Is Clemson football the favorite in the ACC with Francois’ injury?
Florida State recently lost starting quarterback, Deondre Francois, for the year with an injury to his patella tendon. With Francois out, Clemson is now the clear favorite to win the ACC.
In the wake of Francois’ injury, Jimbo Fisher named true freshman, James Blackman, the starting quarterback. Hailing from Glades Central high school in Belle Glade, Florida, Blackman is a wiry pocket-passer with above-average arm strength. In a perfect world, he would be taking a redshirt to add muscle to his long frame. Instead, he must try and keep the Seminoles’ title hopes alive.
There’s no telling how he will handle the pressure that comes along with being the starting quarterback at Florida State. That being said, if anybody can win with a true freshman quarterback, it’s Jimbo Fisher.
Despite Fisher’s ability to groom quarterbacks, Clemson is now the clear favorite to win the ACC.
Thoughts:
Not only is Deondre Francois a talented passer, he is arguably the toughest quarterback in the country. His ability to repeatedly take punishment and continue to throw strikes, bailed out the Seminoles’ atrocious offensive line.
Blackman is much skinnier than Francois. As such, he may also have a hard time staying healthy behind that offensive line. If Blackman goes down, the ‘Noles are in serious trouble. Junior J.J. Cosentino is the next man up and how good can he really be if he was unable to beat out an inexperienced freshman for the backup role?
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The biggest reason the Seminoles will struggle without Francois, is due to their gauntlet of a schedule. Over the next four weeks, the ‘Noles will face the likes of Miami, NC State and Wake Forest; all of whom have formidable defenses.
When the time comes for Florida State to venture to Death Valley to face Clemson, defensive coordinator Brent Venables will be licking his chops. FSU’s inexperienced starting quarterback – whether it be Blackman or Cosentino – will have enough trouble with Clemson’s daunting home atmosphere, let alone Venables’ aggressive defense.
Clemson football’s advantage
The Tigers have the luxury of having Kelly Bryant, an experienced junior, as their starting quarterback. With the talent and experience that the Tigers’ have at wide receiver, Bryant doesn’t have to be special for them to win the ACC.
The same cannot be said for Florida State. Outside of Nyqwan Murray, the ‘Noles don’t have a legitimate threat at wide out. At this point, Clemson is a bad matchup for FSU. There is no questioning Florida State’s defense, however, there are serious concerns for the Seminoles offensively.
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At the moment, the Clemson football program has a good chance at returning to the ACC championship for the third consecutive season.