Florida State Football: Ranking 10 Best Seminoles from 2014 Regular Season
No. 3 Florida State is currently hard at work preparing for the tall task of taking on No. 2 Oregon in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1.
With a trip to the national championship on the line against either Alabama or Ohio State, let's take a look at how the Seminoles navigated through an undefeated season to earn a spot in the inaugural College Football Playoff.
To do so, let's break down the top 10 FSU players (in no particular order) from the regular season.
Rashad Greene
1 of 10
Is Rashad Greene the greatest wide receiver in Florida State history? The numbers seem to signify that he may be.
Greene put together another impressive regular season—the norm during his four-year career—and enters the Rose Bowl with team highs in catches (93), yards (1,306) and touchdown grabs (seven).
His senior-year numbers not only gave him the school record for catches and yards but also the Atlantic Coast Conference record for career receiving yardage (3,771).
Greene wasn’t a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award given annually to the nation’s best wide receiver, but the Albany, Georgia, native is still one of the top pass-catchers in college football.
With potentially two more games to go, Greene could surpass Peter Warrick’s FSU record of 31 touchdown catches in his career.
Tre' Jackson
2 of 10
A consensus All-American, Tre’ Jackson has been a stalwart on the interior of Florida State’s offensive line for the past three seasons. Another dominating year at right guard in 2014 means Jackson is the fourth offensive guard in FSU history to capture consensus All-American honors, joining Jamie Dukes (1995), Jason Whitaker (1999) and Rodney Hudson (2010) as previous recipients of the honor.
A finalist for the Outland Trophy for the nation’s best interior lineman, Jackson was easily the Seminoles’ most consistent blocker during the regular season.
Jameis Winston
3 of 10
The 2013 Heisman Trophy winner didn’t put up the same jaw-dropping numbers as last year, when he was nearly flawless during the Noles' title run, but Jameis Winston still led his team to the first back-to-back undefeated regular seasons in program history.
Winston’s interceptions skyrocketed this year (he threw 17 compared to just 10 a season ago), but he still tossed 24 touchdowns and 3,359 yards and orchestrated Jimbo Fisher’s offense as well as could be expected.
The 2014 season will forever be remembered as one in which Winston could have certainly played better. But he should be given credit for leading a team that relied heavily on underclassmen throughout the offensive skill positions.
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Jalen Ramsey
4 of 10
It took some time, but Jalen Ramsey slowly and surely developed into a defensive force at the very difficult "star" position on Florida State’s defense.
Replacing Lamarcus Joyner at the hybrid position, Ramsey became the do-it-all player for a defensive unit that needed all of his production. Ramsey proved to be a standout pass-rusher, run-stuffer and pass defender.
He played a role that essentially was a combination of defensive end, linebacker, cornerback and safety, depending on the defensive call and formation.
The true sophomore enters the Rose Bowl fourth on the team in tackles (75), second in tackles for loss (9.5), second in sacks (three), first in pass breakups (11), first in passes defended (13), tied for first in interceptions (two), tied for second in quarterback hurries (two) and tied for first in forced fumbles (two).
That’s getting it done.
Eddie Goldman
5 of 10
One of the top defensive tackles in college football, Goldman had a terrific season in the middle of the Seminoles' front seven.
Goldman, who is reportedly leaning toward entering the NFL Draft early, enters the Rose Bowl as the Seminoles' leader in sacks with four. He is also third in tackles for loss with eight and has 35 total tackles to his credit.
Roberto Aguayo
6 of 10
Was Roberto Aguayo snubbed when the Lou Groza Award was handed out? Many think so, as the 2013 winner of the honor given to college football’s best kicker had another near-perfect season.
Aguayo was automatic in 2014, hitting 25 of his 27 attempted field goals and all 53 of his extra points.
Nick O'Leary
7 of 10
There’s no denying that Nick O’Leary is the greatest tight end in Florida State history, and he had a fantastic finale to his garnet-and-gold career in 2014.
O’Leary captured the 2014 John Mackey Award as the country’s best tight end, thanks to a campaign that saw him grab 47 catches for 614 yards and six touchdowns. O’Leary is currently tied for seventh in the country among tight ends with six scoring grabs.
Mario Edwards Jr.
8 of 10
Mario Edwards Jr. wasn’t just one of the top 10 players on FSU’s roster during the 2014 season. He was one of the most important.
On a defensive line without much depth, Edwards rarely left the field and was an ace against the run as a defensive end.
Edwards enters the Rose Bowl with a team-high 11 tackles for loss. He also has 44 total tackles and three sacks while serving as a part-time blocker in goal-line situations on offense.
Dalvin Cook
9 of 10
A former 5-star recruit in the 2014 class, Dalvin Cook’s emergence over the second half of the season is one of the main reasons why the Seminoles enter bowl season with an undefeated record.
The fact that Cook became a workhorse, every-down tailback made him indispensable to the Florida State offense as a true freshman.
Despite being No. 3 on the depth chart behind Karlos Williams and Mario Pender through the first half of the season, Cook ascended to a co-No. 1 role with Williams over the last month of the season and turned into the most dependable rusher on the offense in crunch time.
Cook leads FSU with 905 yards rushing and has eight touchdowns. His 5.8 yards per carry and 155 attempts are both team highs as well.
Cameron Erving
10 of 10
There may not have been a more important move during the 2014 season for FSU than Cameron Erving’s switch from left tackle to center. Florida State’s season-long struggles on the offensive line all but disappeared when Erving made the move.
Erving has been a revelation at the center position, where his long arms, athleticism and ability to read the defense have collectively transformed the Seminoles overall effort up front.
Simply put, the Seminoles are much better with Erving snapping the ball to Winston rather than protecting Winston’s blindside.
Brandon Mellor is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Statistics are courtesy of Seminoles.com. All recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports.
Follow @BrandonMellor on Twitter.
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