Melina Myers-USA TODAY Sports
JD McCarthy
June 28, 2024 9:00 am ET
The 2024 college football season is still months away but it will be here sooner then expected and the FSU Seminoles will be one of the teams kicking off the season in Week 0 when they face the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in Dublin, Ireland.
The Seminoles are coming off a 13-1 season where they won the ACC and seemed headed for an appearance in the College Football Playoff before they were snubbed by the selection committee. While it came to a bitter end, it was still a remarkable season for Florida State as they continued their turnaround under head coach Mike Norvell.
They are looking to build on that season and with the playoff expading to 12 teams, they have a great shot at making their second ever appearance. ESPN’s FPI gives them the best chances of any ACC program to make it at 35.9%.
While they have plenty of offseason buzz, games are not played on paper and they will need to make it through an intriguing schedule first. Since they are playing in Week 0, the Seminoles get an extra bye week and will have three during the season. They also open the season with two straight conference games and play two teams for the first time in program history.
Here is a look at all 12 of their matchups, ranked by how intriguing the game is.
12
Charleston Southern Buccaneers
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2023 Record: 4-7, 2-4 Big South
Series History: FSU leads 2-0
The Buccaneers will be looking to pull off the massive upset when they come to Tallahassee but it is not an exciting matchup. The Seminoles are on a bye ahead of this game and play the Florida Gators the next week, this game will provide FSU one last tuneup before they face their biggest rival.
11
Boston College Eagles
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2023 Record: 7-6, 3-5 ACC
Series History: FSU leads 15-5
Boston College is entering a new era with Bill O’Brien now in charge but he has a long rebuild ahead of him. Returning quarterback Thomas Castellanos is capable of making some exciting plays, but is extremly turnover prone. With FSU playing the week before and this being Boston College’s season opener this could be a tough start for for the Eagles under O’Brien.
10
Duke Blue Devils
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2023 Record: 8-5, 4-4 ACC
Series History: FSU leads 20-0
Duke hasn’t beaten Florida State in 20 attempts and with star quarterbnack Riley Leonard gone this matchup has lost some of its juice. Both teams will be coming off a bye so that could lead to some interesting play calls.
Get more Duke coverage at Duke Wire.
9
Cal Golden Bears
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2023 Record: 6-7, 4-5 Pac-12
The most exciting part about this game is that the two teams have never faced off. This will be Cal’s first ACC game but with it taking place in Tallahassee there is not much intrigue from their side. Cal running back Jaydyn Ott is an exciting running back but could be in for a tough day.
8
North Carolina Tar Heels
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2023 Record: 8-5, 4-4 ACC
Series History: FSU leads 17-3-1
The Tar Heels will be looking to replace star quarterback Drake Maye and wide reciever Tez Walker and I’m skeptical they did enough in the transfer portal to keep the offense going. North Carolin has won two of the last thee games in Doak Campbell but I do not expect them to win this time.
Get more North Carolina coverage at Tar Heels Wire.
7
Memphis Tigers
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2023 Record: 10-3, 6-2 AAC
Series History: FSU leads 10-7-1
We have made it to exciting matchups.
Mike Norvell gets to face his former team, which is coming off a 10-win season and is looking for a signature win in their quest to make the College Football Playoff. FSU opens with two conference games but this will be their first test of the season and should feature plenty of offense.
6
SMU Mustangs
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2023 Record: 11-3, 8-0 AAC
Speaking of offense, SMU is coming into the ACC and looking to make some noise thanks to quarterback Preston Stone and head coach Rhett Lashlee’s offense. This is FSU’s first true road game of the season and should be an exciting matchup, especially with it being the first time the two have ever played.
5
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackers
Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
2023 Record: FSU leads 15-11-1
Series History: 7-6, 5-3 ACC
Georgia Tech was better then expected in 2023, making a bowl game and will look to take another step in 2024. Unlike FSU, the Yellow Jackets return most of their offensive contributors and they will be looking to stun FSU in their Week 0 matchup. This game will be played in Dublin, Ireland and that should lead to some more fascinating storylines as well.
4
Florida Gators
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2023 Record: 5-7, 3-5 SEC
Series History: Florida leads 37-28-2
Putting this game, one of the best rivalries in college football, at fourth feels wrong but there are to many questions around Florida to rank it any higher. The biggest question is if Billy Napier will be coaching in this game, I am skeptical of the Gator’s chances to survive their brutal schedule and thnk FSU has a great shot to pick up their third-straight win in the series.
Get more Florida coverage at Gators Wire.
3
Miami Hurricanes
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2023 Record: 7-6, 3-5 ACC
Series History: Miami leads 35-33
Miami and FSU both crushed it in the transfer portal ahead of this season as they geared up to make runs at the ACC title and the College Football Playoff. Mario Cristobal has assmebled an extemly talented roster but needs to use that talent to pickup wins and get the U atop the ACC. This could very well be the first of two matchups this season and will be must-watch TV.
2
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
2023 Record: 10-3
Series History: FSU leads 6-5
This is FSU’s toughest game of the season and they will be hard-pressed to snap their four-game losing strteak against Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish were also heavily active in the portal as Marcus Freeman has upgraded the roster. They went 10-3 last season and are looking to take the next step in his third season and this game will give both teams a chance to prove that they are a playoff team.
Get more Notre Dame coverage at Fighting Irish Wire.
1
Clemson Tigers
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2023 Record: 9-4, 4-4 ACC
Series History: FSU leads 21-15
Was there ever a doubt about which game would lead this list?
These have been the two best programs in the ACC and last seasons game was a classic, with FSU picking up an overtime win. This will be one of the games of the season as the Seminoles are looking to prove they are the new top program in the conferece and Dabo Swinney trying to show that transfers are not needed. Oh, and DJ Uiagalelei will surely be looking to prove something when he takes on his former team and Cade Klubnik, the quarterback that replaced him.
Get more Clemson coverage at Clemson Wire.
