Regrading the AP's 2014 Top 25 Preseason Poll
College football has become a year-round game, with recruiting, spring football, summer workouts and, of course, the regular season. But few milestones on the seasonal calendar ignite as much passion as the release of the preseason top 25 polls. While they have no bearing on the College Football Playoff poll, which will be released weekly beginning in October, they set the table for the season and fans’ perception of their team’s worth.
However, they’re not always accurate, as you can tell by putting the preseason poll and the final postseason top 25 side by side. Every year, a team comes out of nowhere to join the national conversation. Think about it. Did anyone have TCU or Mississippi State pegged for anything special last August? Of course not. And the same will be true this fall, although we don’t know it yet.
Friday, the Associated Press will release its Preseason Top 25 poll. It’s the perfect time to take a look back and see what 2014’s preseason poll got right and wrong about how the season would unfold.
We’re grading each of the preseason Top 25 (and then some), with the letter grade based on how the team began the season and where it wound up. The grade is not a reflection on the team's season, rather how accurate its placement was in the preseason poll compared with where it ended the year.
Others Receiving Votes
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Want an example of how inaccurate preseason polls can be? Nine teams began the 2014 season outside the Top 25 and ended the season inside of it. Two teams actually finished inside the Top 10, and one (Mississippi State) spent four weeks as the nation’s No. 1 team.
Of course, it’s not that surprising, given that TCU (which finished No. 3) was coming off a 4-8 season and Georgia Tech (which finished No. 10) was recovering from a 7-6 season in 2013 and four consecutive seasons with eight or fewer wins.
TCU received 23 votes and Mississippi State 22. But voters were really down on the Yellow Jackets. They didn’t receive a single vote, while Nevada, Louisiana-Lafayette and Utah State got one vote apiece.
Boise State won the Fiesta Bowl and finished No. 16 overall, but the Broncos got only 10 preseason votes. They defeated Arizona, which finished No. 19 despite not receiving a single preseason vote.
Unlike its in-state rival, Utah didn’t get one preseason vote but finished No. 21 anyway. Marshall lost only one game but received 41 preseason votes. Louisville was coming off a 12-1 season, but voters didn’t give the Cardinals much respect heading into the beginning of head coach Bobby Petrino’s second stint and their ACC tenure. They didn’t get any preseason votes but still finished No. 24 after a 9-4 season. Memphis also received no votes but finished No. 25 in the final poll after a breakthrough 10-win season under coach Justin Fuente.
Meanwhile, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Stanford, LSU, Notre Dame, Texas A&M, Nebraska, North Carolina and Washington began the season in the Top 25 and finished the year outside of it. Oklahoma and South Carolina’s placements were particularly egregious, as both programs were preseason Top 10 picks.
25. Washington
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2014 record: 8-6, 4-5 Pac-12
Final AP ranking: Not ranked
Entering Chris Petersen’s first season as head coach, Washington was a bit of a curiosity. The Huskies were coming off a 9-4 record in Steve Sarkisian’s final year before bolting for Southern California and had a solid defense, but they had questions at quarterback with Cyler Miles.
They got off to a very solid start against questionable competition, going 4-0 against Hawaii, FCS foe Eastern Washington, Illinois and Georgia State (which would finish the season 1-11). But they were exposed once Pac-12 play began. The offense was nonexistent in a 20-13 loss to Stanford, and following a win over Cal, they were blown out at Oregon and lost at home to Arizona State.
Washington feasted on the Pac-12’s soft underbelly but lost to Oregon, Arizona State, UCLA and Arizona. Following a Cactus Bowl loss to Oklahoma State, the Huskies were left with a less than satisfying 8-6 record.
Grade: C-
24. Missouri
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2014 record: 11-3, 7-1 SEC
Final AP ranking: No. 14
What does Gary Pinkel have to do to get some respect? Despite a surprising run to the SEC East title in 2013, the Tigers didn’t get much love from preseason pollsters, sneaking into the poll at No. 24. A pair of SEC East rivals (Georgia and South Carolina) were both ranked in the Top 12.
Missouri got off to a 3-0 start but hit a rough patch with a loss to Big Ten bottom feeder Indiana and a 34-0 home shutout loss at Georgia’s hands. But the Tigers recovered and reeled off a six-game winning streak that landed them in the SEC Championship Game for the second consecutive year. A 42-13 loss at Alabama’s hands was offset by a Citrus Bowl win over Minnesota.
Pollsters would be wise not to underestimate Missouri again this fall. The Tigers have a way of beating expectations, as they did last fall by finishing 10 spots above their preseason ranking.
Grade: C-
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23. North Carolina
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2014 record: 6-7, 4-4 ACC
Final AP ranking: Not ranked
Much like North Carolina fans, preseason voters wanted to believe in North Carolina and head coach Larry Fedora last fall. The Tar Heels did little to reward their faith in an uneven season that left Fedora on an increasingly warming seat entering this fall.
Following a 2-0 start against FCS foe Liberty and San Diego State, UNC’s defense was completely exposed in an ugly four-game losing streak. The Heels suffered an embarrassing 70-41 loss at in-state foe East Carolina, suffered a 50-35 defeat at Clemson, lost 34-17 to Virginia Tech and 50-43 at Notre Dame.
As you can see, scoring wasn’t the problem, but keeping opponents off the scoreboard most certainly was. North Carolina allowed 39 points per game, worst in the ACC, which cost defensive coordinator Vic Koenning his job. He was replaced by former Auburn coach Gene Chizik, who hopes to breathe some life into a unit that returns six starters.
You can understand if preseason voters don’t give the Heels much respect this fall. After 2014, they’re going to have to earn their love on the field.
Grade: D
22. Nebraska
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2014 record: 9-4, 5-3 Big Ten
Final AP ranking: Not ranked
Under Bo Pelini, Nebraska fans knew about what to expect. That was the problem. While Pelini’s Cornhuskers were always good for at least nine wins, they didn’t win a single league title under his watch.
Entering 2014, Nebraska was coming off a 9-4 season, but there was reason to believe that pressure was building on Pelini, who had an ugly sideline meltdown in a 2013 regular-season finale loss to Iowa after which he all but begged Nebraska officials to fire him. They didn’t, and he got another year at the Husker helm.
While Nebraska got off to a 5-0 start (with a win over the Miami Hurricanes the highlight), the Huskers couldn’t win the games that mattered. They lost at Michigan State and suffered a crushing 59-24 loss at Big Ten West rival Wisconsin, with Melvin Gordon burning the Blackshirts for an NCAA single-game rushing record. Following a loss to Minnesota, even a comeback win over Iowa wasn’t enough to save Pelini’s job.
He was fired after a 9-3 regular season ended without a league title, replaced by Oregon State’s Mike Riley. Can he get the Huskers over the top? We’ll see.
Grade: C-
21. Texas A&M
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2014 record: 8-5, 3-5 SEC
Final AP ranking: Not ranked
2014 started off swimmingly for Texas A&M. The Aggies made what looked like a huge statement by going into Williams-Brice Stadium and pasting then-No. 9 South Carolina 52-28 on the first Thursday night of the season, with quarterback Kenny Hill setting a single-game A&M passing yardage record. A&M vaulted into the Top 10 and peaked at No. 6 entering an Oct. 4 showdown at Mississippi State.
Defense, however, would prove A&M’s undoing. The Aggies couldn’t stop quarterback Dak Prescott and suffered a 48-31 loss, and then they lost 35-20 to Ole Miss and, worst of all, suffered a humiliating 59-0 shutout at Alabama’s hands.
Coach Kevin Sumlin pulled Hill in favor of freshman Kyle Allen, who finished the season 3-2 as a starting quarterback. But the end result was a disappointing 8-5 season, despite a Liberty Bowl win over West Virginia.
Grade: C-
20. Kansas State
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2014 record: 9-4, 7-2 Big 12
Final AP ranking: No. 18
Bill Snyder’s second stint as Kansas State has been pretty much the same as his first: very successful. Following Ron Prince’s ugly tenure, Snyder has restored the Wildcats to the high standard he set in his first run as K-State coach.
Last season was no different. The Wildcats began the season ranked No. 20 and got off to a 7-1 start, with the only loss a tough home defeat at Auburn’s hands. However, Snyder’s bunch couldn’t crack the Big 12’s top echelon. It suffered a 41-20 defeat to TCU and lost 38-27 to Baylor in the regular-season finale. A spirited comeback fell short against UCLA in the Alamo Bowl, and the Wildcats finished 9-4.
That dropped them seven spots in the final AP poll to No. 18, which, looking back, was just about right for this team.
Grade: A
19. Arizona State
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2014 record: 10-3, 6-3 Pac-12
Final AP ranking: No. 12
Todd Graham has finally found a home in the desert. Following short stints at Tulsa and Pitt, Graham’s name became synonymous with coaches on the move once he arrived at Arizona State. But he appears to be building something impressive at Arizona State with one of the nation’s most prolific offenses.
Following a 10-win season in 2013, voters weren’t sure what to make of the Sun Devils, slotting them at No. 19 in the first AP poll.
They got off to a 3-0 start against questionable foes (Weber State, New Mexico, Colorado) but were outclassed by UCLA in a 62-27 defeat. They followed that with a five-game win streak highlighted by a Hail Mary win over Southern California and an overtime win over Utah before a surprising 35-27 loss to an Oregon State team that would finish the season 5-7.
A 42-35 Territorial Cup loss to Arizona kept the Devils out of the Pac-12 title game, but they rebounded with a Sun Bowl win over Duke. They finished as the nation’s No. 12 team, and perhaps they’ll get some more respect this summer.
Grade: B-
18. Ole Miss
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2014 record: 9-4, 5-3 SEC
Final AP ranking: No. 17
2014 was a special season for football in the state of Mississippi. Mississippi State broke through to become the nation’s No. 1 team for four weeks, and Ole Miss followed its cross-state rival and spent much of the season as a Top 10 fixture. The Rebels began the season 7-0, highlighted by one of the best wins in program history, an upset of then-No. 1 Alabama in Oxford.
An ugly 10-7 loss to LSU dented the Rebels’ national title hopes, which dissipated completely following a 35-31 loss to Auburn that saw star receiver Laquon Treadwell break his ankle while reaching for what would’ve been the game-winning touchdown.
Ole Miss finished the season 2-4, although that did include a satisfying Egg Bowl win over the Bulldogs. But most will remember a 42-3 Peach Bowl meltdown against TCU, which dropped the Rebs eight spots in the final AP poll to No. 17. As it turned out, voters had Hugh Freeze’s team pretty well pegged.
Grade: A
17. Notre Dame
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2014 record: 8-5
Final AP ranking: Unranked
2014 was a year of extremes for head coach Brian Kelly and Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish began the season 6-0 and were a controversial pass-interference penalty away from defeating defending national champion Florida State in Tallahassee. As it turned out, that loss was the start of a downward spiral.
Poor defense and a rash of Everett Golson turnovers led to five losses in six games, with the only win a comeback victory over Navy. Notre Dame did finish the season on a high note with a 31-28 Music City Bowl win over LSU, but there’s little doubt that the season was anything but a disappointment in South Bend.
However, Notre Dame does have 16 starters returning, which means 2015 could be far more encouraging for Irish fans.
Grade: D
16. Clemson
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2014 record: 10-3, 6-2 ACC
Final AP ranking: No. 15
Dabo Swinney has built something special at Clemson. Tommy Bowden’s tenure was marked by “almost but not quite,” but Swinney has elevated the Tigers into one of the nation’s elite teams, winning at least 10 games in each of the last four seasons.
2014 was more of the same. The season got off to a disappointing start with a 45-21 loss at Georgia followed two weeks later by a frustrating 23-17 overtime loss at eventual ACC champion Florida State marked by late, uncharacteristic offensive mistakes.
But Clemson would lose just once more the rest of the way (a 28-6 loss at Georgia Tech) and finished the year with an impressive 40-6 pasting of Oklahoma in the Russell Athletic Bowl for a 10-3 record. The Tigers finished at No. 15 in the final AP poll, meaning preseason voters were just about right about them.
Grade: A
15. Southern California
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2014 record: 9-4, 6-3 Pac-12
Final AP ranking: No. 20
Expectations were high for Steve Sarkisian’s first season as Southern California's head coach. Despite the program still feeling the effects of NCAA probation, a 10-win campaign in 2013 (fueled by interim coach Ed Orgeron following Lane Kiffin’s firing) had people bullish on the Trojans.
Following a 2-0 start, the Trojans suffered an inexplicable 37-31 loss to a Boston College team that would finish the season 7-6, and two weeks later, they lost to Arizona State on a final-play Hail Mary. Losses to Utah and crosstown rival UCLA kept the Trojans out of the Pac-12 title hunt, but they finished the season on a roll with a 49-14 rout of Notre Dame and a Holiday Bowl win over Nebraska.
That vaulted USC four spots to No. 20 in the final AP poll, but it was still five spots below the preseason ranking. Overall, that's not a bad season, but it certainly left fans wanting more in 2015.
Grade: B-
14. Wisconsin
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2014 record: 11-3, 7-1 Big Ten
Final AP ranking: No. 13
Wisconsin is one of the nation’s most consistent programs. Year in, year out, the Badgers run the ball, play good defense and consistently contend for Big Ten championships. 2014 was no different. Second-year coach Gary Andersen relied on one of the nation’s best running backs in Melvin Gordon, and Wisconsin won more than its share of games.
The Badgers started the season with a disappointing neutral-site loss to LSU that saw them blow a 24-7 second-half lead, and a 20-14 loss to Northwestern dropped Wisconsin to 3-2. From there, however, the Badgers reeled off seven consecutive wins and found themselves in the Big Ten title game as the West Division champions.
However, they ran into the tsunami that was Cardale Jones and Ohio State, suffering a dispiriting 59-0 defeat. Shortly afterward, Andersen bolted for Oregon State. Barry Alvarez went back to the sidelines as the interim coach, and Wisconsin finished on a high with a 34-31 Outback Bowl overtime win over Auburn.
The Badgers finished as the nation’s No. 13 team, one spot ahead of where voters pegged them in the preseason.
Grade: A
13. LSU
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2014 record: 8-5, 4-4 SEC
Final AP ranking: Not ranked
All Les Miles does is win. LSU consistently turns out NFL talent under Miles’ watch, but the on-field product never seems to slip. Entering 2014, the Tigers had won at least 10 games in seven of Miles’ nine seasons and four consecutive. But that talent drain finally caught up with the Tigers last fall.
They started 3-0, including a 28-24 comeback win over Wisconsin, but a surprising home loss to Mississippi State dented the Tigers’ aura. So did a 41-7 loss at Auburn. LSU followed that with three consecutive wins, but an overtime loss to Alabama and a 17-0 shutout loss to Arkansas dropped LSU to 7-4. A 31-28 Music City Bowl loss to Notre Dame left LSU with an 8-5 record, highly disappointing by the program’s standards and equally surprising to those who pegged LSU as a Top 15 preseason team.
Grade: D-
12. Georgia
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2014 record: 10-3, 6-2 SEC
Final AP ranking: No. 9
A 10-win season and a final AP Top 10 ranking sounds like a pretty good season at most programs. But most programs aren’t Georgia. The Bulldogs boast some of the nation’s most rabid fans and one of the nation’s most tradition-rich programs, and years like 2014 just leave supporters wanting more.
Georgia got off to a strong start with a 45-21 home rout of regional rival Clemson, but the good feelings disappeared the following week after a puzzling 38-35 loss at rival South Carolina. Georgia rebounded to win five straight games, including an impressive 34-0 rout at Missouri, but the Dawgs’ SEC title hopes disappeared in Jacksonville.
A Florida team led by dead-coach-walking Will Muschamp ran all over the Bulldogs in a 38-20 defeat, and the regular season ended with a 30-24 overtime loss to rival Georgia Tech. Even a Belk Bowl pasting of Louisville probably did little to erase the bad taste in fans’ mouths. Georgia was still the nation’s No. 9 team in the final AP poll, but that rang a bit hollow given the losses to rivals that marked the season.
Grade: B+
11. Stanford
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2014 record: 8-5, 4-4 Pac-12
Final AP ranking: Not ranked
Under David Shaw’s watch, Stanford has established itself as a Pac-12 power. In each of Shaw’s first three seasons, the Cardinal won at least 11 games, with Pac-12 titles in 2012 and 2013. So a No. 11 ranking entering the 2014 season was an appropriate ranking, given Stanford’s national stature.
However, Stanford did little to live up to that ranking last fall. The Cardinal lost their Pac-12 opener to Southern California, 13-10, and following wins over Army and Washington fell to 2-2 with a 17-14 loss at Notre Dame.
Stanford never found real consistency, winning just twice in a six-week span from October to early November. However, Shaw’s team did finish on a high, routing rival Cal, blasting UCLA and then taking a 45-21 Foster Farms Bowl win over Maryland. 2014 was a step back, but there’s reason for optimism on the Farm.
Grade: D
10. Baylor
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2014 record: 11-2, 8-1 Big 12
Final AP ranking: No. 7
Art Briles has done amazing things at Baylor, and 2014 marked some of his best work yet. The Bears had the nation’s top-scoring offense, averaging 48.2 points per game, and just missed the College Football Playoff.
Baylor started the season 6-0, including a wild 61-58 comeback win over TCU, but suffered its only loss of the regular season the following week at West Virginia. The Bears weren’t daunted, finishing the season on a five-game win streak. However, the loss to the Mountaineers ultimately proved fatal to their playoff hopes.
Blowing a 20-point lead to Michigan State in the Cotton Bowl was disappointing too, as Baylor slipped three spots to No. 7 in the final AP poll. That’s three spots ahead of where voters slotted the Bears in preseason, meaning they got it just about right.
Grade: A-
9. South Carolina
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2014 record: 7-6, 3-5 SEC
Final AP ranking: Not ranked
South Carolina entered 2014 with four consecutive seasons of at least 11 wins, but 2014 started badly and never got much better for the Gamecocks.
An ugly 52-28 loss to Texas A&M ended South Carolina’s 18-game home win streak, and although USC rebounded with three consecutive wins over East Carolina, Georgia and Vanderbilt, frustrating losses to Missouri and Kentucky ended the Gamecocks’ hopes of another 11-win season.
A win over Furman was the only triumph in a stretch that saw four losses in five games, and South Carolina’s five-year domination of in-state rival Clemson ended with a humbling 35-17 defeat. The season ended with a 24-21 Independence Bowl win over the Miami Hurricanes, a surprising locale given the program’s recent run of success. It was a year to forget in Columbia.
Grade: D-
8. Michigan State
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2014 record: 11-2, 7-1 Big Ten
Final AP ranking: No. 5
Under Mark Dantonio, Michigan State has established itself as one of the best programs in the Big Ten and nationally as well. The Spartans are balanced on offense, play a physical brand of defense and are tough to game-plan for. 2014 was more of the same. Following a Big Ten title and Rose Bowl win, big things were expected of the Spartans, and they delivered.
A Week 2 loss to Oregon was discouraging but hardly shameful given the Ducks’ run to the national title game. Following a six-game win streak, the same could be said for a 49-37 loss to eventual national champion Ohio State.
Michigan State ended the season on a high, winning four straight and erasing a 20-point deficit to stun Baylor in the Cotton Bowl. The Spartans have earned respect as one of the nation’s elite programs.
Grade: A-
7. UCLA
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2014 record: 10-3, 6-3 Pac-12
Final AP ranking: No. 10
Jim Mora Jr. is proving that there’s room for more than one football power in Los Angeles. UCLA enters 2015 as a serious College Football Playoff contender, and the Bruins will look to build off momentum built last fall.
UCLA got off to a strong start highlighted by a 62-27 rout of Arizona State but hit a skid with back-to-back losses to Utah and Oregon that helped torpedo hopes of a Pac-12 title. That was followed by a five-game win streak, including a 38-20 thumping of USC, but a surprising 31-10 loss to Stanford ended the regular season on a down note.
However, an Alamo Bowl win over Kansas State secured the program’s second consecutive 10-win season. With 17 starters returning this fall, another 10-win campaign seems quite possible.
Grade: B+
6. Auburn
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2014 record: 8-5, 4-4 SEC
Final AP ranking: Not ranked
Auburn entered 2014 on a major high. The Tigers used last-second wins over Georgia and Alabama that fueled a run to the 2013 BCS national title game, and few on the Plains saw any reason to worry as the new season began.
Gus Malzahn’s Tigers started the season 5-0, including an emphatic 41-7 rout of LSU, but defensive issues cropped up. A 38-23 loss at Mississippi State was the first black mark, and while Auburn outscored South Carolina and Ole Miss the following two weeks, a 41-38 loss to Texas A&M and a 34-7 loss to Georgia exposed the defense. So did a 55-44 Iron Bowl loss to Alabama, and Auburn fired defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson, replacing him with former Florida coach Will Muschamp.
Joe Medley of the Montgomery Advertiser said Muschamp is already making a difference with Auburn's defense.
“The most common question I get is, ‘How is Muschamp?’” Auburn cornerback Josh Holsey said, per Medley. “That’s the most common question I get. He’s intense. That’s the one answer I give everybody.”
A 34-31 Outback Bowl overtime loss to Wisconsin ended the year on a sour note, and Auburn ended 2014 out of the rankings. It was a disappointing step back, but Muschamp’s arrival has hopes high again in 2015.
Grade: D-
5. Ohio State
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2014 record: 14-1, 8-0 Big Ten
Final AP ranking: No. 1
Ohio State began 2014 with a mission: Finish the job that the Buckeyes couldn’t in 2013. Ohio State went into the Big Ten title game unbeaten but was upset by Michigan State and then suffered an Orange Bowl loss to Clemson.
Although Sept. 6’s stunning 35-21 home loss to Virginia Tech set back those plans, the Buckeyes took care of business the rest of the way, finishing the season with 13 consecutive wins. They shook off the loss of star quarterback J.T. Barrett to a broken ankle, as backup Cardale Jones took over and led a 59-0 Big Ten title game rout of Wisconsin, a Sugar Bowl win over Alabama and the national title game win over Oregon.
It was the program’s first national title since 2002 and proved that Ohio State was even better than the lofty standards set for it by preseason pollsters. The next challenge? Doing it again this fall.
Grade: B+
4. Oklahoma
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2014 record: 8-5, 4-4 Big 12
Final AP ranking: Not ranked
There’s a strong case that Oklahoma was the nation’s most disappointing team in 2014. The Sooners began the season as a strong contender for the College Football Playoff but ended it with a humbling 40-6 loss to Clemson in the Russell Athletic Bowl that forced head coach Bob Stoops to clean house on his offensive staff and hire East Carolina’s Lincoln Riley as his new offensive coordinator.
OU got off to a strong start with a 4-0 record, but the first crack came in a 37-33 loss to TCU. A 31-30 loss to Kansas State ended the Sooners’ playoff hopes, and losses to Baylor and rival Oklahoma State added to the misery. Simply put, the Sooners didn’t live up to expectations, and it was very surprising for preseason voters.
Grade: F
3. Oregon
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2014 record: 13-2, 8-1 Pac-12
Final AP ranking: No. 2
Chip Kelly. Mark Helfrich. It doesn’t matter. Oregon has established itself as one of the nation’s elite programs, and 2014 was a strong example why. The Ducks began the season with lofty expectations and fully lived up to them.
Oregon began the season 4-0, with the highlight a 46-27 comeback win over Michigan State. The Ducks stumbled in a 31-24 home loss to Arizona but quickly regained their footing. They finished the regular season with eight consecutive wins, getting revenge on the Wildcats with a 51-13 pasting in the Pac-12 title game and making the College Football Playoff.
They were equally cruel to Florida State, handing Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Jameis Winston the only loss of his collegiate career in a 59-20 Rose Bowl romp. Ezekiel Elliott and Ohio State were too much for Oregon’s defense in a 42-20 national title game rout, but a 13-2 record and No. 2 final national ranking is nothing to cry about in Eugene.
Grade: A
2. Alabama
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2014 record: 12-2, 7-1 SEC
Final AP ranking: No. 4
At Alabama, the standards are extremely high. Anything less than a national title is a disappointment. So, in those terms, 2014 was a disappointment. The Crimson Tide looked ready to bring home the fourth national championship of Nick Saban’s tenure but ultimately fell short.
That said, 2014 was certainly successful. Alabama started 4-0 but suffered a surprising 23-17 defeat at Ole Miss, falling from the nation’s top perch in the process. The Tide brushed that off and won seven straight games to end the regular season, then took the SEC title with a 42-13 rout of Missouri.
That got the Tide into the College Football Playoff as the No. 1 seed, but the season ended at the hands of Ohio State in a 42-35 defeat. Alabama finished at No. 4, and that’s three spots short of expectations for ‘Bama fans.
Grade: B+
1. Florida State
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2014 record: 13-1, 8-0 ACC
Final AP ranking: No. 5
Florida State began 2014 as a marked team. Following 2013’s BCS national title, everyone gave Jimbo Fisher’s Seminoles their best shot, and for the entire regular season, FSU rose to the challenge.
Florida State made multiple comebacks from double-digit deficits against the likes of N.C. State, Louisville and Miami and won seven games by six points or fewer (Oklahoma State, Clemson, Notre Dame, Miami, Boston College, Florida and Georgia Tech). The ‘Noles carried a 29-game win streak into the College Football Playoff against Oregon, but the fun stopped in the Rose Bowl.
Oregon routed the Seminoles 59-20, ending their season one game short of the national title game. However, it’s hard to argue that the ‘Noles did a poor job of defending their national title. For 13 weeks, they took everything America had to throw at them and then some.
Grade: B+
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
