The Florida State football team had one of the most bizarre college football seasons that we have seen in the College Football Playoff era in 2023. The Seminoles finished the regular season 12-0 and went on to the ACC Championship game where they took down Louisville to improve to 13-0. Since the College Football Playoff began, a 13-0 power five conference champion had never been left out. That all changed this season. Florida State did everything that they needed to do this season, but they were left out of the playoff for two one-loss conference champions. It had never been seen in college football, and it won't be seen again under the new format as every power five champion is guaranteed a spot in the CFP. Not every undefeated champion, just every champion.
Michigan defeated Washington in the national title game a little over a month ago, and the college football offseason got underway after the conclusion of that game. With the changing landscape of college football, the transfer portal is one of the most important parts of the offseason. For a team like Florida State football, it will be very important this offseason. We saw the record amount of players that the Seminoles had sit out in the Orange Bowl. That happened because all of those guys are wanting to go to the NFL now. The Seminoles were loaded with talent last year, and now they need to reload.
We will get into Florida State's transfer portal class and their sneakiest move, but first, let's take a look back at the 2023 season and see how the Seminoles got to where they are now.
The 2o23 season was a big one for Florida State. The Seminoles had been struggling for awhile, and the fanbase was patiently waiting for them to compete for national championships again. Last season, Florida State finally returned to near the top of the college football world as they were clearly one of the best teams in the country, and it showed in their first game of the season against LSU.
Florida State vs. LSU in week one was one of the biggest college football games of the season. Both the Seminoles and the Tigers were solid the year before, and they both returned most of their key players. They were both highly ranked, and neither team wanted to start their quest for the College Football Playoff with a loss. It was a huge game right out of the gate to get the season started.
Domination by Florida State football. The Seminoles made a statement in week one as they ran away from LSU and picked up a convincing win against an SEC opponent in their first game of the season. With the ACC looking weak, the college football world knew that Florida State had a fairly easy path to an undefeated record. They played Clemson on the road early and escaped with an overtime win, and after that, there wasn't much left on the schedule. Things looked great for the Seminoles until Jordan Travis went down with an injury.
Later in the season, Florida State football quarterback Jordan Travis went down with a heartbreaking leg injury. It was clear immediately that he would not be playing for the rest of the season. The Seminoles were going to have to complete their undefeated quest with a backup QB. The good news for the Seminoles is that their defense was so good that losing their QB didn't really matter for ACC play. The offense definitely took a hit, but Florida State was still able to win the remainder of their regular season and the ACC title game. With a 13-0 finish, they would surely make the College Football Playoff, right?
Wrong. Because of the Jordan Travis injury, the playoff committee said that that Florida State simply wasn't the same team anymore. Their undefeated season didn't matter, and Alabama and Texas both made it into the playoff despite having one loss. It had never been seen before, and the Seminoles received a bid into the Orange Bowl to take on the back-to-back national champion Georgia Bulldogs. That is when the opt-outs started.
Florida State football went into their matchup with Georgia in the Orange Bowl with a roster that looked nothing like the one they had all season. That wasn't the same football team that we saw get to 13-0. Just about all of their key players opted out as they had the NFL in their sights, and it's hard to blame them. In terms of meaningfulness, the College Football Playoff is the only thing that really matters in the postseason. These players didn't want to risk their careers for a game that can't win them a national title. The opt outs made things tough for the Seminoles, and they ended up losing the game by 60 points.
So, that's how Florida State got here. Had this happened one year later, they would be in the College Football Playoff with no issue because of the expansion. That's where the Seminoles want to be next year, and they need a good transfer portal class to replace some of the elite talent that they are losing to the NFL. Florida State has done a good job in the portal so far this year, and here is their sneakiest pickup from the first cycle.
OT Jacob Rizy, Harvard
Florida State football has signed a lot of big name transfers, and the best pickup that they have is probably DJ Uiagalelei from Oregon State. The Seminoles needed a quarterback and they got one. Perhaps the transfer that is flying under the radar the most, however, is offensive tackle Jacob Rizy. Rizy is transferring to Florida State from Harvard, which is obviously a much smaller school that doesn't play the type of competition that the Seminoles play. However, a player has to do a very good job at a school like that to be able to transfer to a school like Florida State. Rizy has done that.
It's going to take some time for Jacob Rizy to adjust to the talent difference that he will at Florida State compared to what he saw at Harvard. It's going to be a big difference. However, once he has been there for a little bit and he is adjusted to his new school, Rizy will have a chance to turn some heads.
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