The Florida State football team rides in to 2017 with heavy expectations. Despite an Orange Bowl victory and 10-win season in 2016, most weren’t thrilled with the result last season.

The Seminoles were a team that many had penciled in for a playoff spot, if not the national championship. Obviously, injuries somewhat changed that projection, but those excuses can only last for so long. Florida State has the talent and the experience to compete for a national title this year.

In case you need to be caught up on position previews and expected changes, The Daily Nole has you covered. Below are the links to some of our pieces covering the 2017 team. Read these if you want a thorough background for the upcoming season:

FSU Football: 2017 Preseason Position Preview — Defensive Backs 
FSU Football: 2017 Preseason Position Preview — Special Teams
FSU Football: 2017 Preseason Position Preview — Offensive Line
FSU Football: 2017 Preseason Position Preview — Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
FSU Football: 2017 Preseason Position Preview — Defensive Line
FSU Football: 2017 Preseason Position Preview — Linebackers
FSU Football: 2017 Preseason Position Preview — Running Backs
FSU Football: 2017 Preseason Position Preview — Quarterbacks
FSU Football: Why 2017 May Be the Most Important Year of the Fisher Era

We at The Daily Nole came together and attempted to answer eight questions related to FSU for the 2017 season. Those are: offensive MVP, defensive MVP, offensive breakout, defensive breakout, predict-a-stat line, most glaring question, overall record, and playoff picks. Featured in this article is editor Mike Ferguson, staff writer Clint Eiland, and contributor Josh Mixon.

Offensive MVP

Clint, Mike: Deondre Francois looks to continue the Jimbo Fisher track record of second-year improvement. With Dalvin Cook and top target Travis Rudolph gone to the NFL, Francois has the keys to an offense expected to be top-10 caliber throughout the year. He’s got the ability, he’s got the experience, and now he’s got the expectations.

Josh: Cam Akers is a surprising choice for those who expect Jacques Patrick to be the main option at running back. While Patrick will certainly see his workload increase, Akers is simply too talented to not be the eventual starter. His burst and vision simply do not come around often. He’ll be the Seminoles’ most lethal weapon by season’s end.

Defensive MVP

Clint, Mike, Josh: Derwin James might be the most talented player in the country. Florida State sorely missed him in the secondary last season, and some of the struggles can be attributed to his absence. Now, he’s back and fully healthy. Everything points to 2017 being James’ last season before he heads to the NFL Draft, so you can expect a big year from the redshirt sophomore.

Offensive Breakout

Clint, Josh: Keith Gavin has been getting rave reviews since the start of fall camp. Supposedly his combination of elite size and physicality has firmly pushed him to the No. 3 wide receiver spot, with a chance that he moves higher up as he gets more experience. A thin wide receiver corps just stresses the need for someone like Gavin to become a reliable target for Francois. Don’t be surprised when the player with zero receptions last year starts to be the talk of the town.

Mike: Ryan Izzo slowly improved in his first three years in Tallahassee. He improved his blocking and became more comfortable as a receiver. The last two seasons saw him with over 200 receiving yards each year and three total touchdowns. Now that he has that experience with him, Izzo projects to be the tight end target that Florida State offenses utilize to great success.

Defensive Breakout

Clint, Mike: Levonta Taylor did not come to Florida State to be a backup. The former 5-star recruit saw some reps last year as a freshman, mainly at cornerback and the “Star” position; the latter is not his best fit, however. Taylor has the speed and technique to excel at cornerback. Injuries were what forced him and others to be moved around last season. With most of those injured players back, Taylor can now be put in the best position to succeed and that’s opposite Tarvarus McFadden.

Josh: Brian Burns flashed what he could do in 2017. The freshman defensive end amassed 23 total tackles and 9.5 sacks while being a rotational piece. With DeMarcus Walker gone, Burns and others will be relied upon even more to pressure opposing quarterbacks. If past results are indicative of anything, he will launch himself to national relevance this season.

Predict-A-Statline

Clint: Nyqwan Murray catches 55 passes for 750 yards and seven touchdowns.

Mike: Derwin James racks up 103 total tackles, 12.5 for loss, six sacks, three forced fumbles, and one interception.

Josh: Deondre Francois throws for 3,500 passing yards, 22 touchdowns, and nine interceptions.

Most Glaring Question

Clint: Has the defense been corrected? Yes, Derwin James and others are back. Yes, the defense improved as the year went on. But is there anyone who can say with 90-plus percent confidence that they trust the defense to be top 10 nationally? Improvement and encouraging signs are one thing. Consistently being a great defense is a whole other ordeal. Coordinator Charles Kelly has few excuses for the 2017 squad to be anything less than stellar.

Mike: Can the offensive line put it all together? Few positions get the scrutiny that the offensive line does. When it does its job, it doesn’t get enough credit. When it struggles, everybody notices. The Florida State offensive line unfortunately had too much of the latter and not enough of the former. The Seminoles certainly have the talent to do well, and with multiple starters returning from last year, the O-line is another group that needs to live up to its potential.

Josh: How much has Francois improved as a passer? Having a star quarterback isn’t necessary for a great offense, but it certainly makes everything easier. Francois was simply “good” last year. He was a net positive for the team in most of FSU’s games. Yet, his performances against top opponents like Clemson and Michigan left much to be desired (sub-50 percent completion). If he can improve on his accuracy and his consistency, the offense can truly be near unstoppable.

Overall Record

Clint, Mike: 11-1

Josh: 10-2

Playoff Prediction

Clint: Ohio State, Florida State, Auburn, Washington

Mike: Ohio State, Alabama, Florida State, Oklahoma

Josh: Alabama, Oklahoma, USC, Ohio State