FSU football: 2024 Schedule Release Thoughts
The 2024 schedule sets up nicely for another run.
📷: ACC.com
Last Wednesday, the ACC released the rest of Florida State’s schedule for the 2024 season. What makes the schedule unique is that half of the dates have already been spoken for. As we all know, the Florida game is the last game of the season on November 30th. Notre Dame, Memphis, and Charleston Southern are also scheduled years in advance. Florida State will travel to South Bend on November 9th, and Coach Norvell will face off against his former program on September 14th. Charleston Southern continues a trend in recent years with the Buccaneers being scheduled a week before our rivalry game with Florida on November 23rd.
Florida State also had the luxury of having three conference opponents scheduled in advance. The Seminoles will be the marquee game in Week Zero as they travel to Dublin, Ireland to face off against the Ramblin’ Wreck from Georgia Tech on August 24th. Florida State also was afforded another prime time slot as they will take on the Boston College Eagles on Labor Day night in Tallahassee. Finally, the ACC announced that Florida State will play the Duke Blue Devils in Durham, North Carolina on Friday October 18th.
Where did the ACC slot the rest of FSU’s conference games? Florida State will play new conference opponents in consecutive weeks. The California Golden Bears visit Tallahassee on September 21st, and the Seminoles travel to Dallas on September 28th to take on the Southern Methodist Mustangs. FSU’s first big test comes a week after playing SMU with the Clemson Tigers coming to town on October 5th. Eight days after playing Duke, FSU will travel to Miami to take on the hated Hurricanes. Florida State’s conference finale will be at home against the North Carolina Tar Heels.
What makes this such a favorable schedule for the Seminoles? One item that stands out immediately is the bye weeks. Due to how the calendar falls and playing a week early, Florida State will have three open weeks this season. Those bye weeks will be after the Boston College game, the Clemson game, and the Notre Dame game. While Florida State will play two weekday games, they will not have to play either on short rest. FSU’s final open week will come after a tough stretch of Miami, North Carolina, and Notre Dame. The extra open weeks and schedule quirks also benefit FSU against their top rivals.
FSU playing Duke on Friday night helps with the Miami game in two ways. Florida State should be able to get an extra day of rest before that game week, which will help with healing of bumps and bruises. Florida State is also fortunate that they will have an open week before that Duke game which means they can also use that week to work in extra preparation for the Canes.
Florida State got even more good fortune when it comes to preparing for Florida. Remember when I said that Florida State’s final open week will come after what may arguably their toughest stretch of games? The final two games after that bye will be Charleston Southern and the Gators. The Seminoles should be able to get plenty of rest and preparation in the weeks leading up to the UF game. my expectation is that Florida State will likely use most of the Charleston Southern week to prep for the Gators.
There is a final advantage to a schedule that has multiple open weeks and begins early. The 2024 schedule will significantly help FSU in the area of recruiting. The coaching staff being able to hit the road on three different weeks during the football season will go a long way to helping FSU secure another top-level recruiting class.
I wholeheartedly believe that the schedule sets FSU up for another run at an ACC title. No program gets everything they want with a schedule, but FSU absolutely came out of the process as well as can be expected. Will FSU exceed expectations and not only win another conference title, but also make the playoff? It is far too early to tell, but if they are able to do so, I believe the schedule will play a very big factor.