FSU Football: Surprises, Disappointments and Unknowns at Midway Point

It seems like a cruel joke, but it’s true: Florida State’s 2016 regular season is halfway over. The Seminoles have played six games so far and only have six games remaining, with two of those against rivals Clemson and Florida. Luckily for them, the murderer’s row to begin the season has now largely passed. The remaining challenges mentioned above are spaced out by lesser opponents.

Two losses wasn’t the plan but it is where FSU currently sits. The fan base was in meltdown mode after the 37-35 loss to North Carolina on Oct. 1, but has rebounded after Saturday’s 20-19 win over Miami — at least to an extent. Running back Dalvin Cook’s slow start was concerning and the injury to safety Derwin James exposed glaring defensive weaknesses. Despite this, Florida State is still ranked in the top 15 and has enough games remaining to try and make a case for finishing in the top 10.

Who will lead them in that attempt? Below are three groups of players. The first are the disappointments: the players expected to be great in 2016 that have so far fallen short of that expectation. The second are surprises: players who have asserted themselves and become bright spots. The third are unknown: the rest of 2016 must play out before they can be judged as belonging into either of the two aforementioned groups (or neither).

Disappointed: