Tyler Stearns | Florida State lost to Georgia Tech on Saturday after a heartbreaking end to the 2023-24 season. The Seminoles went 13-0 last year but didn't get chosen for the playoff because their starting and backup quarterbacks got injured, a decision that was highly controversial and massively criticized by FSU. They played Georgia in their NY6 bowl game and lost 63-3. It was an embarrassing loss that would prove those who believed that they shouldn't get a playoff bid right.
On Saturday they had their chance to clap back and begin a new year. This summer they went into the portal and grabbed DJ Uiagalelei, Marvin Jones Jr., Roydell Williams, and others. But they had to take a lot out of the portal due to the amount of losses they had in the offseason. Nonetheless, they seemed poise to handle their ACC opponents. But all went wrong. Though they had a great start to the game, they quickly realized that Georgia Tech was a solid team. GT was running all over the field, either with their backs or Haynes King (QB). King was also able to make some throws over the middle that helped them in third and long situations. Florida State couldn't push the ball deep and were struggling to find any consistency in the run game. Georgia Tech bullied the FSU defensive line all game, something that GT head coach Brent Key emphasized pre-match. GTU upset FSU with a game-winning field goal and the Seminoles left Ireland with questions to ask themselves.
The biggest issue with the team looked to be the culture. There was no semblance of passion or pride for wearing the jersey which was one of the reasons why they weren't able to string together a consistent offensive attack. The issue comes from the portal for FSU, though. Coach Norvell has relied heavily on college transfers to better his team. Jordan Travis, Trey Benson, Jared Verse, Keon Coleman, and a plethora of other FSU stars last year came from the portal either that season or seasons prior.
USC had a similar predicament last year. The Trojans had a good 2022-23, winning 11 games with new HC Lincoln Riley after their 4-8 season. That team's foundation was all about the portal. Caleb Williams, Travis Dye, Mekhi Blackmon, Jordan Addison, and so many starters were players who were at different schools before. The formula seemed to work that year for USC and it looked like it would do the same for the next year. USC didn't get too many HS recruits going into the 2023-24 year, and again, relied heavily on the portal. But offensive line and secondary issues weren't addressed, and the team that had playoff aspirations fell to 7-5. After the abysmal season, HC Lincoln Riley took a step back. Rather than relying heavily on the portal to fill every necessary piece, developing from the ground up was the better plan of action. He also emphasized coaching, as he hired some of the nation's top defensive minds to fix the defense now, rather than later. It allowed him to get guys who were familiar with his scheme and create a more solid team chemistry. Though the team is yet to play a game under this new foundation, it seems that the Trojans' culture is massively improving. Of course, in today's college football, not using the portal won't allow you to succeed, but using it to create your entire roster creates more issues.
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