Here's a few paragraphs of the Feldman piece in the Athletic
Picking a preseason top 25? That’s easy. Projecting the 12-team College Football Playoff field? That’s trickier. The most vexing part? There’s the elephant in the room. And the bulldog, the longhorn, the tiger … and Lane Kiffin. If I were picking my preseason top 25, I’d have five SEC teams in my top 12, but I doubt that there will be that many teams from one league in the first expanded CFP.
Remember the expanded Playoff formula: The five highest-ranked conference champions receive automatic bids and seven at-large spots are given to the next highest-ranked teams. The four highest-ranked conference champions will be seeded 1-4 in the expanded Playoff. Those teams have a first-round bye. Seeds 5-8 host a first-round game and quarterfinals and semifinals are at bowl sites.
With that in mind, here’s my first crack at the CFP 12 for the 2024 season.
Here's what Feldman had to say about FSU:
3. Florida State: Ready to reload with a chip on its shoulder
Even with a ton of guys gone to the NFL, Mike Norvell has a squad ready to reload and make the expanded postseason — especially after last season’s drama. Only eight starters return, but the buzz inside the program is high about how ready some of the new starters are to break out. Patrick Payton leads a very talented defensive front and has Marvin Jones Jr., the Georgia transfer, across from him; I’m told he’s ready to have a monster season. Miami transfer Darrell Jackson is a massive presence. Watch out for CB Azareye’h Thomas, who could make a run at All-American honors.
The big question: How potent will DJ Uiagalelei be? He’s back in the ACC after making some strides at Oregon State. His ability to run should fit well in Norvell’s system. Transfers Malik Benson and Roydell Williams (both from Alabama) and Jaylin Lucas (Indiana) will add a spark. The Noles get Clemson at home and have trips to Miami and Notre Dame, and also will play a good Memphis team after a bye. A 10-2 run sounds about right, unless DJ U takes another big step.
Here's what Feldman had to say about FSU's opponents who he expects to make a run too:
8. Notre Dame: An OC-QB combo with great upside
Marcus Freeman has upgraded the Fighting Irish’s athleticism, which should really show on defense. Howard Cross III and Rylie Mills are disruptive forces up front and Ben Morrison and Xavier Watts both are All-American caliber on the back end. The offense figures to look quite different with OC Mike Denbrock returning to South Bend after a terrific two-year run at LSU. Duke transfer Riley Leonard brings much more of a running threat at QB. The season opener could be rough: The Irish visit Texas A&M to face the man who knows Leonard best, new Aggies head coach Mike Elko, his former head coach with the Blue Devils. Later, the Irish receive visitors Louisville and FSU, which will both be very dangerous, and then go to USC, which the Irish whupped last season.
11. Miami: Time to buy in
Miami has had just one top-10 finish in 20 years (2017). So why am I buying this version of the Canes? Miami has made a huge commitment to NIL, and its big free-agent additions prove that, starting with former Washington State QB Cam Ward. Everything I’ve heard out of Miami has been exceptional regarding Ward. He has an excellent arm, the knack for extending and making plays and brings leadership, something that the Canes have lacked there for a while.
Adding bruising RB Damien Martinez from Oregon State was another big get, and ex-Houston WR Sam Brown will add more punch to a potent group of receivers. The D-line also was significantly upgraded to help out budding superstar Rueben Bain and Akheem Mesidor. Miami starts on the road at Florida, which is in a rebuild, but The Swamp is never easy. Miami gets FSU at home. A 10-win season given all the infusion of talent here feels very realistic.
12. Memphis: Loads of talented returners
An excellent subplot this fall will be keeping an eye on the Group of 5 spot. My pick is the Tigers, who beat Iowa State in the Liberty Bowl en route to a 10-win season. The Tigers have been able to keep their big stars, which is really hard to do these days, especially if you aren’t a Power 4 program. Quarterback Seth Henigan has thrown 79 TDs the past three years and he’s a decent runner. His go-to guy Roc Taylor, a 6-3, 225-pound Freak, is at his best in big games. He had eight catches for 102 yards in the bowl win and seven catches for 143 yards in a close loss against last season’s breakout Missouri team.
Mario Anderson, South Carolina’s leading rusher last year, will boost a talented backfield, where speedy Sutton Smith looks like one of those old game-breaking Tigers RBs from the Mike Norvell days. The Tigers visit FSU in September, but after that, they should be more talented than everyone else they face, although games at USF and Tulane should be good challenges.
I expected Memphis to be good this year but this will be a bigger test than many of our fans may be prepared for.
Picking a preseason top 25? That’s easy. Projecting the 12-team College Football Playoff field? That’s trickier. The most vexing part? There’s the elephant in the room. And the bulldog, the longhorn, the tiger … and Lane Kiffin. If I were picking my preseason top 25, I’d have five SEC teams in my top 12, but I doubt that there will be that many teams from one league in the first expanded CFP.
Remember the expanded Playoff formula: The five highest-ranked conference champions receive automatic bids and seven at-large spots are given to the next highest-ranked teams. The four highest-ranked conference champions will be seeded 1-4 in the expanded Playoff. Those teams have a first-round bye. Seeds 5-8 host a first-round game and quarterfinals and semifinals are at bowl sites.
With that in mind, here’s my first crack at the CFP 12 for the 2024 season.
Here's what Feldman had to say about FSU:
3. Florida State: Ready to reload with a chip on its shoulder
Even with a ton of guys gone to the NFL, Mike Norvell has a squad ready to reload and make the expanded postseason — especially after last season’s drama. Only eight starters return, but the buzz inside the program is high about how ready some of the new starters are to break out. Patrick Payton leads a very talented defensive front and has Marvin Jones Jr., the Georgia transfer, across from him; I’m told he’s ready to have a monster season. Miami transfer Darrell Jackson is a massive presence. Watch out for CB Azareye’h Thomas, who could make a run at All-American honors.
The big question: How potent will DJ Uiagalelei be? He’s back in the ACC after making some strides at Oregon State. His ability to run should fit well in Norvell’s system. Transfers Malik Benson and Roydell Williams (both from Alabama) and Jaylin Lucas (Indiana) will add a spark. The Noles get Clemson at home and have trips to Miami and Notre Dame, and also will play a good Memphis team after a bye. A 10-2 run sounds about right, unless DJ U takes another big step.
Here's what Feldman had to say about FSU's opponents who he expects to make a run too:
8. Notre Dame: An OC-QB combo with great upside
Marcus Freeman has upgraded the Fighting Irish’s athleticism, which should really show on defense. Howard Cross III and Rylie Mills are disruptive forces up front and Ben Morrison and Xavier Watts both are All-American caliber on the back end. The offense figures to look quite different with OC Mike Denbrock returning to South Bend after a terrific two-year run at LSU. Duke transfer Riley Leonard brings much more of a running threat at QB. The season opener could be rough: The Irish visit Texas A&M to face the man who knows Leonard best, new Aggies head coach Mike Elko, his former head coach with the Blue Devils. Later, the Irish receive visitors Louisville and FSU, which will both be very dangerous, and then go to USC, which the Irish whupped last season.
11. Miami: Time to buy in
Miami has had just one top-10 finish in 20 years (2017). So why am I buying this version of the Canes? Miami has made a huge commitment to NIL, and its big free-agent additions prove that, starting with former Washington State QB Cam Ward. Everything I’ve heard out of Miami has been exceptional regarding Ward. He has an excellent arm, the knack for extending and making plays and brings leadership, something that the Canes have lacked there for a while.
Adding bruising RB Damien Martinez from Oregon State was another big get, and ex-Houston WR Sam Brown will add more punch to a potent group of receivers. The D-line also was significantly upgraded to help out budding superstar Rueben Bain and Akheem Mesidor. Miami starts on the road at Florida, which is in a rebuild, but The Swamp is never easy. Miami gets FSU at home. A 10-win season given all the infusion of talent here feels very realistic.
12. Memphis: Loads of talented returners
An excellent subplot this fall will be keeping an eye on the Group of 5 spot. My pick is the Tigers, who beat Iowa State in the Liberty Bowl en route to a 10-win season. The Tigers have been able to keep their big stars, which is really hard to do these days, especially if you aren’t a Power 4 program. Quarterback Seth Henigan has thrown 79 TDs the past three years and he’s a decent runner. His go-to guy Roc Taylor, a 6-3, 225-pound Freak, is at his best in big games. He had eight catches for 102 yards in the bowl win and seven catches for 143 yards in a close loss against last season’s breakout Missouri team.
Mario Anderson, South Carolina’s leading rusher last year, will boost a talented backfield, where speedy Sutton Smith looks like one of those old game-breaking Tigers RBs from the Mike Norvell days. The Tigers visit FSU in September, but after that, they should be more talented than everyone else they face, although games at USF and Tulane should be good challenges.
I expected Memphis to be good this year but this will be a bigger test than many of our fans may be prepared for.
