Rickie Collins

[AcAndAc]

This time last year everyone said FSU should be in the Playoffs. Fast forward to the end of the season and FSU won 2 games. What if Tennessee loses their starting QB to injury and their 2nd string who lost the spring battle portals? What if Syracuse brings in a transfer LB and Center in late April? What if BC is graduating 3 starting lineman on offense and are going into next season with a whole new line? What if ND Freeman gets hired by the Bears? My point is a ton of things can change between now and September 1st. Realistically you can't project right now because a number of things can change.

It is not impossible that we will go 17-0 and win it all. It is not impossible that we will win the ACC. It is not impossible that we will go 10-3 again. If you want me to concede that, I will.

But if we shift from what is possible to what is probable, the analysis has to shift. FSU's fall does not happen very often.

The scheduling of Tennessee was stupid in a year where we have ND on the schedule on the road in an OOC. Convert our 2024 schedule to Tenn and ND... no UNLV, no UConn, I guess. We still lost 3 conference games. Even winning those two games to get back to the very same 9-3 does not get us in the ACC CG and I am skeptical would allow us to leapfrog SMU, Alabama, Ole Miss, and South Carolina. We would still have that Stanford loss. Worse than Oklahoma, right?

 

[kcsu]

I agree with you points. On paper we are going to have a difficult road next season. Still South Carolina did well with Sellers. FSU tanked with highly rated portal kids. Boise state made a run with 3 stars. SU needs to use their resources intelligently. We cant afford to be wasteful. Bringing in a highly paid portal player is in many cases going to create issues within the current roster. Its probobly why FSU tanked. Fran is all about building a culture and he has to take that into consideration when we add someone from outside. We also want to make sure that we can retain the players that we need to. The reason that the kid left for smu is that we probably felt he wasn't worth the money. Not that we wouldn't be a better team with him but that we could replace him with similar talent and save that money for other needs. The powerhouse teams can afford to throw money against the wall. Syracuse can't. Still Frans approach is to build from within. Build a team that has depth and can survive attrition through kids out and getting injured. When we start spreading the 20 million around it will help. There will still be kids that can get that NIL bump but i believe it will absolutely help us. We are what we are and i like Frans approach. Short of unlimited NIL it is the only way we can continue to remain competitive.

 

[Cusefan69]

It is not impossible that we will go 17-0 and win it all. It is not impossible that we will win the ACC. It is not impossible that we will go 10-3 again. If you want me to concede that, I will.

But if we shift from what is possible to what is probable, the analysis has to shift. FSU's fall does not happen very often.

The scheduling of Tennessee was stupid in a year where we have ND on the schedule on the road in an OOC. Convert our 2024 schedule to Tenn and ND... no UNLV, no UConn, I guess. We still lost 3 conference games. Even winning those two games to get back to the very same 9-3 does not get us in the ACC CG and I am skeptical would allow us to leapfrog SMU, Alabama, Ole Miss, and South Carolina. We would still have that Stanford loss. Worse than Oklahoma, right?

Dude I am actually not asking you to concede really anything. If you want to go through right now wins and losses for next season, go ahead. I think you just don't have enough information at this time and if you don't have enough information why bother when it will likely change? My opinion is I will wait based on what I previously shared and see what happens over the next 5 to 6 months. All good though man, to each their own.

 

[djorange1989]

I think Haynes King may be coming back for GTech. If so, he is better than some of those you listed.

When your easiest road game is Georgia Tech, that says something. They are a solid team with King.

 

[djorange1989]

People can talk about FSU tanking from year to year but does anyone think that Clemson, Tennessee, ND, SMU and Miami are ALL going to underachieve? Odds say our schedule is brutal

 

[AcAndAc]

I agree with you points. On paper we are going to have a difficult road next season. Still South Carolina did well with Sellers. FSU tanked with highly rated portal kids. Boise state made a run with 3 stars. SU needs to use their resources intelligently. We cant afford to be wasteful. Bringing in a highly paid portal player is in many cases going to create issues within the current roster. Its probobly why FSU tanked. Fran is all about building a culture and he has to take that into consideration when we add someone from outside. We also want to make sure that we can retain the players that we need to. The reason that the kid left for smu is that we probably felt he wasn't worth the money. Not that we wouldn't be a better team with him but that we could replace him with similar talent and save that money for other needs. The powerhouse teams can afford to throw money against the wall. Syracuse can't. Still Frans approach is to build from within. Build a team that has depth and can survive attrition through kids out and getting injured. When we start spreading the 20 million around it will help. There will still be kids that can get that NIL bump but i believe it will absolutely help us. We are what we are and i like Frans approach. Short of unlimited NIL it is the only way we can continue to remain competitive.

Never quite understood... we had top 5-10 basketball program in a top conference and the perception (not completely meritless) was that we played too many patsies in December... for nearly that entire period we have had a struggling football program and played too many tough opponents relative to need. Imagine Boeheim having to start one of those great seasons with 50% of his OOC schedule being elite teams on the road...

 

[SUFaninNJ]

I haven't heard anyone state that next season's schedule isn't going to be tough. I think it's a lot of wasted energy worrying about it now. That being said, if that's what people want to do, that's what message boards are all about. I can't wait to see what Williams, Collins, or both can do next season. Might they fall on their faces? Sure. They also could surprise. Either way, I'll be excited to watch the Spring Game and next season, come what may.

 

[LeMoyneCuse]

People can talk about FSU tanking from year to year but does anyone think that Clemson, Tennessee, ND, SMU and Miami are ALL going to underachieve? Odds say our schedule is brutal

Clemson, Tennessee, and SMU are bringing back homegrown QBs, and based on how he played in emergency duty on Friday, ND could be starting a homegrown QB as well next year.

Fran has built a ton of equity from an awesome first year, and based on HS recruiting, appears to want to build as solid a foundation as possible on talent developed in-house.

Why deprive snaps for guys he's brought in and has long-term plans for, for the sake of winning an additional game or two when he's nowhere close to the hot seat?

 

[Cuse12]

I put zero stock into these RVA videos. I remember seeing one of these when we got Dan Villari to come to cuse from UM and I responded something like “I’m calling it now this guy will be our starter at some point next year!”. He looked unbelievable, appeared to have a cannon for an arm, accurate, etc.

Boy was I wrong. Now he did end up as our starter but he didn’t throw the ball lol.

Essentially - more often than not, these D1 QBs look extraordinary in drills…

Just a nothing burger for me. Spring game cannot come quickly enough.

 

[djorange1989]

Clemson, Tennessee, and SMU are bringing back homegrown QBs, and based on how he played in emergency duty on Friday, ND could be starting a homegrown QB as well next year.

Fran has built a ton of equity from an awesome first year, and based on HS recruiting, appears to want to build as solid a foundation as possible on talent developed in-house.

Why deprive snaps for guys he's brought in and has long-term plans for, for the sake of winning an additional game or two when he's nowhere close to the hot seat?

Agree, and Fran agrees. Fill several more holes via the portal and then run with it.

 

[FrancoPizza]

Why deprive snaps for guys he's brought in and has long-term plans for, for the sake of winning an additional game or two?

Because there is a world of difference between 8-4 and 6-6 when it comes to perception and not losing momentum and goodwill.

 

[sufandu]

Also... game experience at QB is huge. Our opponents are loading up on older QBs, while we are rolling with inexperience. That will make a difference. Not to channel Boeheim, but this 2024 football team does not win 10 games without McCord. Start looking through the games... which ones do we win with a replacement-level QB?

Well... that will be next year. Sure... someone COULD rise up and do well... but even that is not likely to be McCord-level. The bottem line is that our toughest schedule on paper ever, top to bottom, with our least experience at QB since the year after Nassib graduated. And even that year we brought in a vet transfer to handle the PSU game.

Sorry, I think next year is very ugly in the absence of a bigger splash at QB. However, ugly can still set the stage for a great 2026. I just think we are looking at a lot of victories that do not manifest into wins... i.e. keeping games closed, improving over the season, solidifying who is QB#1 in 2026. I think a bowl is very unlikely. Not talking about possibilities, but probabilities. Not talking about what is wanted. Not talking about what the players will be striving for. Just reality.

QBs have to get experience somewhere at some point. Tennessee's was a redshirt freshman this year. Lanorris Sellers was a redshirt freshman. Johnny Manziel was a redshirt freshman when he won the Heisman. So was Lamar Jackson. Marvin Graves, Donovan McNabb, Eric Dungey, all freshman or redshirt freshman.

We're not going to get good experienced QBs from the portal every year. At some point we have to land a good one out of high school. Most of the really good ones play early. Hopefully Williams is that guy.

 

[AcAndAc]

QBs have to get experience somewhere at some point. Tennessee's was a redshirt freshman this year. Lanorris Sellers was a redshirt freshman. Johnny Manziel was a redshirt freshman when he won the Heisman. So was Lamar Jackson. Marvin Graves, Donovan McNabb, Eric Dungey, all freshman or redshirt freshman.

We're not going to get good experienced QBs from the portal every year. At some point we have to land a good one out of high school. Most of the really good ones play early. Hopefully Williams is that guy.

Agree.

But McNabb got to play during an era where 3 opponents were Rutgers (11-32), Temple (7-37), and Pitt (14-31). BC was a 4 win team each year. McNabb lost to the three 9+ win teams he faced his first year, 2-2 the second year (one of the wins was Army), and went 9-4 in 1997... a season with NO regular season opponents winning more than 8 games, losses to teams that were 17-18 overall, and losing fairly big to Kansas State (11-1) in the Fiesta Bowl. His senior year we played a much tougher schedule, especially out of conference. The scheduling seemed to get progressively tougher as he aged. He did not start out with the toughest schedule ever.

Graves 1st season, we went 7-4-2... against a schedule with 6 teams winning 4 or fewer games.

 

[sufandu]

Agree.

But McNabb got to play during an era where 3 opponents were Rutgers (11-32), Temple (7-37), and Pitt (14-31). BC was a 4 win team each year. McNabb lost to the three 9+ win teams he faced his first year, 2-2 the second year (one of the wins was Army), and went 9-4 in 1997... a season with NO regular season opponents winning more than 8 games, losses to teams that were 17-18 overall, and losing fairly big to Kansas State (11-1) in the Fiesta Bowl. His senior year we played a much tougher schedule, especially out of conference. The scheduling seemed to get progressively tougher as he aged. He did not start out with the toughest schedule ever.

Graves 1st season, we went 7-4-2... against a schedule with 6 teams winning 4 or fewer games.

All true, but who would you have wanted that would have given us more wins, especially with regards to McNabb? He was first team all conference as a freshman in a league that still had a really good Miami program. The point is, freshman QBs don't have to be the reason we don't win. Even if we brought in an experienced portal guy, it is highly unlikely he as impactful as McCord was. It'll probably never happen here again.

 

[LeMoyneCuse]

Because there is a world of difference between 8-4 and 6-6 when it comes to perception and not losing momentum and goodwill.

Whose perceptions? Syracuse has won 6 games in a season fives times in the last 12 years. Going 6-6 isn't the end of the world, especially when it's clear how much talent has aged out. No one would find any fault in someone making a bowl the second year on the job, especially when a QB, leading rusher, and 3 top receiving targets need to be replaced.

If you're worried about recruiting, Fran can turn to recruits and say, "Guys get to develop and get their shot on the field at Syracuse. We're not going to get transfers in behind your back."

 

[cusefan88]

Annual portal signings that are immediately stud impact players is really for the major elite programs with lots of cash to throw out. Syracuse can't compete in that space every year.

The sustainable way to build Syracuse is through HS recruiting. May take some lumps along the way but it will be worth it.

 

[AcAndAc]

Whose perceptions? Syracuse has won 6 games in a season fives times in the last 12 years. Going 6-6 isn't the end of the world, especially when it's clear how much talent has aged out. No one would find any fault in someone making a bowl the second year on the job, especially when a QB, leading rusher, and 3 top receiving targets need to be replaced.

If you're worried about recruiting, Fran can turn to recruits and say, "Guys get to develop and get their shot on the field at Syracuse. We're not going to get transfers in behind your back."

Sorry, I am not worried about the portal. That is up to Fran to decide.

I am just frustrated that we continue to have ADs scheduling football as if our schedule strength is going to matter, when it never ever has. If you cannot get to 7-1 in conference, why worry about OOC scheduling difficulty? The day we are kept out of the playoff because of a weak schedule is the day that I would start worrying about that. We have had more Big Dance related schedule concerns historically (seeding/qualifying) than football consequences.

 

[sufandu]

Sorry, I am not worried about the portal. That is up to Fran to decide.

I am just frustrated that we continue to have ADs scheduling football as if our schedule strength is going to matter, when it never ever has. If you cannot get to 7-1 in conference, why worry about OOC scheduling difficulty? The day we are kept out of the playoff because of a weak schedule is the day that I would start worrying about that. We have had more Big Dance related schedule concerns historically (seeding/qualifying) than football consequences.

I don't want all our scheduling to be just so we can get to a certain record. I want to play some OOC games against teams the country cares about. It's exciting. I wasn't all that excited to play Ohio or UNLV this past year. The timing of playing Tennessee isn't the best. This past season would've been better, but that's the way it goes sometimes.

 

[LeMoyneCuse]

Sorry, I am not worried about the portal. That is up to Fran to decide.

I am just frustrated that we continue to have ADs scheduling football as if our schedule strength is going to matter, when it never ever has. If you cannot get to 7-1 in conference, why worry about OOC scheduling difficulty? The day we are kept out of the playoff because of a weak schedule is the day that I would start worrying about that. We have had more Big Dance related schedule concerns historically (seeding/qualifying) than football consequences.

The 2023 squad won their 4 OOC games a combined 177 to 43.

 

[AcAndAc]

I don't want all our scheduling to be just so we can get to a certain record. I want to play some OOC games against teams the country cares about. It's exciting. I wasn't all that excited to play Ohio or UNLV this past year. The timing of playing Tennessee isn't the best. This past season would've been better, but that's the way it goes sometimes.

Without looking it up, name three games not involving ACC teams from Week 1 last year? Excitement is pretty relative.

 

[AcAndAc]

The 2023 squad won their 4 OOC games a combined 177 to 43.

Yep. When you go 2-6 in conference, OOC schedule strength does not matter... except that a 4-0 slate might allow you to unlock the attend bowl game acheivement. If we had beaten Tennessee and Notre Dame OOC in 2023, would we have gotten a better bowl game assignment?

 

[LeMoyneCuse]

Yep. When you go 2-6 in conference, OOC schedule strength does not matter... except that a 4-0 slate might allow you to unlock the attend bowl game acheivement. If we had beaten Tennessee and Notre Dame OOC in 2023, would we have gotten a better bowl game assignment?

Syracuse has an obligation to play Notre Dame. The Tennessee thing has been a head scratcher since they booked it, but they’re likely making 7 figures to show up.

 

[JKinPhilly]

There'$ alot of good rea$son$ we $igned on for the Tenne$$ee game

 

[sufandu]

Without looking it up, name three games not involving ACC teams from Week 1 last year? Excitement is pretty relative.

Why? Your challenge is a pretty dumb one. Excitement is more about anticipation. I can't tell you who played in week 1 last season, but I'm always aware of the big early season games as the season approaches. And I'm looking forward to playing a big one next year. I wish we were in year 3 or 4 of the Fran era, but that's the way the cookie crumbles.

 

[Niastri]

Ah, the old responding to your post 10 minutes later strategy.

Sometimes you read one of your old posts and think "I like what that guy had to say!"

Then you realize the like button is disabled.