[zaga_fan]

I don't think Auburn is a lock to beat FSU.

That defense is liable to give up enough point to make it interesting.

I made this to merge the comments from the other thread and for discussion leading up to the game.

I can add a lot of FSU stuff. Someone else will have to get on Auburn. - PT

[Panther Thunder]

I don't think Auburn is a lock to beat FSU.

That defense is liable to give up enough point to make it interesting.

To make it interesting?

[toussaints]

I don't think Auburn is a lock to beat FSU.

the only advantage Auburn has is that they play in the SEC. FSU's defense and explosive offense will end the SEC's streak

[RunItUpTheGut]

So what happens if Auburn comes out and dominates FSU just like Bama did to ND last year?
Before some of you say that was completely different, we had just as many ND homers on here last year who havent posted about the Pin Stripe Bowl team since.

Just curious, if Auburn lays the wood to FSU, can we please just admit that the SEC is light years above the rest of the conferences?
Starting next year, I would imagine every 8/10 years will be an all-SEC national championship game. It would have been a rematch of Bama/Auburn this year in the 4 team playoff.

[toussaints]

Just curious, if Auburn lays the wood to FSU, can we please just admit that the SEC is light years above the rest of the conferences?

I wouldn't say light years above the rest, but definitely better. Missouri and Texas A&M have benefitted greatly from being in the SEC, but the middle pack and bottom quarter of the SEC stacks up evenly with other major conferences back half.

Also if Auburn pounds FSU, then Malzahn is one hell of a coach

[RunItUpTheGut]

I wouldn't say light years above the rest, but definitely better. Missouri and Texas A&M have benefitted greatly from being in the SEC, but the middle pack and bottom quarter of the SEC stacks up evenly with other major conferences back half.

Also if Auburn pounds FSU, then Malzahn is one hell of a coach

Lets think about it though, except for a few years, every team in the SEC has the chance to be extremely dominant with the best coaches in college football. Except for Kentucky, Vandy, Arkansas, and Miss St, just about every team in the SEC competes on a national level most years.

"Half" the pack have to be bad because they play in the SEC and have to lose games to others in the SEC who are really up.
Think about this year alone. Lets say Georgia, Missouri, Texas A&M, South Carolina, and LSU were all in different ones of the power 6 conferences. I would about bet money that they would either win, or finish runner up in all of the other conferences.

[toussaints]

Lets think about it though, except for a few years, every team in the SEC has the chance to be extremely dominant with the best coaches in college football. Except for Kentucky, Vandy, Arkansas, and Miss St, just about every team in the SEC competes on a national level most years.

"Half" the pack have to be bad because they play in the SEC and have to lose games to others in the SEC who are really up.
Think about this year alone. Lets say Georgia, Missouri, Texas A&M, South Carolina, and LSU were all in different ones of the power 6 conferences. I would about bet money that they would either win, or finish runner up in all of the other conferences.

I understand what your saying and I do believe the SEC is the dominant conference in college football, but other conferences are starting to pick up on what the SEC has been doing for the past 2 decades and are starting to close the gap. Especially the ACC and Pac 12

Let's look at last year, Alabama steam rolled Notre Dame, but Florida (the SEC's 2nd or 3rd best) got pounded by Louisville. LSU (SEC top 5) lost to Clemson. South Carolina (SEC top 5) squeaked by Michigan.

Now let's come back to this year. Georgia lost to Clemson, Florida lost to unranked Miami when the Gators were ranked 12th. South Carolina barely beat Central Florida, and not to knock on A&M, but their toughest non conference game was against SMU.

Again, the SEC is the dominant conference, but even if Auburn smacks Florida State, I wouldn't say they're that far ahead of the pack. And if Florida State smacks Auburn, the SEC would still be the dominant conference.

[zaga_fan]

To make it interesting?

Auburn just put up 59 points against the #5 team in the nation and put 34 up on BAMA...

Auburn is going to put points up on FSU... that is a GUARANTEE.

Florida State will do just fine but this one is going to be close.

Don't tell me you think FSU is going to roll...

[Panther Thunder]

Auburn just put up 59 points against the #5 team in the nation and put 34 up on BAMA...

Auburn is going to put points up on FSU... that is a GUARANTEE.

Florida State will do just fine but this one is going to be close.

Don't tell me you think FSU is going to roll...

I think Florida State, on a neutral field, is 10-14 points better. Does that mean they will they win by that? No. Very well may lose by 3 TDs.

However, make no mistake, Florida State opened as a 7 point favorite in Vegas, moved to 10 points quickly. The Noles are going to be the favorite. That is why the phrase "to make it interesting" is laughable. If they bring their A or B game, they will do a whole lot more than "make it interesting".

Yeah, they put up 59. They also didn't do a whole lot of stopping of an above average offense. They were out gained by 100 yards by Alabama, who clearly didn't have a kicker that should be the leader for the Groza. Add in a failed 4th down deep in Auburn territory, the Tide had plenty of chances to score, but failed miserably. Clemson was GURANTEED to put up points on FSU. They finally doubled their score all the way to 14 in garbage time late in the 4th. A Clemson team that put up a lot on an uninjured Georgia team.

A month to prepare is also very key. The offense is unorthodox, but Florida State will have 3 more weeks to prepare for it than the other Auburn opponents. Florida State will also be better suited than Alabama due to personnel. FSU has smaller, quicker LBs and will have more flexibility than Alabama had due to Tide injuries. I will say, I feel more comfortable against a pass heavy team. The FSU secondary is the best in America by a substantial margin. Early in the year, before a lot of position and scheme changes, BC excelled with Heisman finalist, Williams but he did not find the end zone. Miami has a pretty good ground game and did fair against the Noles, but scored only on pass plays. The Florida State first team Defense HAS NOT ALLOWED A RUSHING TD. Put me on the record as saying that will change versus Auburn, but that is incredible.

As a fan, I would rather see Auburn 1000x as opposed to Alabama. Like I said, anything can happen. Auburn is a top 5-7 team in America and games can swing by as many as four scores on just a few plays. I stand by my statement. I believe Florida State and Alabama are 2 scores above any other team in America in a perfect world. The notion that FSU is an underdog with a chance to "make it interesting" is an insult to Florida State, IMO. :Thumbs:

[Panther Thunder]

From the site, TomahawkNation.com, the site I most frequent. Great analysis using advanced metrics and they go into incredilble detail on a lot of articles. This one is more general, but if you want to read up on FSU prior to the NCG, I recommend visiting this site, I will continue to post articles if there is a demand to see the best.

This isn't the first time I've addressed the Florida State defense and Jeremy Pruitt this season.
Whether it was during the preseason, the mid-way point or here today, I've believed one thing: this is one hell of a coach, and this is one hell of a scheme. Both are now evident.
First year defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt made his way to Tallahassee during the off-season via Tuscaloosa, and the Florida State family couldn't be happier. Pruitt brought a mentality and a scheme eerily similar to what has driven the University of Alabama to such high regards, and he now finds himself as a finalist for the Broyles Award, honoring the nation's top assistant coach. And he's also a finalist for Football Scoop's Defensive Coordinator of the Year.
Before the season began, I had a couple, straight forward expectations for this defense and expressed those in our preseason staff predictions.
1.) Finish as a top 3 defense.
2.) Score more frequently in 2013.
Safe to say that both of those have come true, and yet, have even somehow surpassed those expectations.
The Florida State defense wrapped up the 2013 regular season as the nation's top defense. It now has a school-record eight defensive touchdowns, topping the previous record of seven held in 1988. And seven different Florida State defenders have seen the end zone, five of which coming on interceptions and the other three on fumble recoveries. The defense is also allowing just 11.0 points per game, which is the lowest since the 2000 team allowed 10.3 points per game.
It's the pressure, the mixed fronts and the pure athleticism on the Florida State defense that leads to this capability.
"It's just fun out there," Florida State safety Terrence Brooks said. "The pressure allows us to do so many things and take advantage of mistakes."
The pressure comes from, well, everywhere.
Senior corner Lamarcus Joyner leads the team with five sacks, which is the most by a member of the Florida State secondary since former safety Bill Ragans also had five in 1990. Joyner, who made the decision to return for his senior year because of this scheme's possibilities, has really been able to showcase his explosiveness from the nickel position under Pruitt's defense, and his draft stock will reflect that.
But the defensive line can bring the ruckus, too. And maybe the most important move this season was Pruitt's decision to move Christian Jones up to the edge to replace a struggling Dan Hicks, allowing Terrance Smith to fill the void at linebacker. Jones has proven to be a menace with his speed rush opening things up for the others on the line. And when the big guys up front are creating chaos, Pruitt can send the blitz. And he does just that. The Florida State defense has 31 sacks on the year, along with 86 tackles for a loss.

Danger Zone

The Florida State Seminoles have the best pass defense in the country, allowing just 153 yards per game. Jeremy Pruitt couldn't have asked for a better group of defensive backs to work with when he arrived in Tallahassee - it's almost laughable the amount of talent that graces the defensive backfield, or even the bench. Even after the unfortunate loss of Tyler Hunter to a season ending injury, the secondary hasn't lost a step. They have accounted for 15 of Florida State's 23 interceptions, which happens to be just two interceptions short of the school-record 25 set in 1968 and 1991.
Anchored by seniors Lamarcus Joyner and Terrence Brooks, this secondary has become the best in the country.
The Youngsters

The youth has showcased some ridiculous talent, too, and FSU fans are in for a show in the following years. True freshman Jalen Ramsey has started every game for Florida State in 2013, and was the first to start at corner for Florida State since Deion Sanders. After FSU lost Tyler Hunter to injury, Ramsey made the move to safety - something that I expect Pruitt was planning for 2014 anyways. And from the looks of things, Ramsey could end up being the best safety in Florida State history when it's all said and done. Whether it's putting fear in the opponent by de-cleating any receiver ballsy enough to catch a pass down field or being a sure tackler, this kid is obviously a star.
Nate Andrews, another true freshmen, has taken over the role as the dime back, and has done an incredible job in doing so. He leads the 'Noles with four interceptions, one of which went for a score. Andrews seems to be almost an exact replica of Terrence Brooks when he got to campus, and this is a great thing. After being recruited by Pruitt to go Alabama, Andrews was turned away and was seemingly headed to...Minnesota? Well, Pruitt got the job at Florida State and Nate Andrews made the switch. A guy with great instincts and a knack for the ball, Andrews looks to be just another player to look forward to in coming years.
Ronald Darby is the definition of a "no fly zone." Nobody throws his direction - they know better. The sophomore corner has only recorded nine tackles this season, due to this fact. And also has two interceptions on the year. When you run a blitz heavy defensive scheme, it helps to have a lock-down corner, and this is what Ronald Darby provides.
Against The Run

The Seminoles have allowed only four rushing touchdowns on the year, and these only came against the second team defense. Allowing only 118.0 rushing yards per game and 3.1 yards per rush, the Florida State defense has taken away just about any option you might have when game-planning for the Seminoles. And these numbers are skewed, too. The defensive starters for the Seminoles rarely played full games in 2013, and this has kept them fresh and healthy.

http://www.tomahawknation.com/florida-st...king-moves

[Spirit100]

I understand what your saying and I do believe the SEC is the dominant conference in college football, but other conferences are starting to pick up on what the SEC has been doing for the past 2 decades and are starting to close the gap. Especially the ACC and Pac 12

Let's look at last year, Alabama steam rolled Notre Dame, but Florida (the SEC's 2nd or 3rd best) got pounded by Louisville. LSU (SEC top 5) lost to Clemson. South Carolina (SEC top 5) squeaked by Michigan.

Now let's come back to this year. Georgia lost to Clemson, Florida lost to unranked Miami when the Gators were ranked 12th. South Carolina barely beat Central Florida, and not to knock on A&M, but their toughest non conference game was against SMU.

Again, the SEC is the dominant conference, but even if Auburn smacks Florida State, I wouldn't say they're that far ahead of the pack. And if Florida State smacks Auburn, the SEC would still be the dominant conference.

Agree with an objective Toussaints more times than not. The SEC dominance card has left the building. Two top teams in the SEC don't speak for the rest of the pack.

A lot more parody than what most give credit for. Some stat guru outside of Bama and Auburn produce stats for the SEC against the other "pretenders."

RPI, Record against top 25-50, etc….

The hard facts may surprise nicker:!

[Panther Thunder]

I made this to merge the comments from the other thread and for discussion leading up to the game.

I can add a lot of FSU stuff. Someone else will have to get on Auburn.

[Panther Thunder]

Aerial Assual:



Ground Game:



True Freshmen Dynamic Duo DBs, Jalen Ramsey and Nate Andrews:



Devonta Freeman RB Highlights:



Jameis Winston QB Highlights:



Kenny Shaw WR Highlights:



ACC Championship Game Highlights (Accompanied by the greatest song ever, Return of the Mack):



Karlos Williams S to converted RB Highlights, kid is a freak, May be the best back in America next year:



Nick O'Leary TE Highlights:



Kelvin Benjamin WR Highlights, If he were more consistent, he would be Megatron JR:



Rashad Greene WR Highlights, Best WR that FSU has gone away from because teams scheme to take him away, Shaw and Benjamin don't mind:



Some More FSU D Highlights:



Collection of Highlights:



FSU D forces turnovers at a high rate:



More Jameis:



A lot, but this helps me organize it as well haha. Big shout out to the FSU fan on twitter that makes these. Has them unlisted so this is the way to find them.

WARNING: Some of the music, mainly 90s rap lol, may contain language some would rather not hear. So feel free to mute and play your own if that works for you. GO NOLES!

[zaga_fan]

@pantherthunder

TL;DR

[Panther Thunder]

@pantherthunder

TL;DR

Gotcha. We will just stick with the "Auburn will win because SEC" rhetoric for you then.

[RunItUpTheGut]

Im gonna say Auburn by 29.

[zaga_fan]

Gotcha. We will just stick with the "Auburn will win because SEC" rhetoric for you then.

Auburn won't win because they are in the SEC...
Auburn will win (if they do) because they are a better all-around team.

There will be no excuses at the end of this one - whoever wins is the better team.

We can post videos and scouting reports all day long but none of it matters when that ball gets kicked off.

[RunItUpTheGut]

The exact same "rhetoric" was used when ND thought they could compete. Just sayin...

[Panther Thunder]

The exact same "rhetoric" was used when ND thought they could compete. Just sayin...

Alabama was better than Notre Dame because Alabama was better than Notre Dame. Not because Alabama was in the SEC.

[RunItUpTheGut]

^
Just like this year when both Auburn and Alabama are better than Florida State.

Not because Auburn and Alabama are in the SEC.

[Mr. Pike Central]

Florida St. - 38

Auburn - 17

Too much Famous Jameis for Auburn.

[Panther Thunder]

^
Just like this year when both Auburn and Alabama are better than Florida State.

Not because Auburn and Alabama are in the SEC.

Don't agree with you, but you are entitled to your opinion.

I think Florida State/Alabama is pretty even because I think Alabama would cause FSU problems along the OL with their size up front. I think Florida State has the best skill in the country.

Auburn just doesn't do it for me. I would have preferred Ohio State, because I think OSU is more of a style FSU could do well against defensively. Will have to see how they handle this Auburn offense. Interesting to see. My early thoughts are they will handle it well enough to win the game.

[Spirit100]

If Auburn loses I'm going to laugh as much as I did when Michigan St beat tOSU nicker:!

We're going to get confirmation on that whole parody in the upper ranks of college football concept. I hope we all get to watch an entertaining shootout at least a 70 point over under with a margin less than 2 TDs on the final score.

[Westside]

I think FSU takes this one.