FSU isn't the most popular playoff pick, but according to at least one analyst's bold predictions, the 'Noles will be the last team standing when the smoke clears Jan. 9 in what will amount to a home game for the national title thanks in part to the team's predicted Heisman Trophy winner, Dalvin Cook.
Videos by FanBuzz
Florida State has all the fixings to cook up something special this season. Dalvin Cook, the nation's sixth-leading rusher last season with 1,691 yards and 16 touchdowns, is back and he'll begin this season as he did last—-a solid Heisman Trophy contender.
But, as Stewart Mandel of Fox Sports notes, redshirt freshman QB Deondre Francois is the wild-card. He writes:
"The 'Noles have the making of another special team — as they should every so often given the ridiculous recruiting riches Jimbo Fisher brings in annually. The wild-card is redshirt freshman quarterback Deondre Francois, but I'm guessing a guy who's produced three straight first-round quarterbacks (Christian Ponder, EJ Manuel and Jameis Winston) and a No. 1 pick before that (LSU's JaMarcus Russell) will figure that out."
RELATED: Herbstreit says surprise sleeper could push FSU and Clemson in the ACC
Head coach Jimbo Fisher seems to agree that is poised for a breakout season.
"I won't compare him to a guy that played here a few years ago," Fisher reportedly a local booster club last week, "but when he plays, you'll like what you see."
Mandel predicts that FSU will take care of business against TCU in the semifinals and then dispatch LSU in the title game in Tampa in front of what will essentially be a home crowd.
Florida State is projected right up with Clemson as a contender to come out of the ACC in the College Football Playoff. If the 'Noles can get it going early, this "bold prediction" won't look so bold.
