Chick-fil-A Bowl: Florida St. Seminoles vs. South Carolina Gamecocks
FSU Record: 9-4
The Seminoles lost games to Oklahoma, NC State, North Carolina, and to VA Tech in the ACC Championship Game. Their best wins were convincing victories over good-but-not-great Miami, Maryland, and Florida squads. Common opponents between FSU and USC are Clemson and Florida. The Noles beat Clemson 16-13 off a 50+ yard FG as time expired and blew out Florida 31-7.
FSU Key National Rankings
Rushing Offense: 42nd
Passing Offense: 61st
Total Offense: 55th
I know Christian Ponder is good, but these offensive numbers shouldn't strike fear in our hearts.
Rushing Defense: 25th
Passing Defense: 67th
Total Defense: 41st
Scoring Defense: 25th
Sacks: 2nd
This number worries me a bit. The Auburn game reminded me of why I used to worry about Stephen Garcia when he's facing a good rush. Our line will need to play better than it did against Auburn.
USC-FSU Series Record: 3-15
The Gamecocks and Seminoles used to square off fairly regularly from the late 1960s to early 1990s. The Noles, as the series record indicates, dominated the series, particularly in the 80s, when FSU rose to become a national powerhouse. The Gamecocks notched a notable victory over FSU in 1984 en route to a 10-2 season.