ESPN gives four ‘if’ scenarios that need to happen for FSU Football to win the CFP in 2024

Florida State finds itself in a precarious position: its long-term future in the conference it will play in is uncertain, and it appears likely to hand the keys to the kingdom to a quarterback (admittedly a veteran) who only had a spring season in Tallahassee. After losing 10 players to the NFL Draft and other key contributors, FSU is once again relying on the transfer portal to keep its production up.

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With that in mind, ESPN’s Bill Connelly listed the national title contenders (based on betting odds) and what they’d need to do to win the now 12-team College Football Playoff (CFP). The Seminoles – with +3000 odds (ESPN BET) to win the whole thing – were given four “ifs” that needed to happen for that to happen.

According to Connelly, the first if is, “If … the anger has subsided” over last season’s bitter ending when the ‘Noles were snubbed for a chance to compete for a national championship by the Playoff Committee. Acceptance is a crucial step in almost any recovery process.

Second, “If … DJ Uiagalelei’s return to the ACC is a happy one.” The ESPN reporter expands on this sentiment by adding some optimistic stats for the newcomer.

“Quarterback Jordan Travis set the bar high for Oregon State transfer DJ Uiagalelei to reach. Sure, Uiagalelei ranked 12th in Total QBR, two spots higher than Travis, in 2023. He’s not exactly a scrambler, but he takes fewer sacks and gets the ball downfield more. And now he has a shot at ACC redemption after leaving Clemson following a frustrating 2022 season,” Connelly said.

Additionally, the third is like, “If… Uiagalelei has any receivers.” With the loss of Keon Coleman (Buffalo Bills) and Johnny Wilson (Philadelphia Eagles), Connelly is tapping former running back Ja’Khi Douglas and Alabama transfer Malik Benson to lead the wide receiver room during the 2024 campaign.

Connelly’s final if is “If … the portal produced good defensive tackles.” He’s right, Florida State lost a lot of talent on the defensive end of the trenches, but it also retained quite a bit. Connelly’s analysis points to transfers like Grady Kelly (Colorado State) and Tomiwa Durojaiye (West Virginia) needing to step up and fill out the interior, but he forgot to mention the Miami transfer who has yet to make his regular-season debut, defensive tackle Darrell Jackson Jr. He’s not technically a rookie, but at 6-foot-1, 225 pounds, he’s a powerhouse this coming season.

The odds of winning are updated periodically and may change.

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