Florida State’s path back to the postseason is still a work in progress, but CBS Sports is already putting the Seminoles in a bowl game.
In its latest preseason projection, the outlet has FSU meeting Nebraska in the Mayo Bowl. For a program that has not reached the postseason in three years, that kind of forecast is at least a sign that the Seminoles are being viewed as a team capable of getting back to bowl eligibility.
The bar is straightforward: Florida State needs six wins to reach any bowl game, and last season Virginia Tech got into the Mayo Bowl at 6-6. That’s the neighborhood FSU would need to hit.
There would be no shortage of layers if this matchup actually happened. Florida State pulled several current staffers from Nebraska this offseason, including defensive coordinator Tony White, defensive line coach Terrance Knighton, and safeties coach Evan Cooper.
The quarterback angle adds another wrinkle. Nebraska landed UNLV transfer Anthony Colandrea, a player Florida State pursued as well. Colandrea visited Tallahassee, but the sides couldn’t agree on a financial package, and he wound up in the Big Ten.
The history between the programs is there, too. Florida State upset No.
3 Nebraska in 1980, then the teams met again in the Orange Bowl more than a decade later. The Seminoles won that one 18-16 after Nebraska missed a field goal with one second left, a victory that delivered Florida State its first national championship.
If CBS Sports gets this one right, it would be the first meeting between Florida State and Nebraska since that Orange Bowl.
Florida State’s schedule is loaded with games that were also included in the projection, with Miami and SMU making the College Football Playoff. The Seminoles open the season against New Mexico State on Saturday, August 29, and the rest of the slate is already lined up:
Saturday, August 29 vs. New Mexico State - Tallahassee - 7:00 p.m. ET on The CW
Monday, September 7 vs. SMU - Tallahassee - 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN
Saturday, September 19 at Alabama - Tuscaloosa, Ala. - 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC
Saturday, September 26 vs. Central Arkansas - Tallahassee (Family Weekend/Hall of Fame)
Saturday, October 3 vs. Virginia - Tallahassee (Cancer Awareness)
Friday, October 9 at Louisville - Louisville, Ky. - 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN
Saturday, October 17 at Miami - Miami Gardens, Fla.
Saturday, October 31 vs. Clemson - Tallahassee (Military Appreciation)
Saturday, November 7 at Boston College - Chestnut Hill, Mass.
Saturday, November 13 at Pitt - Pittsburgh, Pa. - 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN
Saturday, November 21 vs. NC State - Tallahassee (Homecoming/Seminole Heritage/Athlete Alumni Reunion)
Friday, November 27 vs. Florida - Tallahassee - 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC
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For a unit that has spent the offseason searching for stability, Chaplin is expected to anchor the left side and help set the tone for the rest of the front. Mike Norvell and Herb Hand have both sounded encouraged by the groups potential and the way it could come together, but the real test will be whether that promise turns into the kind of cohesion Florida State has been trying to build. [Read more 🡒]