College Football: 7 contenders that could backslide in 2015

3. Florida State Seminoles

I almost withheld the Florida State Seminoles from this list out of fear of provoking #FSUTwitter. But even the most rabid fans who gather under that hashtag have to admit that the 2015 season won’t be a waltz for the Seminoles. There’s just too many unknowns in Gainesville.

(Just kidding, #FSUTwitter. I know the ‘Noles play in Tallahassee. Please don’t come to my house and dismember me in my sleep. But if you do, at least maybe let the cat out? It’d be the polite thing to do.)

Thanks to years of great recruiting, Florida State is not at all short on talent, but that doesn’t mean replacing the departed players will be painless. The offensive line will be almost entirely new, with only Roderick Johnson returning. Also gone are wide receiver Rashad Greene, who is Florida State’s all-time leader in receptions and receiving yards, and tight end Nick O’Leary, who is the school’s all-time leader in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns for tight ends. Production like that will be tough to replace.

Oh, and some guy named Jameis Winston is no longer taking snaps. He was pretty good, if I remember correctly.

Look, the Seminoles will be fine. The have an unfair stable of freakish, athletic running backs and a slew of talented wide receiver, which should make life easy for whomever wins the starting quarterback job (either Sean Maguire or Notre Dame transfer Everett Golson). They also play in the ACC, so wins should be pretty easy to come by (sorry, ACC fans, but you know it’s true). But in terms of competing for a national title again, the ‘Noles may still be a few years out.

Next: 2. Utah Utes