Editor’s note: Saturday Road’s annual Crystal Ball prediction series continues today with Florida State. Next up, we’ll preview Georgia Tech.

Previously: Boston College | Clemson | Duke

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They don’t hand out trophies and raise banners for winning the offseason.

Otherwise, Florida State might be having a parade right now instead of preparing to play its 2023 schedule.

The Seminoles didn’t just win the offseason. They crushed it.

The hype began shortly after a Cheez-It Bowl triumph against Oklahoma last December, a win that capped a season-ending 6-game winning streak and got FSU into double-digit victories for the 1st time since 2016.

Then came the decisions by quarterback Jordan Travis, receiver Johnny Wilson, edge rusher Jared Verse and other key players to return for another season, giving the Seminoles the highest percentage of returning production of any team in college football.

And if that wasn’t enough, coach Mike Norvell added to all that talent by bringing in the nation’s top transfer class.

All those factors have led to a top-10 ranking in the preseason polls, predictions of not just an ACC championship but a spot in the College Football Playoff and proclamations that FSU is, at long last, “back.”

Now comes the challenging part.

Picking up where it left off last season and backing up the hype with results during the time of year in which those trophies and banners are earned.

“There’s a lot of expectations,” Travis said. “But it’s one thing when you get on the field. All those expectations disappear when the ball is kicked off.”

Until that happens, they’re nearly impossible to avoid.

“You could be in the store, you’re gonna hear somebody talking about it,” Verse said. “You go to the gym, somebody’s talking about it. National championship. ACC. Do this. Do that. I’m telling everybody we’re going to give it everything we’ve got. That’s all I can promise.”

The Seminoles won’t have the luxury of easing into the season. They’ll get thrown right to the Tigers, literally, twice within the first 4 games. 

A Labor Day Sunday rematch with SEC West contender LSU and a showdown against defending ACC champion Clemson at Death Valley on Sept. 23 will go a long way toward determining FSU’s national profile for the remainder of the year.

And whether the Seminoles really are “back.” Or if they still have a ways to go to reach their desired destination.

Following the leader

There’s usually a negative connotation when it comes to peer pressure. But in the case of FSU’s football program, it was a major factor in helping the Seminoles retain the highest percentage of returning production in the country.

Travis, a dynamic playmaker who has been mentioned on virtually every list of serious Heisman Trophy contenders, set the tone by becoming the 1st to announce his intention to return for a 6th college season.

Within days, other key Seminoles followed their leader.

Running back Trey Benson was next, followed by top receiver Wilson, cornerback Jarrian Jones and defensive tackle Fabien Lovett, who had already accepted an invitation to play in the Senior Bowl before changing his mind and deciding to run it back in Tallahassee.

The biggest surprise, however, came when Verse signed up for another year rather than entering the NFL draft, where he was projected as a certain 1st round pick.

It was a decision that had a lot to do with his peers. Although there wasn’t much pressure needed.

“One of the biggest factors in coming back was probably seeing all these other guys come back,” said Verse, whose 9 sacks and 17 tackles for loss ranked 2nd in the ACC in 2022.  “The coaching staff was back. Fabien Lovett came back and Jarrian Jones came back. All these guys came back. Key players. 

“They just kept telling me, ‘what are you going to do?’ I had a feeling I was going to come back. I’m not done here yet. I accomplished what I wanted to. I put myself in conversations where I was able to go high up in the draft, but it wasn’t what I wanted. We still had a lot more as a team to do.”

The rich get richer

Even with all that returning talent, Norvell didn’t stand pat when it came to improving his roster via the transfer portal. His haul of 10 veteran free agents is ranked No. 4 nationally by 247Sports, behind only LSU, Colorado and USC. It includes 5 players ranked among the top 25 in the portal.

The rich got even richer last month with the late pickup of Keon Coleman, who led Michigan State in receiving last season. He joins South Carolina tight end Jaheim Bell in providing Travis with some additional targets to go along with holdover Wilson.

“It’s fun to be on the team with them. It’s fun to work with them,” Travis said of his new offensive toys. “Their film speaks for itself. They are a bunch of great players and I look forward to throwing the ball to them a lot.”

Travis also got some added protection on his offensive line with the arrival of Jeremiah Byers from UTEP and Casey Roddick from Colorado, both of whom can play multiple positions.

Defensively, the Seminoles added to the ACC’s best pass defense by plucking all-conference cornerback Fentrell Cypress from league rival Virginia, where he allowed only 18 receptions last season while ranking 4th nationally with 14 PBUs. 

“From the first day he’s gotten here, it’s been about the work. Not just on the field, but building a relationship with his teammates, coming in and learning things that we do schematically,” Norvell said. “I think he has a chance to be a really special player in our defensive backfield.

“We’ve all got to see him and have seen him play in ACC contests and play at a very high level, and I think he’s about to take his game to a whole other level here in Tallahassee.”

Travis’ turning point

If Jordan leads the Seminoles to the highest of highs this season, it will be because of a lesson in humility and team togetherness he learned while experiencing the lowest of lows last season.

It happened during the final minute of a 19-17 loss at NC State, a game that saw him drive his team within 22 yards of a winning touchdown only to throw an interception in the end zone that ended FSU’s comeback bid.

“Last year there were a lot of learning experiences, a lot of ups and downs throughout the year,” Travis said. “I always look back on the NC State game. That game helped change me as a man and change me as a person and a player.”

Travis was 15-of-30 for 181 yards and 2 touchdowns passing against the Wolfpack’s stingy defense. He also was the Seminoles’ leading rusher with 108 yards on 7 carries. But because of the way the game ended, he felt as though he’d let his teammates down.

It didn’t take long for him to realize that the opposite was true. The support he got once he returned to the locker room helped him rebound quickly. He ended up leading the ACC in passing efficiency and was the driving force behind the Seminoles’ 6-game winning streak to end the season.

“At the end of the day my teammates let me know that they have my back,” he said. “That was the most important thing. I put it down all on myself, and my teammates did not allow that to happen.

“It made me a tougher person. Obviously it hurt right after the game pretty bad. It sucks. But at the end of the day, it’s football. You learn from it. If I was ever put in that position again, man, I can promise you it would be way different.”

Game-by-game predictions

Week 1: vs. LSU at Orlando (L)

The Seminoles are a better team than the one that beat the Tigers in Brian Kelly’s sloppy Bayou debut last year. So is LSU.

Week 2: vs. Southern Miss (W)

Make sure the walk-ons get plenty of tickets for family and friends to attend. They should all get a few snaps in the 2nd half as FSU starts building back its confidence after a disappointing opener.

Week 3: at Boston College (W)

These Eagles will put up more of a fight than the previous week’s flock, especially since the Seminoles will be on the road. But not much. Travis peppered BC’s secondary for 321 yards in last year’s 44-14 rout. This should be another opportunity to pad those Heisman hopeful numbers.

Week 4: at Clemson (L)

Clash of the ACC Titans, Part I. The Seminoles will have the edge at quarterback. But the Tigers have the homefield advantage. And it’s a significant one. Clemson hasn’t lost to a conference team at Death Valley since Pittsburgh pulled off an upset in November 2016. Verse and the Noles have the potential to rattle the Tigers’ young Cade Klubnik. But he won’t have to throw that much if star running back Will Shipley is as effective as he was in Tallahassee a year ago. I believe these teams will meet again in Charlotte in December. But for now, Round 1 goes to the defending league champs.

Week 5: Open

Week 6: vs. Virginia Tech (W)

Losing at Death Valley was a downer. But the Seminoles are a veteran team that understands that they still have a shot at winning a championship. They start gaining some momentum in that direction by taking their frustrations out on the lowly Hokies.

Week 7: vs. Syracuse (W)

Jordan became the 1st FSU player since 1948 to run, throw and catch a touchdown in the same game while Benson chewed up a career-best 153 yards of Dome turf in last year’s romp. The Orange won’t have an answer for either of them again on the natural grass at Doak Campbell this time.

Week 8: vs. Duke (W)

The Blue Devils have the potential to score a lot of points, even against a defense as good as the Seminoles’. But as long as FSU doesn’t turn the ball over against a Duke defense that finished 2nd in the nation in turnover margin in 2022, its offense should be able to put up an even bigger number and extend its perfect record against Duke to 20-0.

Week 9: at Wake Forest (W)

The Seminoles lead the all-time series 30-9. But the Deacons have won the past 3 meetings. Wake won’t have Sam Hartman slinging the ball around the yard this time and that will be a plus. But it doesn’t mean FSU can afford to sleep on Dave Clawson’s slow-mesh RPO offense. It won’t.

Week 10: at Pittsburgh (W)

The weather can get cold and sloppy in Pittsburgh in early November. But thanks to the running ability of Benson, Lawrance Toafili, Jordan and others, the Seminoles should be equipped to handle whatever Mother Nature dishes out.

Week 11: vs. Miami (W)

You can bet the Hurricanes are motivated to make up for the embarrassment of the 45-3 egg they laid against the Seminoles a year ago. It was the largest margin of victory for the road team in the history of the Sunshine State rivalry. Coach Mario Cristobal’s team will give a better accounting of itself in Tallahassee this year. But while the score will be more respectable, the result will be the same.

Week 12: vs. North Alabama (W)

The Lions once won 3 straight Division II national championships. But that isn’t going to help them against the Seminoles. Terry Bowden once coached at North Alabama. So since there’s a family connection, maybe FSU will take it easy on them and keep from running the score up too high.

Week 13: at Florida (W)

Jordan is back. Anthony Richardson isn’t. The Noles ended a 3-game losing streak to the Gators last year. This time they go to The Swamp and end a 2-game skid in Gainesville to finish the regular season on a high note.

2023 projection: 10-2 (7-1)

#NoleFamily

The Seminoles might look a lot like the team that created so much offseason buzz by winning their final 6 games in 2022. And they should thanks to a nation’s best 87% of their offensive and defensive production.

But there’s a different vibe about them as they prepare for their most anticipated season since Jimbo Fisher left for Texas A&M 6 years ago.

“Last year felt like a winning team,” star edge rusher Verse said. “This year feels like a dominant team. It’s a whole different feeling. I don’t think anybody on this team is used to.”

Playing at an elite level might be a new experience for FSU’s current players. But for others associated with the school and around Tallahassee, it was once a beloved tradition.

That’s only raised the expectations on this year’s team even higher.

As if returning the program to its past glory and the expectations raised by an offseason of hype weren’t enough pressure, FSU’s Board of Trustees upped the ante even higher last month by proclaiming that the ACC was no longer good enough for their team and threatening to leave the league at the first opportunity.

It put Norvell and his team in the position of having to justify that claim through their performance on the field. 

They’ve got the talent to do it, especially with high-profile September matchups against LSU and Clemson on the schedule.

But can they handle the pressure?