The NCAA College Football season is fast approaching, and what better way to kick off the festivities than with a fascinating opening matchup such as this. The Texas State Bobcats exceeded all expectations last year and are poised to have an ever better 2015, but their first opponent for the season is a perennial national title candidate in the No. 10 Florida State Seminoles.
Which team will emerge victorious and get off on the right foot to start the new season? Read on as we preview this tantalizing match set to take place in Tallahassee. Afterwards, check out our other opening day previews for Eastern Washington vs. No. 7 Oregon and No. 20 Wisconsin vs. No. 3 Alabama.
[sc:NCAAFArticles ]Texas State Bobcats vs. Florida State Seminoles Preview
Where: Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee
When: Saturday, September 5, 8:00 PM ET
Line: Texas State Bobcats (+30) at Florida State Seminoles (-30) – view all NCAA Football lines
Betting on the Texas State Bobcats
What a turnaround it has been for the Texas State Bobcats’ offense. After head coach Dennis Franchione decided to go for a more up-tempo style of offense last year, the Bobcats saw significant improvements in their season stats compared to the previous year. Texas State went from 326 yards and 23.9 points per game in 2013 to 464 yards and 33.8 points per game in 2014.
[sc:NCAA240banner ]Franchione has his junior quarterback Tyler Jones to thank for last season’s success. Jones, a native of Texas himself, threw for 2,670 yards with 22 touchdowns and seven picks last season. He also showed great mobility on the ground, racking up 539 yards on the ground to go with six scores on 166 carries.
Jones’ teammate and all-around workhorse Robert Lowe was also an integral part of the Bobcats’ progress in 2014. The 5’10” running back from Waxahachie amassed 1,091 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns last season, and also tallied 207 receiving yards with an average of 8.6 yards per catch. Together, both Lowe and Jones will lead Texas State towards another impressive campaign in the Sun Belt conference (and hopefully make it to at least a Bowl game this time around).
The Bobcats’ offense better do its part indeed, as the defense looks to be in for a regression. Last year’s Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year in linebacker David Mayo is no longer with the team, and there seems to be no one in the mix right now who could replace his talent. And even with the best player in the conference on Texas State’s side at the time, the team finished just 97th in the nation last year in total defense.
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Betting on the Florida State Seminoles
Is there any team that can overthrow the Florida State Seminoles from the top of the ACC this 2015 season? The entire conference is never short on talent, and most definitely the Noles to say the least. However, Florida State had to say goodbye to 2013 Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston and prolific receiver Rashad Greene this offseason, so the team’s bid for a fourth-straight ACC title is suddenly on the ropes.
Luckily, the team acquired coveted playmaker Everett Golson from Notre Dame to replace Winston. The dynamic quarterback had a phenomenal 2014 that saw him throw for 3,728 yards and 37 touchdowns for the season. With those kinds of numbers, there’s not a lot that could be said against his +1,500 odds of winning the Heisman Trophy this season.
Should Golson go through the motions of having to adjust to Florida State’s complex offensive system, expect running back Dalvin Cook to bail him out of a tight pinch. In his freshman year, Cook had 1,008 yards on the ground with a staggering average of 5.9 yards per carry to go with eight touchdowns. The offensive line got a couple of junior college transfers to make up for some of the O-line’s changes as well, so both run-blocking and pass protection seems to be up to par from last year’s line.
Florida State will also trot out what should be a formidable defense in 2015. The defensive line still looks stout, as the team has five linemen with previous playing experience set to return to the lineup. The pass rush has got to improve, though, as the Seminoles only managed to register 17 sacks all of last season. Look for senior nose tackle Nile Lawrence-Stample to lead the charge from the front line after missing almost all of last year due to an injury to his chest.
Writer’s Prediction
Florida State, who is at +2,000 to win the national title this season, takes care of Texas State with ease en route to a 38-17 victory.
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