4 FSU opponents ranked in ESPN's 'way-too-early' top 25 poll

A pessimistic Florida State football fan might look at FSU’s 2025 schedule and point out that the Seminoles will have to face four opponents ranked in ESPN’s newly released “Way-Too-Early Top 25.”

An optimistic ‘Nole might counter with the fact that Florida State’s eight other opponents are not ranked … and they might not even receive votes in any preseason polls.

Either way, Florida State will open the 2025 season on Aug. 30 against arguably its second-toughest opponent on the schedule. Alabama, which checks in at No. 12 on the ESPN list, will visit Doak Campbell Stadium for the season opener for both schools.

The Crimson Tide went 9-4 this past season in their first campaign under head coach Kalen DeBoer. They are expected to return an outstanding receiving corps and key players on both sides of the ball, but they also will have to break in a new quarterback following Jalen Milroe’s decision to enter the NFL Draft.

Redshirt junior Ty Simpson, former Washington transfer Austin Mack and highly touted freshman Keelon Russell are expected to be the main contenders to become Alabama’s next quarterback. Simpson has completed 29 of 50 passes for 381 yards and no touchdowns during his three years in Tuscaloosa; Mack is a redshirt sophomore who has attempted just three passes in college; and Russell is a five-star freshman who was considered the No. 2 QB in the 2025 class.

The highest-ranked opponent for Florida State in 2025 likely will be Clemson, which comes in at No. 7 on ESPN’s early top 25. The Tigers went 10-4 this past season and earned a spot in the College Football Playoff by beating SMU in the ACC Championship Game.

Cade Klubnik is returning for his third year as the starting quarterback, and the Tigers should once again be fairly loaded on defense. They also will be led on that side of the ball by new coordinator Tom Allen, who was hired away from Penn State.

The final two Florida State opponents to make the ESPN list were Florida at No. 18 and Miami at No. 23.

UF turned heads with a strong finish to the 2024 season — reeling off four straight wins against LSU, Ole Miss, Florida State and Tulane — to close the year with an 8-5 record. The Gators will return sophomore quarterback DJ Lagway, who impressed as a true freshman when thrust into starting duty.

Florida State’s games against Clemson and Florida will both be on the road.

Miami collapsed down the stretch of the 2024 season, blowing its chance to claim a playoff spot by losing two of its final three games. Then the Hurricanes lost their bowl game as well to finish at 10-3 for the year. Star quarterback Cam Ward is gone, but Miami wasted no time in grabbing veteran signal-caller Carson Beck away from Georgia.

Beck has passed for over 7,400 yards and 42 touchdowns the past two seasons, while also accounting for 18 interceptions.

Along with those four potentially ranked opponents, Florida State’s other eight foes in 2025 should be much more manageable: East Texas A&M, Kent State, Pitt, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, N.C. State, Stanford and Virginia.

Those eight schools posted a combined record of 34-65 in 2024.

Pitt went 7-6 last season, Virginia Tech was 6-7, Wake Forest was 4-8, N.C. State went 6-7, Stanford finished at 3-9, and Virginia went 5-7. East Texas A&M is an FCS school that went 3-9 last season, while Kent State is an FBS program but went 0-12.

Florida State was 2-10 in 2024, but the Seminoles should look like an extremely different team this fall. Head coach Mike Norvell has replaced his offensive and defensive coordinators, brought in six new assistant coaches overall, and he should have about 40 new players on the roster.

SIGN UP: Join Warchant’s FSU Community for $1 today

Talk about this story with other die-hard Florida State football fans on the Tribal Council.