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Two traditional college football powers trying to rebound from losing seasons will meet on Sunday when Florida State battles LSU in New Orleans.
No team has gone through more changes since the end of last season than LSU. Ed Orgeron is out and Brian Kelly is in, complete with a new Southern accent.
People may not like Kelly, but he’s a heck of a football coach. Kelly won 10-plus games in seven of his last eight seasons at Notre Dame.
I do believe Kelly will be successful at LSU, but not right away. LSU was down to 39 scholarship players after a mass exodus before its bowl game last season. He inherits a young team with just six returning starters, so the Tigers are a bit of an unknown entering this season.
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Mike Norvell has gone 8-13 in his first two years at Florida State. To say this is a big season for Norvell’s job security would be an understatement.
The Seminoles do return 15 starters, but a lot is riding on the shoulders of quarterback Jordan Travis, who has been unspectacular during his first two seasons.
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The Seminoles are loaded at running back, though, and rushed for 178 yards per game last season. Look for FSU to lean on its ground game to protect Travis from LSU’s aggressive defensive front.
LSU just has way too many question marks entering Week 1 to be laying points on a neutral field. I’ll back FSU as a small ’dog here.
The play: Florida State +3.5 with FanDuel
