Florida State football roundtable: Predicting the Seminoles' wins/losses for 2023 season

During his press conference following the Cheez-It Bowl, Florida State football quarterback Jordan Travis mentioned he was ready to get back to work.

The Seminoles had just completed a six-game winning streak. They also reached 10 wins for the first time since 2016 and collected their first bowl win since 2017, but Travis and head coach Mike Norvell are already looking forward to 2023.

No. 13 FSU (10-3) defeated Oklahoma (6-7), 35-32, at Camping World Stadium in Orlando last Thursday on a game-winning field goal from kicker Ryan Fitzgerald.

The excitement around the program is for good reason. Along with Travis, a number of top players for the Seminoles are set to return, along with a strong NCAA Transfer portal class and a couple of potential stars in the recruiting cycle.

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Florida State will open the season in the same location it closed its season: Camping World Stadium in Orlando.

The Seminoles will square off against SEC-powerhouse LSU, in what could potentially be a top-10 team and have major ramifications down the line for the College Football Playoff.

FSU will also face ACC rivals Miami and Clemson, as well as in-state rival Florida to close out the season.

In between the Seminoles will face a light schedule, one that should help propel them to a playoff spot, if they can win the bigger games against the two Tiger teams on their schedules.

Only four games have official dates: LSU (Sept. 3), Southern Mississippi (Sept. 9), North Alabama (Nov. 18) and Florida (Nov. 25). All other dates are TBA.

Democrat writers Carter Karels and Ehsan Kassim made their way-too-early predictions on how the 2023 season will play out.

LSU

Karels: Loss.

Before anyone throws tomatoes at me, LSU is the only team that I’m predicting to beat FSU in the regular season. The Tigers losing a heartbreaker to the Seminoles in 2022 should give them extra motivation for this game. Expect quarterback Jayden Daniels to impress against an FSU defense that will enter the season with some questions on the back end.

Kassim: Win

Yes, Jayden Daniels is back, but with receiver Kayshon Boutte deciding to enter the draft, I have questions about how the offense will look. Daniels came on later in the season as Boutte did. This game will serve as a de-facto home game for the Seminoles, and seeing how loud it got in Orlando for the bowl game, that could be a difference in what should be another close game with the Tigers.

Southern Miss

Karels: Win.

Unless the Golden Eagles invent a time machine and bring back the prime version of Brett Favre, their best quarterback in program history, the Seminoles will likely win this one convincingly.

Kassim: Win

Florida State rests its players following halftime, giving Travis and other players a nice rest. Unless something crazy happens, this one isn't going to be competitive. If it is, playoff talk should die pretty quickly.

North Alabama

Karels: Win.

The Lions were abysmal at the FCS level this past season, finishing 1-10. The only FBS team they faced, Memphis, blew them out, 59-0. Look for this game to have a similar result.

Kassim: Win

Another game with an early exit for the starters. Since this is way at the back end of the schedule for the Seminoles, could this be a game when we see freshman QB Brock Glenn make an appearance? That would be the most interesting aspect of this game, if were it play out.

Florida

Karels: Win.

The Seminoles won’t have to sweat out a win over the Gators this time. Not after Florida lost several key players, including quarterback Anthony Richardson and four starting offensive linemen. Compared to their first season under coach Billy Napier, the Gators might be in even more of a rebuilding mode now.

Kassim: Win

I still expect the Gators to come out and compete hard, but the Seminoles should win for the first time in Gainesville since the 2017 season. Florida, in the second year under Billy Napier, is in full-rebuild mode. Expect the Gators to look similar to how FSU did in Year 2 in under Norvell.

Boston College

Karels: Win.

Quarterback Phil Jurkovec and wide receiver Zay Flowers were some of the only bright spots on the Eagle offense. Now, they are both gone, with Jurkovec transferring to Pittsburgh and Flowers going to the NFL Draft. FSU just has to worry about Ryan O’Keefe, a talented first-year receiver transfer from UCF.

Kassim: Win

Like Karels mentioned above, the Eagles lose two of their best players. The offense had a hard time moving the ball with them, how will they manage without them? Boston College's defense will also struggle with the potent FSU offense.

Clemson

Karels: Win.

Is the Clemson dynasty over? Maybe, maybe not. But the Tigers’ seven-game winning streak over the Seminoles definitely will be. Clemson clearly does not have the talent it had when making six straight College Football Playoff appearances from 2015-20. Quarterback Cade Klubnik seems to have a bright future, but FSU QB Jordan Travis should outduel him.

Kassim: Loss

Winning in Death Valley in what certainly will be a night game is never easy. While the Seminoles' offense is potent, it will be interesting to see what adjustments Dabo Swinney has for them. FSU fans won't like me for this, but right now I have the Tigers pulling off their eighth straight win in the series. I think the fact FSU's defense will not be tested, outside of LSU, until Clemson does not bode well.

Miami

Karels: Win.

The Hurricanes have been recruiting high school players better than any team in the state under coach Mario Cristobal. But it’s hard not to compare them and their problems on offense with Texas A&M, which had maybe the best recruiting class ever in 2022 before flaming out this past season. Miami won’t be able to hang with this potent FSU offense.

Kassim: Win

Prepare the "state championship" shirts for the second straight year. Yes, Miami won the offseason with a great recruiting class, but until they have success on the field, I am calling them Texas A&M 2.0 as I just did not see a rhyme or reason for the players they signed, outside of the stars. FSU wins this one big, again.

Syracuse

Karels: Win.

Quarterback Garrett Shrader returning to the Orange should keep them relevant. But with star running back Sean Tucker declaring for the NFL Draft, Syracuse will likely finish with seven or fewer wins for the fifth straight season. At home, the Seminoles should beat the Orange by double digits.

Kassim: Win

Sean Tucker is gone and so is the biggest weapon for the Orange. They did not have enough offense in a game at home against the Seminoles, it'll be harder for them to pull off a victory on the road in what should be a packed Doak Campbell Stadium.

Wake Forest

Karels: Win.

What a loss quarterback Sam Hartman (transfer portal) and wide receiver A.T. Perry (NFL Draft) will be for the Demon Deacon program. Those two players haunted the Seminoles. And without them, Wake Forest could have its worst season in several years.

Kassim: Win

Sam Hartman ran the slow-mesh offense to perfection, as FSU fans got to see on display earlier this season. Now with him gone, the Demon Deacons will have to get someone else ready to run the offense, one which isn't easy to master. Wake Forest is in for a down year in 2023.

Duke

Karels: Win.

Watch out for Mike Elko, the reigning ACC Coach of the Year. In his first season as their coach, Elko led the Blue Devils to nine victories for the first time in almost a decade. Now imagine what he could accomplish with his own players. Look for FSU to fend off a pesky Duke team that earns its respect.

Kassim: Win

I have the Seminoles winning, but don't write this off as being a competitive one. The Blue Devils showed enough this season that proves Mike Elko is a good coach and can get his team to compete. This is also a squad that went into Miami Gardens and stole a major win.

Virginia Tech

Karels: Win.

Coming off their worst season in at least two decades, the Hokies hardly inspire much confidence under coach Brent Pry. They will have to worry about beating Old Dominion before they can think about challenging FSU.

Kassim: Win

The Hokies went 3-8 last season and did not look like a very competitive team. Unless they show more life next season, it is hard to see how this will be anything other than an FSU blowout win.

Pittsburgh

Karels: Win.

In eight seasons under coach Pat Narduzzi, the Panthers have always been competitive. They should be competent again after adding Jurkovec from the transfer portal. Not to mention this game is on the road. Still, Pitts lost a few too many pieces, including All-American running back Israel Abanikanda, to feel good about its chances in this one.

Kassim: Win

Adding Jurkovec through the portal makes the Panthers interesting. This being a road game also could make things interesting. But, FSU has too much star power and Pitt is an unknown still entering the season. The Seminoles should win this easily.

Reach Ehsan at ekassim@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter @Ehsan_Kassim. You can also follow our coverage on Facebook (NoleSports) and Instagram (tlhnolesports).

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU football roundtable: Predicting the Seminoles' wins/losses for 2023