Can Florida State football win it all? Yes, Kirk Herbstreit says

Florida State’s three-touchdown triumph over LSU has raised external expectations around the No. 4 Seminoles’ future. FSU became the betting favorite to win the ACC, but are the ‘Noles capable of winning a national championship?

“Yes, based on everybody that we watched,” ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit told the Tampa Bay Times on Wednesday.

Herbstreit — who called the game at Orlando’s Camping World Stadium — cautioned against making too many snap judgments after one week. He has been burned by overreactions before, and teams change over the course of the season.

But FSU is a veteran team that won 10 games last year and, crucially, suffered through one of the program’s worst periods in decades before that.

“This team played with a chip on their shoulder,” Herbstreit said. “I expect them to play like that. It’s going to be one of those teams that achieves a big win, and it’s not enough. They’re onto the next game.

“I think there’s enough guys that have been in misery there that they’re not going to get caught up in the fanfare and some of the hoopla that’ll surround them.”

It helps that FSU’s path to the College Football Playoff looks easier after Clemson’s stunning loss at Duke on Monday night. The Tigers are one of the few ACC teams with talent comparable to FSU, so the apparent weakness of the ‘Noles’ top competition makes a deep run more feasible.

“Just looking at those two teams, Florida State’s got to feel pretty good about themselves as they look right now in the ACC,” Herbstreit said. “So I’m excited to see what they can do the rest of the year.”

FSU hosts Southern Miss on Saturday in its home opener.

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