their first BCS bowl appearance since the 26-23 triple overtime loss to Penn State in the 2006 Orange Bowl. 

Is this the year that Jimbo Fisher and company will end the title drought in Tallahassee?

Here are seven things holding the Seminoles back from a 2012 BCS bid.  

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7. Flag Happy

Perhaps the biggest red—well, in this case yellow—flag is the Seminoles’ tendency to shoot themselves in the foot in close games.

The ‘Noles lost four games last season by a combined total of 21 points.

The argument can be made that FSU was its own worst enemy in their defeats—with costly penalties resulting in their undoing. 

The ‘Noles were penalized an average of 10 times for 96 yards in their four losses, which simply cannot happen if FSU expects to win big in 2012.  

6. The Slip-Up Game

When discussing the most talented teams in the country, you will not find many detractors doubting how stacked the Seminoles roster is from top to bottom. 

This is clearly the ACC’s most gifted team, but they cannot seem to avoid inexplicable losses to teams with inferior talent. 

Last year’s games against Wake Forest and Virginia simply should not happen to a team with the caliber of athletes that reside in Tallahassee. 

Without a big-name non-conference game to slow them down early in the season, the only way FSU will not be in the Atlantic Division race is if it loses a game to a team that is clearly inferior to them.  

5. Coaching Issues

No one can deny the job that Fisher and his staff have done in taking a once dominant program and restoring its image as one of the premier destinations for prospective student athletes.

However, Fisher has made some key blunders that have contributed to his team laying an egg against opponents they should have had little trouble in handling. 

In losses to Wake Forest and Virginia last season, Fisher’s gambles—failing to start EJ Manuel against the Demon Deacons and trying to bleed the clock with a 13-7 lead over the Cavaliers—proved to ultimately backfire against his team. 

Fisher will have to improve at making in-game adjustments when his team is faced with adversity, but he and his team deserve credit for rebounding from tough losses to finish the season on an impressive note.  

4. QB Health

Part of what makes Fisher’s offense tough to defend is that his quarterbacks are usually viable threats to make plays in the running game.

However, the flip side to that is his signal-callers take more punishment than usual.

In fact, between starters Christian Ponder and EJ Manuel, the Seminoles starter at quarterback has missed all or portions of at least three games due to injury in each of the last three seasons. 

It is no accident that FSU’s three-game losing streak early in 2011 coincided with Manuel’s injury suffered in the second half of the loss to Oklahoma. 

A healthy Manuel is a necessity—so much so that Fisher may want to consider limiting the hits his quarterback takes—for FSU to reach its goals of a conference championship this fall.  

3. Offensive Inconsistency

Last season, Fisher’s offense showed its explosive capabilities that resulted in the team scoring over 30 points in seven of the first eight games of the 2011 season. 

However, the Seminoles failed to eclipse that mark in the last four games of the season.

During that stretch, FSU posted only six offensive touchdowns—including a pair of short scoring drives against Florida setup by interceptions by their defense. 

Injuries played a major role in the decreased production, but finding a consistent balance is something the Seminoles should strive for this fall.

2. Weight of Expectations

The Seminoles are not in danger of becoming the Chicago Cubs anytime soon, but it does feel like an eternity has passed since the Seminoles were crowned champions of the ACC.

Last year, the Seminoles fell flat after starting the season as high as No. 5 in the preseason polls. 

The same expectations are figured to be ramped up considering the banner recruiting class Fisher and his staff brought in earlier this month. 

Florida State’s greatest teams in the dynasty years thrived on being the team with a target on its back, but the 2012 version of the Seminoles will have to prove that it is finally worthy of the preseason hype.  

1. Offensive Line

Whether it was injuries or the loss of long-time starters Rodney Hudson and Ryan McMahon, the Seminoles offensive line was clearly the weak link on a loaded team. 

A couple of abysmal stats tell their story: the Seminoles ranked 112^th in the nation in sacks allowed (40) and 104^th in the country in rushing offense (112.15 yards per game).

The good news is that they still won nine games in spite of their flaws and with four true freshmen coming of age in the bowl victory over the Fighting Irish, there is a tremendous amount of room for improvement. 

However, the pressure is on Rick Trickett’s bunch to elevate their level of play to match the rest of the units on the Seminoles’ roster.

If they fail in that mission, the conference title drought will likely reach seven years.