The timeless mantra we\u2019ve all heard is that defense wins championships<\/em>. The \u2019Noles look mighty powerful this year because of their outstanding defense. It\u2019s been a pretty lengthy road back for FSU since the dominant Bobby Bowden-led years of the 1990s. <\/p>\n ACC 2012-13 Football Previews: Florida State Seminoles<\/strong> It looks like Florida State is finally back \u2013 potentially for the long haul. This season could well \u00a0be a statement year for a storied football program.<\/p>\n However, new coach Jimbo Fisher has been hauling in progressively better recruiting classes every year; Fisher finished with the #11 class in 2010, the fourth-best class last year and the nation\u2019s top freshman crop this season.<\/p>\n It\u2019s what the Seminoles will hang their hat on, so let\u2019s start with defense: FSU is stacked. Even with the departure of LB Nigel Bradham, last year\u2019s top tackler, there are impact players in every defensive unit. Defensive end Brandon Jenkins had eight sacks last season, and should improve upon those numbers; 6\u201d2, 301-lb DT Everett Dawkins is a load in the middle; fellow DT Timmy Jernigan was the ACC Defensive Freshman Player of the Year in 2011. That\u2019s just the front four.<\/p>\n The back seven is highlighted by LB Christian Jones, SS Lamarcus Joyner and CB Greg Reid, one of the most dynamic all-around players in college football. Not only is Reid an excellent corner, he is probably the best return man in the game, handling both the kick and punt-return duties. Sophomore FS Karlos Williams will be starting for the first time in 2012, but got on the field last season. He\u2019s a real specimen and should take a profound step forward in \u201912. Not only are the starters excellent, but there\u2019s also good depth for the FSU \u201cD\u201d.\u00a0 As a \u201ckicker\u201d, K Dustin Hopkins is the best in the ACC, and the \u2019Noles have a host of strong-legged options to evaluate for the punting duties.<\/p>\n In terms of scoring points, the offense should at least hold up its end of the bargain. Veteran QB E.J. Manuel combines size and moxie; he also has a balanced cluster of WRs to utilize. Last year\u2019s leading four receivers all return in 2012, led by Rodney Smith and Rashad Greene. [soliloquy id=”82219″]<\/p>\n The offensive line has some new faces, but also has talent in the forms of LG Jakob Fahrenkrug and C Bryan Stork. The running game should be just fine with sophomores Devonta Freeman and James Wilder. In the event that Manuel gets injured, back-up Clint Trickett can fill in admirably.<\/p>\n Most people are raving about FSU\u2019s defense, and with good reason. The Seminoles don\u2019t have the lethal offense like division rival Clemson, but if the FSU defense is as stingy as it should be, that is a moot point. Fisher has done an excellent job replacing campus legend Bowden; the strong recruiting should only further cement FSU\u2019s re-emergence as an ACC powerhouse.<\/p>\n Florida State travels to Miami and Virginia Tech on this year\u2019s slate. The \u2019Noles also meet Clemson and their nemesis, the Florida Gators, in the last game of the season. Clearly, there are some tests in store for this team. Yet, if Manuel can lead the offense and the \u201cD\u201d is as hungry as it looks, Florida State is not only the favorite in the ACC, but a legitimate contender for a national title.<\/p>\n The Sept. 22 meeting versus Clemson will tell us where FSU truly is in its quest back to the top of the national picture.<\/p>\n 9\/1\/12 6:00 PM ET MURST 2012-13 Football Previews \u2013 (ACC) \u2013 Florida State Seminoles The timeless mantra we\u2019ve all heard is that defense wins championships. The \u2019Noles look mighty powerful this year because of their outstanding defense. It\u2019s been a pretty lengthy road back for FSU since the dominant Bobby Bowden-led years of the 1990s.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":127,"featured_media":24578,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[55818,44530,50747,16037,11892,49957,55819,55820,55821,2968,50745,50746],"class_list":["post-53305","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ncaa-football","tag-2012-acc-football-previews","tag-2012-bcs-lines","tag-acc-football-predictions","tag-acc-odds","tag-acc-picks","tag-bcs-sportsbook-odds","tag-florida-state-football-predictions","tag-florida-state-gambling-odds","tag-florida-state-schedule","tag-florida-state-seminoles","tag-seminoles-bcs-futures","tag-seminoles-predictions"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53305","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/127"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53305"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53305\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":53518,"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53305\/revisions\/53518"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24578"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53305"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53305"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/capperspicks.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53305"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nCoach: <\/strong>Jimbo Fisher
\n2011 Record: <\/strong>9-4
\nFlorida State Gambling Odds from Sportsbook.com to win BCS:<\/strong>
\nFSU Team Page \u2013 Players Stats \u2013 Roster \u2013 2012\u00a0Schedule \u2013><\/a><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n2012-13 Florida State Football Prediction: 13-1<\/h3>\n
2012 Florida St. Schedule<\/h3>\n
\n9\/8\/12 6:00 PM ET SAVST
\n9\/15\/12 12:00 PM ET WFRST
\n9\/22\/12 TBD CLEM
\n9\/29\/12 TBD @SOFLA
\n10\/6\/12 TBD @NCST
\n10\/13\/12 TBD BCOLL
\n10\/20\/12 TBD @MIAMI
\n10\/27\/12 TBD DUKE
\n11\/8\/12 7:30 PM ET @VATCH
\n11\/17\/12 TBD @MD
\n11\/24\/12 TBD FLA<\/p>\nGRAB OUR BEST Expert CFB Picks for 2012 NCAA FOOTBALL Betting! \u2014\u2013><\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"