Associated Press
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. ó Florida State’s season now is all about regaining some respect.
And the Seminoles (4-3, 2-2 ACC) have a lot persuading to do, starting with today’s visit by North Carolina State (4-3, 1-2). It’s a matchup between teams that have each won the last two games.
For a second straight week the Seminoles are an 18-point favorite in an ACC home game. But wins over Duke and Maryland to get the Seminoles back over .500 haven’t been enough to for poll voters who only a few weeks ago had them ranked fifth nationally.
Whatever the reason Florida State isn’t impressing the voters, Wolfpack coach Tom O’Brien is impressed. He said Florida State performing like it was expected to in the preseason.
“They’re playing like they’re top 10 again,” O’Brien said. “If we’ve got any kind of chance, everybody on the football team has to have their personal best day.”
The Seminoles do appear to have shaken the hangover of the early season three-game losing streak and are playing solidly with junior quarterback EJ Manuel in midseason form despite a shoulder injury that kept him out of the Clemson game in late September.
Florida State is averaging 35.5 points a game in league play and has scored 30 or more points in nine of its last 11 games dating back to last season.
Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher says his team is playing in the “now,” which he defines as one week at a time. They’ve gone 1-0 in each of the last two weeks and that’s the goal: One game at a time.
The next “now” comes today when the Seminoles have their first chance of the season to defeat a team with a winning record.