The Daily Nole

Preview: FSU Looks to Go Bowling for 36th Straight Year

Colin Abbey/FSU athletics

Who: Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks (4-7, 4-4 Sun Belt) at Florida State Seminoles (5-6, 3-5 ACC)
Where: Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida
When: Saturday, Dec. 2 at 12 p.m. EST (ACC Network Extra)

It’s almost easy to forget in the whole Jimbo Fisher to Texas A&M mess that Florida State still has a game on Saturday — a pretty important one actually. It will determine whether or not a 35-year bowl streak stays alive. Regardless of how the Fisher situation turns out, both sides agree that not reaching six wins would be detrimental to everybody.

The Seminoles are in prime position to reach yet another bowl game. They’re coming off a big win against their rival Florida and now face an overmatched opponent who has not been impressive even by Sun Belt standards. It should be a nice, crisp Saturday morning when the two teams take the field. Put aside all the speculation and drama off the field. Enjoy it.

Lead writer Clint Eiland and editor Mike Ferguson break it down:

Biggest Louisiana-Monroe Advantage

Clint: Offensive Success — It’s no secret that ULM has not played the toughest of defenses. But the offensive output (472 yards per game, 36 points per game) is still nothing to scoff at. If the Seminoles are caught slacking on Saturday, the Warhawks could surprise them with bursts of scoring. They have a solid quarterback in Caleb Evans, who has thrown for over 2,600 yards and 16 touchdowns this season, along with a group of productive receivers. Stranger things have happened in college football. Whenever a less talented team with a respectable offense comes into town, there’s always a slight fear that they could get rolling early and never stop.

Mike: FSU’s Disarray — As mentioned before, the ongoing saga with Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher potentially heading to Texas A&M has overshadowed the fact that the Seminoles need only a strong showing on Saturday to finish the regular season on a 3-game winning streak and become bowl-eligible for a 36th straight season. If FSU comes in unfocused, anything can happen.

Biggest FSU Advantage

Clint: Talent – Nothing has changed in this respect. Momentum is a shaky advantage due to the aforementioned coaching rumors, so talent remains the biggest difference between the two squads. Florida State absolutely has the players to run right over the ULM defense and to totally stifle its offense. It might take them a while to wake up, but once FSU realizes that it can easily overpower its opponent, expect the Seminoles to run away with it.

Mike: Talent – There’s simply no other way to put this, but FSU has an enormous talent gap that may be too big for the Seminoles to lose on Saturday. As bad as the season has gone for FSU, it’s hard to imagine it not putting up points against a defense that ranks outside the top 120 in virtually every category.

Game Breaker

Clint: Can FSU Stay Focused? – Okay, one final word on the coaching turmoil before the game on Saturday. The simple fact of the matter is that behind-the-scenes drama has absolutely made its way into the locker room. It’s not even clear at this point if Fisher will be coaching on Saturday. Players and staff will need to find a way to regroup and fight for one last game. The potential for a sneaky upset is very high, especially with a ULM offense that could surprise people.

Mike: Where Will FSU’s Head Be? – The saga surrounding Jimbo Fisher has overshadowed the contest on Saturday and one can only imagine what is running through the players’ minds. Fisher said he plans on coaching Saturday, but there’s no telling whether that’s the case or whether it will be allowed to happen. If not, who would the interim head coach be?

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