By: JJ Lanier

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

When the clock struck midnight and the year rolled over to 2018, I’m sure there were a lot of people happy to leave 2017 in the rear-view mirror. A certain fan base emanating from Tallahassee, FL would fall under that category.

To proclaim that the 2017 college football season didn’t turn out quite the way the Florida State Seminoles had anticipated is a bit of an understatement.

For a team that started the season with the goal of a National Championship, they finished with a 7-6 record (relying on a makeup game against Louisiana-Monroe and a technicality ruling concerning the number of scholarships awarded by Delaware State just to become bowl eligible) and lost their head coach when Jimbo Fisher pulled a “Lane Kiffin” on his way to Texas A&M.

Like every team heading into the season, there are few things to keep an eye on; in Tallahassee, it starts with the new man in charge.

Willie Taggart, who has changed coaching jobs so much over the past nine years that he had a forwarding address for his forwarding address, was brought in to replace the aforementioned Fisher.

And yes, it’s easy to joke about the number of head coaching jobs he has had during this nine years (four) but to Taggart’s credit they have all been a step up in prominence; Western Kentucky- South Florida- Oregon- Florida State. He is regarded as a very good coach and an excellent recruiter but he has yet to win a bowl game and arrives at FSU with an overall losing record of 47-50.

With all the uncertainty surrounding Taggart, I will say he is just as deserving of this opportunity, if not more so, than other coaches who have been given this chance- here’s looking at you Will Muschamp and Jim McElwain.

It should help things that he’ll have Deondre Francois back under center. I say “should” because after suffering from a season ending injury in the first game last year, you don’t know how Francois will be once he comes back. I imagine the 2016 ACC Rookie of the Year will be more than capable of regaining his prior form but until he’s able to prove it, you would understand if there’s some skepticism.

There’s plenty of talent on this year’s squad, too- something Florida State never seems to be in short supply of- especially on the defensive line and at running back.

However, even though I believe they return four starters on the offensive line, that is their area of weakness; another reason to temper expectations on Francois’ return.

If Francois is healthy and the offensive line is able to help keep him upright, things could be very promising.

However, if neither of those things take place, I do believe this team is more capable of holding things together better than they were last year.

Francois’ injury became a convenient excuse for last year’s troubles, but there’s a team in Athens that may have a different opinion on whether your season is over when it comes to losing your starting quarterback.

Florida State doesn’t necessarily have an easy schedule either, with road games against Miami, NC State, and Notre Dame. But, they do get Clemson at home, which I guess is a plus?

Regardless of the questions entering this season there’s a new era beginning in Tallahassee, and with it comes a renewed sense of optimism.

After last season, what other choice do they have?