Florida State coach Mike Norvell enters his third season with an 8-13 record, while LSU coach Brian Kelly begins his tenure in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, after 12 seasons at Notre Dame. Although the teams haven’t met in over three decades, the coaches should be familiar with each other from a memorable game played on the opening weekend of last season. Kelly’s Notre Dame team topped the Seminoles 41-38 in an overtime thriller — also played Sunday — to open the 2021 campaign. While Florida State’s competitiveness in that game against a Fighting Irish team resulting from a College Football Playoff appearance seemed like a good sign, the Seminoles followed up with a stunning loss to Jacksonville State the following week and failed to reach a bowl game. Kelly’s Notre Dame team finished 11-1, and Kelly left before the Fiesta Bowl to take over an LSU program in need of a reboot. Let’s preview the game and make picks for Sunday’s matchup between the Seminoles and Tigers.
LSU vs. Florida State: Need to know
LSU quarterback mystery: Kelly made it clear this week that he knows who will start at quarterback, but he doesn’t want Florida State to know whether it will be Arizona State transfer Jayden Daniels or former four-star prospect Garrett Nussmeier. Daniels started for three seasons at Arizona State before transferring to LSU after Kelly was hired. Nussmeier appeared in four games as a true freshman for the Tigers last season. Kelly’s history of playing more than one quarterback during a season suggests both could get a chance to play early in the season. “We’ve made a decision, but I’m not going to announce it publicly. I think it’s a tactical advantage for us not to announce it,” Kelly said. “Florida State has played a game, that’s an advantage for them, that they have a chance to play. The advantage for us is that we haven’t played, so it doesn’t help us to give up any of our cards in that sense. keep this card until the day of the match.’ FSU’s experience game: Florida State didn’t have to reveal much of its schematic intricacies in a 47-7 win over Duquense last week, but the Seminoles at least gave the Tigers some film to watch. So what did they show? For one, FSU’s ability to run the football stood out. After posting a respectable 177.8 yards per game on the ground last season, the Seminoles said goodbye to leading rusher Jashaun Corbin. But with three running backs breaking 100 yards against Duquesne, it looked like the Seminoles’ run game could be a force in 2022. Treshaun Ward and Lawrence Toafili each hit the century mark after playing backup roles in last season and Oregon transfer Trey Benson joined them as FSU totaled 406 yards on the ground. Where it stands at LSU: Former five-star prospect John Emery Jr. could finally be ready to play behind stars like Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Ty Davis-Price in 2019 and 2020 before missing all of last season due to an academic suspension. While Emery should still be in for a big season, he is suspended for the first two games. So that likely leaves Penn State transfer Noah Cain in the running to return alongside sophomore Armoni Goodwin against the Seminoles. Cain rushed for 806 yards and 12 touchdowns on 193 carries in three seasons at Penn State, while Goodwin carried 16 times for 65 yards as a freshman for LSU in 2021.
How to watch LSU vs. Florida State live
Date: Sunday, September 4 | Time: 7:30 p.m. ETLocation: Caesars Superdome — New Orleans, LouisianaTV: ABC | Live Stream: fuboTV (Try Free)
LSU vs. Florida State prediction, pick
Featured Game | LSU Tigers vs. Florida State Seminoles
LSU looks more talented at most position groups, but the Tigers need time to gel. Since Florida State improved for Week 0 and has continuity in Year 3 under Norvell, the Seminoles should have the advantage in terms of comfort and fluidity. Although LSU will have an advantage in fan representation, playing in the Superdome won’t be as daunting for the Seminoles as playing a night game in Tiger Stadium. Prediction: Florida State (+3) Which college football picks can you confidently make in Week 1 and which heavy favorite will fall hard? Visit SportsLine to see which teams will win and cover the spread — all from a proven computer model that has returned nearly $3,600 in profit over the past six-plus seasons — and find out.
