FSU Football: The Match-Up to Watch for Each September Contest

For Florida State, the 2016 season is right around the corner. The Seminoles are less than three weeks away from kicking off the new year and for FSU early on, things probably won’t come easy.

Florida State begins the season in Orlando against Ole Miss on Labor Day before turning around and hosting Charleston Southern five days later. The Seminoles will close September with back-to-back road games against Louisville and South Florida.

While the Seminoles will be tested early, each of the first four contests will have some intriguing battles to watch. Here’s a look at the key match-up in each of FSU’s first four contests:

vs. Ole Miss, Sept. 5 (Orlando)
Key Match-Up: Ole Miss Offensive Line vs. FSU Defensive Line
It won’t take long to know how much Ole Miss will miss Laremy Tunsil. With potentially a true freshman starting at left tackle in Gregory Little and perhaps a converted center at right tackle in Robert Conyers, the Rebels will have to find a way to block FSU’s talented end duo of DeMarcus Walker and Josh Sweat. Ole Miss quarterback Chad Kelly can slice up a defense if given time. The challenge for the Rebels on Labor Day will be giving him that time.

vs. Charleston Southern, Sept. 10
Key Match-Up: FSU vs. Complacency, Short Rest
No one thinks Florida State will have trouble winning its home opener against Charleston Southern, but the game will come on short rest and in between two big games against Ole Miss and Louisville. The contest is also a 12:30 p.m. EST kickoff after playing a prime time game five days earlier. The Seminoles probably won’t lose this one, but don’t be surprised if they’re a little slow out of the gate.

at Louisville, Sept. 17
Key Match-Up: FSU Offense vs. Louisville Defense
It seems simplistic to say that offense against defense is a key match-up, but Florida State is returning 11 starters on offense and the Louisville defense is that good. This contest will likely be redshirt freshman quarterback Deondre Francois’ first road start and the Cardinals are loaded with NFL talent defensively, including DeAngelo Brown up front, Keith Kelsey and Devonte Fields at linebacker and Josh Harvey-Clemons and Trumaine Washington in the secondary. Despite Louisville being talented on defense, the Seminoles have averaged 41.5 points against the Cardinals in the last two meetings. Running back Dalvin Cook and receiver Kermit Whitfield each had monster days against Louisville last season in Tallahassee, combining for 394 yards from scrimmage and three scores.

at South Florida, Sept. 24
Key Match-Up: Marlon Mack vs. Dalvin Cook
South Florida running back Marlon Mack and FSU’s Dalvin Cook won’t be on the field at the same time when the teams meet in Tampa, but which team runs the ball the best will go a long way in deciding the winner. Cook rushed for a career-high 266 yards and three touchdowns in a 34-14 win over the Bulls last season in Tallahassee while South Florida ranked 10th nationally in yards per game on the ground. USF’s Marlon Mack finished with nearly 1,400 yards on the ground in 2015, but was fairly contained by FSU, going for 83 yards on 18 carries.