Poll positioning

Any reasonable analysis of Florida State has to contain a battle of the past versus the present.

You look at the Seminoles' No. 5 ranking in the coaches' poll released yesterday, and your first inclination is to roll your eyes because FSU hasn't exactly cultivated a glistening reputation for living up to expectations.

Seems media and coaches have a habit of bestowing the "They're back" credentials on the Seminoles, only to see the Seminoles falter.

Here's a stat that should make Clemson fans feel pretty good:

Nine times in the last 10 years, Florida State has began a season ranked. The Seminoles finished lower than their preseason ranking in seven of those nine years, including unranked finishes three times.

It's impossible to ignore that history. Until the Seminoles eliminate that trend, it will be reasonable to cast doubts about the hype that surrounds them.

On the other hand, it's impossible to ignore the fact that the man who presided over all that underachievement is gone. Jimbo Fisher is entering his second season, and last year the Seminoles finished 16th after beginning the season ranked No. 20. So maybe that's the start of an overachieving trend, though it's hard to imagine FSU finishing this season higher than No. 5.

Here's a look at the past 10 years of Florida State's preseason and postseason coaches' poll positioning:

Year Pre/Post
01: 5/15
02: 4/23
03: 12/10
04: 6/14
05: 12/23
06: 10/--
07: 21/--
08: --/23
09: 19/--
10: 20/16

Here's what Clemson's looks like:

01: 18/--
02: --/--
03: --/22
04: 16/--
05: --/21
06: 18/--
07: --/22
08: 9/—
09: --/--
10: --/--

And how about Miami? Taking a look at these numbers, no wonder the Hurricanes have made two coaching changes in the last four years:

04: 5/11
05: 8/18
06: 11/--
07: --/--
08: --/--
09: --/19
10: 13/--

LW