Florida State is rebuilding and contending at the same damn time

Florida State is currently 5-0 and sitting at No. 11 in the AP Poll after beating Miami Saturday, well within striking distance of the College Football Playoff. But after two straight seasons of everybody Talkin’ Bout The ‘Noles, the airwaves have been relatively clear of FSU chatter. Even heading into the season, Seminoles fans and media saw this as a rebuilding year.

That may still be true, but Florida State looks like a legitimate College Football Playoff contender, rebuild or no. The Seminoles even look like a much better team than they were in gimping to a Playoff berth last year. They’re fourth nationally in the latest S&P+ ratings, and they’re doing it on both sides of the ball.

With Jameis Winston gone and Notre Dame transfer Everett Golson having to quickly learn the offense, FSU figured to see a significant drop off in offensive production. Or at the very least, the Seminoles looked like they would be one-dimensional, with star running back Dalvin Cook carrying the load. Cook has been sensational, and his 222 yards on 22 carries against Miami is just an example of why FSU has the best rushing offense in the country, according to S&P+.

But Cook can’t carry FSU to an undefeated season by himself, and there’s a lot more that’s going into the Seminoles’ 11th-ranked offense. Golson hasn’t been an outstanding passing quarterback, but he’s done his job on passing downs, where FSU ranks 14th nationally. And he’s been more than adequate in opening things up for Cook, as 49 teams run the ball more often on standard downs than the ‘Noles.

Perhaps the biggest development has been the offensive line. Considered a weak spot entering the season, the unit now ranks third in the nation in adjusted line yards. Cook is great, and the rest of the offense is well above average. That’s enough for this offense to be among the best in the country.

While the offense had more question marks entering the season, the defense has made just as big of a jump, going from 40th to 12th in the country in S&P+. The biggest reasons? Not only is FSU defending the big play better, it’s also not letting opponents sustain drives. Last year, the ‘Noles were 71st in success rate. This year? 23rd.

This year’s version of Florida State is simply making its opponents make mistakes, rather than hurting itself. That was on display against Miami, as Tomahawk Nation writes.

FSU’s defensive plan bet that Miami, which had struggled in the red zone and third down all season would not be able to consistently drive against it.

Last year’s Florida State team, despite all the fanfare that surrounded it, was very lucky to make the Playoff. The advanced stats said that FSU, which ranked 22nd in the country in S&P+, should have lost 3.5 more games than it did. This year’s version of FSU might not have all the hype, but it’s a whole lot better than it was just one year ago.