Tag: Florida State Seminoles

LSU drops in SEC power rankings after Week 1 loss to Florida State

Here’s how we think the SEC teams stack up following Week 1.

Week 1 of the college football season is in the books, and though it wasn’t the best slate of games in recent memory, we got to see several SEC teams face off against Power Five squads.

It was overall a disappointing weekend for the league as it went 0-3 in its contests against ranked opponents. Florida kicked things off with a 24-11 loss on the road to Utah on Thursday before South Carolina fell 31-17 in its border war against North Carolina on Saturday.

In what was expected to be the game of the weekend, LSU held a halftime lead against No. 8 Florida State but had no answer in the second half as the Seminoles surged to a 45-24 win.

The league was perfect outside of that in games that came almost exclusively against Group of Five or FCS opponents, however.

We still have far from a complete sample size on any of these teams, but here’s how we have the 14 SEC squads stacking up after Week 1.

On3 updates SEC power rankings after Week 1

After a rough Week 1 loss to Florida State, LSU has slid down in the On3 SEC power rankings.

After a rough Week 1 loss to Florida State, LSU has slid down in the On3 SEC power rankings. They were a top-three team in the conference entering the year and now they’ve slid all the way to No. 6. The Tigers are now behind Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Texas A&M, and Arkansas.

LSU took a 17-14 lead into halftime of the biggest game of the weekend: No. 5 LSU vs. No. 8 Florida State in Orlando. The Seminoles had the crowd advantage and they were rowdy in the second half as the Seminoles outscored LSU 31-7 in the third and fourth quarter to lead them to a 45-24 win.

Here is what On3 had to say about the Tigers.

LSU had the toughest Week 1 opponent but couldn’t pass the test against Florida State. The Tigers had some self-inflicted mistakes and questionable decisions early on but still managed to lead at halftime.

But the Seminoles took over the game in the second half, scoring 31 unanswered at one point. The Tigers will look to regroup, knowing the full SEC slate is still ahead of them and these early SEC power rankings can be quite fluid.

As I have said before, last weekend was rough, but it is not the end of the world. LSU still has a chance to find its way into the College Football Playoff. [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] and the team have some things to work on between now and then, though.

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How far did LSU fall in ESPN’s Football Power Index after loss to Florida State?

The Tigers fell quite a bit in both the polls and computer metrics this week.

The LSU Tigers began the season as a top-five team in both polls, and the metrics agreed.

Coach Brian Kelly’s squad was the preseason No. 5 team in the nation according to ESPN’s Football Power Index, but after falling 45-24 to Florida State in its season-opener, LSU took a tumble in all the polls.

That extends to computer-based rankings, and the Tigers no longer rank within the top 10, according to FPI.

LSU will look to bounce back against Grambling on Saturday before it begins SEC play against Mississippi State. For now, here’s how the updated FPI top 25 looks after the first weekend of play.

Florida State jumps into the CFP picture in latest bowl predictions

Who would match up with Florida State if the CFP began today according to Erick Smith of USA TODAY Sports?

The [autotag]Florida State Seminoles[/autotag] shook up the College Football Playoff picture in Week 1. That might be a bit of a knee-jerk reaction but it is what makes this sport so great. Mostly because they very much could have accomplished that feat.

Heading into the weekend, many believed that the LSU Tigers would be among those fighting for a spot in the CFP. However, for the second straight season, they find themselves 0-1 after a loss to FSU. There is still plenty of time to fight their way into the CFP title picture.

Another team that was upset this past weekend was the Clemson Tigers. Their loss to the Duke Blue Devils put them behind in the ACC already. With a resurgent Florida State program, it will put even more pressure on that Week 4 matchup.

While it is extremely early in the season, Erick Smith has released his latest bowl projections. Our focus is on the New Years Six and College Football Playoffs.

Bowl Game Affiliations Matchup
CFP title game Semifinal winners Georgia vs. Alabama
Sugar Bowl CFP semifinals Georgia vs. Florida State
Rose Bowl CFP semifinals Michigan vs. Alabama
Fiesta Bowl At-large vs. At-large Washington vs. Ohio State
Orange Bowl ACC vs. Big Ten/SEC Clemson vs. Penn State
Peach Bowl At-large vs. At-large Notre Dame vs. Tulane
Cotton Bowl At-large vs. At-large Texas vs. Oregon

For the rest of the bowl matchup projections, check out Erick Smith’s list.

Brian Kelly goes into further detail on Harold Perkins’ usage against Florida State

Brian Kelly implied the staff may be rethinking its strategy with the star sophomore linebacker.

One of the biggest questions for LSU’s defense entering the season was exactly how star linebacker [autotag]Harold Perkins[/autotag] would be used as a sophomore.

We got our answer, but it wasn’t exactly an encouraging one.

Perkins played the bulk of his snaps as an off-ball inside linebacker, seeing a career-high in coverage snaps. He was a relative non-factor in the game as a pass rusher and finished with just five tackles (two solo).

After the game, coach [autotag]Brian  Kelly[/autotag] explained the performance as Perkins facing a learning curve. But on Tuesday, he implied the team might look to alter his role a bit moving forward.

“It’s certainly a question that we have talked about,” Kelly said. “There’s a lot going on, and you could clearly look at Harold and what he’s asked to do versus lining him up off the edge. Player development has to be thought about. Where he goes at the next level has to be thought about, and then impact on our team, so I think there’s a happy medium there that we could probably strike and we’ve already begun to look at how we can be most effective for Harold and for LSU.”

It remains to be seen how Perkins will be used when the team enters SEC play after this weekend’s home opener against Grambling, but it seems the staff is at least somewhat reevaluating its plan.

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Resetting expectations for LSU after Week 1 loss

Do we have to reset expectations after LSU’s opening loss?

You won’t see LSU in anyone’s playoff predictions this week after that week one drubbing from Florida State.

LSU entered the game as the No. 5 team in the country and a 2.5 point favorite but could not hang with the Seminoles in the second half. LSU looked outclassed in every phase of the game.

[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] put it bluntly after the game.

“We must’ve thought we were the two-time defending national champion Georgia Bulldogs,” he said.

It begs questions about what the expectation should be for LSU going forward.

LSU should beat Grambling this weekend and still be favored against Mississippi State and Arkansas in the coming weeks.

Those are now must-wins for LSU. Not just from a playoff standpoint, but from a program momentum outlook. Losing to Florida State is forgivable, though ideally, it wouldn’t have been as lopsided.

Dropping one to Mississippi State or Arkansas, two programs projected to finish in the bottom half of the SEC, wouldn’t be nearly as excusable. Especially in a year when LSU was expected to compete for a lot more.

Everything LSU wants is still in front of it. That doesn’t mean this is a playoff team. I never thought it was. But I still like LSU’s chances of a New Year’s Six bowl. That should remain the expectation.

As for the SEC West race, we’ll learn some things this weekend. Texas A&M and Ole Miss have tough contests with Miami and Tulane. Those games could provide a good litmus test for gauging the floor of those teams.

I don’t like LSU’s chances of winning on the road in Tuscaloosa right now, but a lot can change before November. This team is still better than it was after week one last year. That should provide some solace to Tiger fans.

And according to F+, LSU remains the second-best team in the West despite the size of the loss.

The expectation here should still be double-digit wins.

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Where LSU stands in USA TODAY Sports’ college football re-rank after Week 1

USA TODAY Sports took some time to re-rank every team in college football after a crazy week.

LSU entered its Week 1 game as the No. 5 team in the country. The Tigers had a showdown with the No. 8 team in the country, the Florida State Seminoles.

Mike Norvell, Jordan Travis, Keon Coleman and Johnny Wilson put on a show as the Seminoles outscored LSU 31-7 in the second half to run away with a huge win. Obviously, LSU is going to drop in the polls after the loss, but how far will they fall?

USA TODAY Sports took some time to re-rank every team in college football after a crazy week where Colorado beat TCU, Texas Tech lost to Wyoming and the SEC went 0-3 in big games.

LSU dropped to No. 15 in their re-rank after losing to Florida State. On the other hand, the Seminoles moved up to the No. 3 spot. Georgia, Michigan, Florida State, Penn State and Alabama round out the top five. Utah’s win over Florida propelled them up to No. 8 in the country and Colorado jumped up 76 spots to No. 40.

[autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] will get a chance to get LSU back on track this weekend against Grambling State.

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LSU drops nine spots in AP Top 25 entering Week 2

The Tigers dropped out of the top 10 in both polls this week.

The Tigers have fallen nine spots in the AP Top 25 college football rankings this week following a disappointing 45-24 loss to the Florida State Seminoles on Sunday night in Orlando.

A drop in the polls was expected this week following the loss for the preseason No. 5 team in the country, and indeed, the team has fallen to No. 14 in both the US LBM Coaches Poll and AP Top 25 entering into Week 2.

The only team to drop further than LSU’s nine spots was Clemson, which fell 16 entire spots following a surprising 28-7 loss on the road against Duke on Labor Day night.

Here’s the full AP Top 25 as we’ve wrapped up the first week of the college football season and now turn our attention to an action-packed Week 2.

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Tigers take a major tumble in US LBM Coaches Poll after Sunday’s loss to Florida State

The Tigers were the second-biggest faller in this week’s US LBM Coaches Poll.

LSU entered the 2023 season with high expectations, but perhaps it’s time for a reality check after Sunday’s 45-24 loss to Florida State.

It’s the second straight year the Tigers opened with a loss against the Seminoles, and this one was particularly painful as they were dominated in the second half after taking a lead to the locker room.

It should come as no surprise that the Tigers were the second-biggest faller in this week’s edition of the US LBM Coaches Poll, behind only Clemson, which suffered a stunning 28-7 loss at Duke. Two teams dropped out, as well: TCU and Texas Tech, which were upset by Colorado and Wyoming respectively.

Here’s how the full top 25 breaks down in the Coaches Poll this week.

Oklahoma Sooners move up in latest US LBM Coaches Poll

Oklahoma Sooners move up two spots in latest US LBM Coaches Poll after win over Arkansas State.

After a scintillating Week 1, the latest iteration of the US LBM Coaches Poll was released on Tuesday afternoon.

The Oklahoma Sooners moved up two spots to No. 17 after their 73-0 win against Arkansas State.

Elsewhere, the defending national champion Georgia Bulldogs maintained their hold on the top spot, receiving 63 first-place votes. They’re followed by Jim Harbaugh’s Michigan Wolverines, the Alabama Crimson Tide, Ohio State Buckeyes and the Florida State Seminoles.

This week’s action saw a shakeup with a pair of top-10 teams taking losses to open the season. LSU and Clemson each lost by three touchdowns. The LSU Tigers lost a top-10 matchup with Florida State. The Clemson Tigers were downed by the Duke Blue Devils.

Alabama avoided the lookahead trap and can focus on hosting a No. 10 Texas team that moved up from 12th, with LSU and Clemson falling out of the top 10.

USC Trojans came in at No. 6 followed by Penn State, Washington, and Tennessee.

The second-highest Big 12 team in the rankings is the Kansas State Wildcats, who are 15th. Mack Brown’s UNC Tarheels are 16th to Oklahoma’s 17th.

No other Big 12 school is featured in the rankings. TCU dropped out after losing to the Colorado Buffaloes in Fort Worth. The Texas Tech Red Raiders dropped out after a road loss to Wyoming.

It wasn’t a banner weekend for much of the Big 12.

The Iowa Hawkeyes were the leading vote-getter not in the top 25 after Week 1.

Here’s a look at the US LBM Coaches Poll.

Full rankings

Rnk School Rcd Pts 1st Pvs Chg Hi/Lo
1. Georgia 1-0 1647 63 1 – 1/1
2. Michigan 1-0 1534 1 2 – 2/2
3. Alabama 1-0 1515 2 3 – 3/3
4. Ohio State 1-0 1422 0 4 – 4/4
5. Florida State 1-0 1388 0 8 +3 5/8
6. USC 2-0 1283 0 6 – 6/6
7. Penn State 1-0 1216 0 7 – 7/7
8. Washington 1-0 1115 0 11 +3 8/11
9. Tennessee 1-0 1099 0 10 +1 9/10
10. Texas 1-0 957 0 12 +2 10/12
11. Notre Dame 2-0 950 0 13 +2 11/13
12. Utah 1-0 924 0 14 +2 12/14
13. Oregon 1-0 904 0 15 +2 13/15
14. LSU 0-1 738 0 5 -9 5/14
15. Kansas State 1-0 630 0 17 +2 15/17
16. North Carolina 1-0 546 0 20 +4 16/20
17. Oklahoma 1-0 543 0 19 +2 17/19
18. Oregon State 1-0 499 0 18 – 18/18
19. Wisconsin 1-0 445 0 21 +2 19/21
20. Ole Miss 1-0 411 0 22 +2 20/22
21. Clemson 0-1 287 0 9 -12 9/21
22. Tulane 1-0 255 0 23 +1 22/23
23. Texas A&M 1-0 236 0 25 +2 23/25
24. Duke 1-0 222 0 NR +30 24/NR
25. Colorado 1-0 161 0 NR – 25/NR

Schools dropped out

No. 16 Texas Christian; No. 24 Texas Tech.

Others receiving votes

Iowa 111; Pittsburgh 53; Kentucky 50; UCLA 44; Texas Christian 40; Fresno State 30; Miami 22; Auburn 22; Arkansas 18; Maryland 14; Missouri 13; Troy 11; Oklahoma State 11; NC State 10; Illinois 9; Wyoming 8; Washington State 7; Wake Forest 7; Air Force 7; Minnesota 6; Mississippi State 5; South Carolina 4; Kansas 4; Texas Tech 3; Southern Methodist 3; Central Florida 3; Houston 2; Texas-San Antonio 1; Michigan State 1; Memphis 1; Louisville 1; James Madison 1; Arizona 1.

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