Is Jameis Winston the Answer for FSU?

With the graduation of former FSU standout EJ Manuel, the Seminoles have a huge void to fill at quarterback. Among the signal callers vying for the starting job is redshirt freshmen, and former Alabama high school phenom Jameis Winston. Winston who in 2012 was the #1 rated quarterback prospect by Rivals.com and a project top pick in the 2012 major league baseball amateur draft.  As a dual threat all everything quarterback in high school,  he committed to FSU over many of the other top programs in the country,  home state schools Alabama and Auburn included. 

During his high school career, he passed for close to 7,000 passing yards, and 2,913 rushing yards and scored 103 total touchdowns. Last season, Winston was redshirted so he didn't he any playing time at all, but he did play on the FSU baseball team this past spring, which he was able to finally show many Florida State fans just how strong his arm can be. Various reports of the FSU spring camp have given WInston rave reviews, highlighting his accuracy and arm strength.  Despite all the Winston hype, he isn't necessarily guaranteed to be under center come August. Jacob Coker and Sean Macguire, who both looked impressive throughout spring camp along with Winston. Between Coker, Macguire and Winston, head coach Jimbo Fisher really has an embarrassment of riches at the quarterback position.

In my opinion, I really do want Winston to win the job. I have been hearing about his potential to be a Robert Griffin III clone for close to 2 years now, I would love to see what he is all about in regular season action and as soon as possible. If Winston does win the job and with other dual threat QBs like Braxton Miller and Johnny Manziel, this season could be even more unpredictable and exciting than ever before. 

- Josh Gamez

@itsjoshgamez

josh.projectcfb@gmail.com

Can Virginia Tech Win the ACC Championship in 2013?

Coming off a disappointing 2012 campaign, head coach Frank Beamer and the Virginia Tech Hokies look to have a bounce back season in 2013 and make a run at the ACC Coastal Division crown and an ACC Championship in 2013. The Hokies, who prior to 2012 had a streak of 14 seasons of 8 or more wins, had a 7-6 2012 campaign, which culminated in a 13-10 overtime victory over Rutgers in the Russell Athletic Bowl.

Going into 2013 the Hokies are led by extremely talented, yet extremely eratic quarterback, Logan Thomas. Thomas had a very up and down 2012 season, throwing for close to 3,000 yards and 18 touchdown passes, to go along with 524 rushing yards, and 9 rushing touchdowns, including a 73 yarder against Miami. But he also threw 16 interceptions and completed only 51.3% of his passes. The Hokies rushing attack is slated to be lead by sophomore tailback J.C Coleman who rushed for close to 500 yards and scored 2 touchdowns as a freshmen. Senior Tony Gregory will also be looking to contribute on the ground as well. Unfortunately, Thomas lost his top 2 receiving options in Corey Fuller and Marcus Davis, the top leading option in the passing game returning is sophomore Demitri Knowles who hauled in 19 passes for 240 yards. including a 42 yard touchdown. The Hokies also bring back tight end Ryan Malleck who hauled in 17 passes for a mere 128 yards. Virginia Tech will be mainly relying on young players at the wide receiver position to step up and fill the void on the outside.

On the defensive side of the ball, leading tackler Jack Tyler looks to lead the Hokies defensive unit along with fellow linebacker Kyshoen Jarrett who was 2nd on the team in tackles.The defensive backfield is expected to be led by cornerbacks Detrick Bonner and Kyle Fuller. The defense, historically has been a strong point of Beamer's teams has an up and down season in 2012 but by the end of the season the unit was among the better units in major college football.

From a schedule standpoint, the Hokies could not start the season with a bigger test. They open the season with two time defending national champion Alabama in a nationally televised night game. After facing the Tide, the Hokies take on Western Carolina in the home opener on September 7th and then face East Carolina on September 14th and Marshall on the 14th of September before opening ACC play with a road trip to Bobby Dodd Stadium to take on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on September 26th. After facing the Yellow Jackets, the Hokies wont leave Lane Stadium for he entire month of October as they host North Carolina, Pittsburgh and Duke before hitting the road to take on Boston College on November 2nd. After facing the Eagles, the Hokies will head down south to take on the Miami Hurricanes before hosting Maryland in the home finale. The Hokies finish the season with cross state rival Virginia on November 30th.

If the Hokies have any hopes of making a run at an ACC championship Thomas needs to have a season similar to his sophomore season where he completed close to 60% of his passes and threw 6 less interceptions than 2012. If Gregory and Coleman can produce on the ground, it should make things a little easier on Thomas in the passing game who in 2011 had 2011 ACC offensive player of the year in the backfield with him in running back David Wilson  who single handedly out produced the entire Hokies backfield in 2012 on his own in 2011. Logan Thomas has all the physical tools to be a dominant player in the ACC this season and potentially be in consideration for the Heisman Trophy in 2013. This might sound a little crazy especially considering his inconstancy as a passer over the last 2 seasons, but when he is on his game, he is as good as any quarterback in the country, if he can string together a few strong performances through the air and on the ground, he can bring the Hokies back into the forefront of the ACC. However, if he will remains to be seen. Especially with their two biggest tests in the ACC in my eyes coming on the road in Georgia Tech and Miami respectively. If Thomas and the young talent around him play up to their potential, I could at the very least see Beamer back into the discussion as the best team in the ACC in 2013.

- Josh Gamez

@itsjoshgamez

josh.projectcfb@gmail.com

ACC Championship: #12 Florida State vs Georgia Tech Preview

Saturday night at 8:00 PM ET, the #13 ranked Florida State Seminoles will take on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the ACC Championship game. The Seminoles have an overall record of 10-2, only losing to NC State earlier in the year, and losing last week to the Florida Gators. The Yellow Jackets however are sitting at .500 with a record of 6-6.

The Yellow Jackets are led by a very impressive quarterback by the name of Tevin Washington. Washington is 68/114. He has thrown for over 1,000 yards and tossed seven touchdowns with three interceptions. He also has 18 rushing touchdowns.

Tevin Washington and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
are ready to be crowned ACC Champions.

Georgia Tech is ranked 3rd in the country for rushing yards per game. They're averaging about 320 yards per game. Tevin Washington has picked up a lot of those yards, but so has their current starting running back Zach Laskey. Laskey has over 600 rushing yards, but only has one rushing touchdown. The reason for the lone rushing touchdown...Orwin Smith, who is another one of GT's running backs is currently injured. Smith was the starting running back for Georgia Tech, but was injured, and is doubtful for the ACC Championship.

Georgia Tech also has a few options at wide receiver, obviously trying to make Tevin Washington's day a little easier. One is named Jeff Greene. Greene has 18 receptions for 284 yards and two touchdowns. The other is Robert Godhigh, who has reeled in 15 catches for 227 yards and four touchdowns.

The Yellow Jackets are also ranked 23rd in the nation for points scored with an average of 36.2. Their defense however, is ranked 86, allowing about 30 points per game. Their defense is going to have to have a pretty solid game to shut down EJ Manuel and the Seminoles.

The Seminoles are ranked eighth nationally for points scored, averaging 41.5 points per game. They're also ranked seventh in the nation for points allowed, holding their opponents to an average of 15.1 points! That's impressive, on both sides of the ball!

EJ Manuel looks to lead the Seminoles right past Georgia
Tech, and to the ACC Championship this Saturday.

FSU is led by EJ Manuel. We've talked about him before. He has thrown for 2,967 yards, 22 touchdowns, and only nine picks. He has also punched the ball into the endzone three times. He is an incredible player that has all FSU faithful behind him.

FSU is also equip with two rather impressive running backs. Since their starter Chris Thompson is injured, Devonta Freeman and James Wilder Jr have taken the ball and ran with it (no pun intended). Freeman has carried the ball 84 times for 571 yards, while Wilder Jr has rushed it 89 times for 514 yards. They've also combined for 16 rushing touchdowns. A pretty solid ground game if I've seen one.

Manuel also has two weapons at wide receiver by the names of Rashad Greene and Kelvin Benjamin. Greene has 614 yards receiving and five touchdowns while Benjamin has 479 receiving yards and four touchdowns.

Bottom line is, Georgia Tech has to find a way to not only shut down the explosive offense of Florida State, but they have to be able to scored on this very tough defense. FSU has shut down most of their opponents this season. With Georgia Tech's high ranking in rushing yards, they do stand a chance, but they're going to have to be able to score fast and often. As long as they're able to shut down that Seminoles offense, and more specific EJ Manuel, they very well could win this game, and with it, the ACC Championship.

This game is being aired on ESPN at 8:00 PM ET Saturday night. You won't want to miss it.

- Matt Lytle

@mattlytle

#12 South Carolina Gamecocks at #11 Clemson Tigers Preview

This Saturday night at 7:00 PM, the #12 South Carolina Gamecocks take on the #11 Clemson Tigers. This will be the 110th meeting between the two rivals. Currently, Clemson leads the all-time rivalry record 65-40-4, however South Carolina has won three straight against the Tigers.

Connor Shaw looks to lead South Carolina past
rival Clemson this Saturday at 7:00 PM

South Carolina will be led by junior quarterback Connor Shaw. Shaw, who has been a pretty precise passer, has also shown his scrambling skills this season. He has proven that he is one tough quarterback, taking numerous hits in games, and still continuing on. He has thrown for over 1,700 yards with 15 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He also has three rushing touchdowns to his name.

South Carolina's passing offense is ranked 75th in the nation, averaging about 222 passing yards per game. However Clemson's defense has allowed an average of 24.7 points per game (ranking them 47th in the nation for points allowed).

The Gamecocks running game hasn't been the greatest this season, most likely because junior Heisman hopeful running back Marcus Lattimore was injured earlier in the season. Senior Kenny Miles has taken the running back spot and has a little over 300 yards to his credit. He has also punched in two rushing touchdowns.

Tajh Boyd has 3,367 yards, 33 TDs and 11 INTs this season.

Clemson is led by junior quarterback Tajh Boyd, who is 240/353, for 3,367 yards, 33 touchdowns, and only 11 interceptions. He also has eight rushing touchdowns so far this season. Boyd looks to have a very good performance against South Carolina, and he definitely will need to with South Carolina's points allowed rank being 13th in the nation.

Boyd has two very reliable wide receivers in DeAndre Hopkins and Sammy Watkins. They have combined for over 1,700 yards receiving, and 18 touchdowns. Boyd also has tight end Brandon Ford as a nice target also. Ford has reeled in 8 receiving touchdowns this season.

Clemson is averaging 332 yards passing per game, which gains them the rank of 9th in the nation in passing yards. They are also ranked 4th in points scored, with an average of 44.6! That isn't only because of their passing game. Their running game isn't too bad either.

Clemson's running back, senior Andre Ellington has also had a pretty good season, rushing the ball 186 times for 959 yards and eight touchdowns.

Last year's game, South Carolina put a whooping on Clemson, winning 34-13. I see this game being a lot closer. Although Clemson is ranked a lot higher in passing yards and points scored per game, South Carolina's defense has been very good this season. With the addition of having Connor Shaw at the reigns as quarterback, you definitely can't count the Gamecocks out.

It's probably true in most games, but I'm going to say that the team with the most takeaways is going to win this game. Clemson is going to have to put pressure on Connor Shaw, making him one dimensional, and shut down the Gamecocks' backup running back. If they can successfully do that, they'll win this game. But if they let Connor Shaw have his time, and be able to throw or run when he needs to, he can shred this defense.

Should be a good one going down Saturday night at 7:00 PM ET. The game will be broadcast from Memorial Stadium on ESPN. You don't want to miss this one.

- Matt Lytle

@mattlytle

#4 Florida Gators at #10 Florida State Seminoles Preview

Saturday afternoon at 3:30, the #4 Florida Gators will travel to Tallahassee to take on the #10 Florida State Seminoles in their annual rivalry game. These teams have met 56 times, and Florida leads all-time with a record of 33-21-2.

The biggest strength the Gators have is their defense, only allowing an average of 11.7 points per game (making them ranked third in the nation in points allowed). Their offense hasn't been real hot, averaging  25.8 points a game, making them ranked 80 in the nation for points scored.

Mike Gillislee most likely will break 1,000 yards rushing
this season in Saturday's game against FSU.

Sophomore quarterback Jeff Driskel will look to lead the Gators past the Seminoles on Saturday, but with a lot of help from senior running back Mike Gillislee and his favorite target, junior tight end Jordan Reed.

Driskel is 125/193 for 1,324 yards, 10 touchdowns and only three interceptions. His tight end Jordan Reed has reeled in 40 catches, for nearly 500 yards and three receiving touchdowns. And as far as the running game goes, Mike Gillislee has carried the ball over 200 times for 964 yards and punched it into the endzone eight times this season. He will be looking to break the 1,000 yard marker against Florida State this Saturday, but FSU's defense isn't a push over.

Florida State's defense is ranked fifth in the nation for points allowed, only giving up an average of 13.1 per game. And as far as their points scored ranking goes, they're ranked seventh, scoring an average of 42.9 points.

Many of the matchups here are very good. It's lining up to be quite a game. And with it being a rivalry game, you really don't know what's going to happen. Rivalry games in college football are the best.

EJ Manuel looks to lead FSU to it's 22nd victory over Florida.

FSU is led by Heisman hopeful senior quarterback EJ Manuel. Manuel is 203/295. He has thrown for 2,785 yards. Manuel has tossed 21 touchdowns and only six interceptions. Very good stats.

He has two very capable wide receivers, sophomore Rashad Greene, who has 38 catches for 549 yards and five touchdowns, and freshman receiver Kelvin Benjamin, who has reeled in 28 catches for 479 yards and four touchdowns.

These teams' defenses seem to be quite similar, not allowing many points. And if you look at both teams only loss of the season, Florida lost to Georgia by eight, and Florida State lost to NC State by only one point.

The biggest differences are their offenses. Florida State is ranked higher than Florida in passing yards and rushing yards per game, as well as points scored per game. Also with the game being in Doak Campbell Stadium, I think most experts will lean toward FSU to pull this one out. But with rivalry games, you always have to expect the unexpected. Both teams will look to pull out trick plays, hurry up offenses, and all kinds of tricks.

The game will be broadcast on ABC at 3:30 PM ET. I encourage everyone to tune in for this rivalry game!

- Matt Lytle

@mattlytle

#10 Florida State Seminoles at Virginia Tech Hokies Preview

Virginia Tech started their season out 2-0. The season looked promising. However, their current record is 4-5. The Hokies need two more wins to at least become bowl eligible, and this Saturday, they take on the #10 ranked Florida State Seminoles.

EJ Manuel looks to lead FSU to a 9-1 record

The Seminoles are led by their senior quarterback EJ Manuel. Manuel has had an impressive season thus far, going 161/230 for 2,315 yards and throwing 16 touchdowns and only 4 interceptions. He has also rushed for over 200 yards and scored one rushing touchdown. Not a great rushing showing, but he's gotten it done through the air, why risk injury scrambling?

Manuel has two very capable options at wide receiver in Kelvin Benjamin and Rodney Smith. Both with over 20 receptions for over 400 yards this season. Benjamin has reeled in four touchdown catches while Smith has caught three.

Logan Thomas hopes for the upset on Saturday.

As far as Virginia Tech goes, they are led by Logan Thomas. Logan had a lot of hype at the beginning of the season. His numbers aren't terrible this year, but he lacks control needed to be an elite quarterback. He has thrown 152 passes for 2,109 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 12 picks. His wide receivers Marcus Davis and Corey Fuller have both reeled in over 500 yards and four touchdowns a piece.

The teams obviously aren't all about their quarterbacks, or their passing game. Florida State is currently ranked 14th in rushing yards while Virginia Tech is ranked 60th. The Hokies lack greatly in the rushing game compared to the Seminoles, with Seminoles running back Chris Thompson almost doubling JC Coleman's rushing total for the season (687 yards to 361).

Defense is another thing that the Seminoles are leading Virginia Tech in. In the category of points for and points against, Florida State is ranked third in each. Virginia Tech is 70th and 52nd. Things aren't looking good for the Hokies.

For Virginia Tech to win this game, which will be played in Lane Stadium, Logan Thomas, his receivers, and JC Coleman are all going to have to step up big time, along with the defense. Florida State is favored in this game, and I can see exactly why. Florida State has the better team, hands down. But upsets can always happen. And with Virginia Tech having home field advantage, you never know what's going to happen.

Florida State is coming into this game 8-1 in the season. Odds are, they'll leave Lane Stadium 9-1, but never say never. Stranger things have happened in the sport of college football. That's why it's the best sport in the world!

- Matt Lytle

@mattlytle