Syracuse vs. Florida State: TNIAAM Predictions & Poll

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John Cassillo

Florida State 45 - Syracuse 13

Syracuse's offense, with a new QB and OC, keeps Florida State guessing briefly (like a drive or so), and then things return to exactly what you thought they'd be. The Orange defense manages to put up a decent fight and gets a lot more pressure on Jameis Winston, but as we've seen all season, that's just not enough. I want to say A.J. Long asserts himself as the legitimate starter by the end of the game, but given the nature of splitting snaps for him and Austin Wilson, that seems unlikely. Expect both to perform admirably given the circumstances and stretch this contest into another week while the running game handles the bulk of the work. Not a whole lot else to garner from this game... SU doesn't get blown out as badly as they did last year, and that's a positive, right?

The Invisible Swordsman

Florida State 51 - Syracuse 3

You can call me a disloyal idiot, or any number of other things that I normally hear when stuck in DC traffic, but the one thing you can't call me is crazy.

Magicians, I see no other outcome but a blowout loss. Let's just take our medicine and move on to the Wake Forest game when we will either get back to our winning ways or head for the exits en masse...

Matt McClusky

Florida State 49 - Syracuse 10

The time for discussion surrounding dramatic off-field issues is just about over with, people. Yup, soon we'll be able to move past assistant coaches being fired and then subsequently taking blowtorches to bridges. We'll stop wondering who is going to play quarterback because, presumably, someone will step up and step into that position. It will be back to football.

We're close, friends.

Unfortunately, that time is probably going to come next week because Saturday, well, there is going to be PLENTY of time to talk about anything other than the actual football game taking place at the dome. I mean, good lawd, have you seen Florida State play? Even worse, have you seen Syracuse play? This will be exactly what we expected: an ugly blowout played in front of hundreds of empty bleachers, with announcers filling air time talking about the likes of Scott Shafer, George McDonald, and all other assorted types of drama. The narrative around SU will revert back to on-field production, just not yet, though.

Ben Norowski

FSU 49 - Syracuse 14

I hate picking against us but this is just a game we have no shot at winning. The offense sputters out of the gates, the defense can't stop the run or pass, and FSU puts up 49 unanswered until AJ Long solidifies himself as the starter going forward by throwing and running for TDs on our final two drives.

Michael Burke

Syracuse 35, Florida State 33

Hear me out. Florida State jumps out to an early lead, as we expect them to. At halftime, with A.J. Long and Austin Wilson both struggling mightily, Shafer turns to a third option at quarterback...Riley Dixon, of course! Dixon leads Syracuse all the way back, and the Orange pull off the upset of the century. The win ultimately catapults Syracuse to an ACC championship, and Dixon wins the Heisman that, frankly, he probably already deserves.

Okay, so actually…

Florida State 41, Syracuse 10

Let’s just not get too embarrassed!

Dan Lyons

Florida State 35 - Syracuse 10

I really have no feel for this one, other than the fact that I'm very confident that Florida State will win, and pretty sure they'll cover the spread. The Seminoles have looked pretty sloppy this year, and they're amazingly just as injury-ravaged as Syracuse is, but of course there's a massive gap in talent between what FSU has on its bench and what Syracuse does. Backup quarterback Sean Maguire is out, which means we're likely to see Jameis Winston play four quarters, which probably isn't a great omen for those who have Syracuse +24. However, we really don't know what to expect from Tim Lester and Syracuse quarterbacks Austin Wilson and A.J. Long. Will they come out with a spark and move the ball on a depleted Florida State defense, or will it be a rough introduction for everyone involved? I'm going with FSU by 25, which seems pretty safe, but I really know as little as everyone else about this one.

Sean Keeley

Florida State 45 - Syracuse 13

God, I would love to tell you the impossible is possible, but, it's just not. Maybe if we were full-strength we might be able to pull off some crazy stuff, but, with a brand new OC and brand new quarterbacks surrounded by a bunch of 2nd-string guys in starting roles...there's crazy and then there's ca-rahzy.

Like I said earlier this week, let go of the score and the outcome and focus on what Austin Wilson and A.J. Lang can do. Treat it like a scrimmage and you'll feel a whole lot better come Saturday evening.

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So, what say you?