Florida State Seminoles football, once again, will take part in a major opening weekend matchup.
No. 8 FSU and the No. 6 LSU Tigers are set to face off in Orlando inside Camping World Stadium, the same location where each team claimed a postseason bowl victory (FSU over Oklahoma, LSU over Purder) to wrap up the 2022 season.
It’s the second of a neutral site series between the two schools, with last year’s game — a 24-23 thriller of a Florida State victory — having taken place inside the Caesers Superdome in New Orleans.
Per FSU Sports Info, it’s the ninth time in the last 11 seasons Florida State has been featured in primetime on Labor Day weekend and the third consecutive Labor Day Sunday showcase for the Seminoles.
According to DraftKings, the Seminoles remain a 2.5-point underdog against the Tigers, with the over/under set at 58.5.
Florida State Seminoles vs. LSU Tigers how to watch
Date
Sunday, September 3
Time
7:30 p.m.
Watch
ABC
Stream
Listen
Florida State vs. LSU: Game Notes
—Florida State enters year four under Mike Norvell ranked No. 8 in the preseason polls, the program’s highest preseason rank since 2017, after doubling its win total from the previous year and finishing 10-3 in 2022.
—FSU is playing in a top-10 season opener for the fourth time in program history and first time since 2017 when No. 3 Florida State faced No. 1 Alabama in the first collegiate game inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. This season’s game is the fifth top-10 season opener nationally in the last 10 seasons, and Florida State is the only program to be involved in two of those contests.
—Florida State is 10-0-2 all-time in Orlando and has won nine straight contests in Orlando since a 17-17 tie with Georgia in the 1984 Citrus Bowl. The Seminoles are 2-0 in season openers played in Orlando, defeating No. 11 Ole Miss 45-34 in 2016 and beating Duke 70-26 in 1995.
—FSU scored at least 35 points in its final six games of 2022, the longest active streak in the nation entering 2023 and the program’s longest 35-point stretch points since the 2013 national championship season.
—The Seminoles return 77 players from the 2022 squad, including 11 all-conference selections and the ACC’s Defensive Rookie of the Year. Those players combined to account for 89.2 percent of FSU’s total offense, including 99.5 percent of passing yards and 76.4 percent of rushing yards, and 68.7 percent of its defensive production, including 80.0 percent of tackles for loss, last season.
—FSU also added a top-20 high school recruiting class, with seven true freshmen included on the opening week’s depth chart, and a top-5 group of transfers, including the nation’s highest-rated tight end, offensive tackle, cornerback and defensive lineman in the portal as well as top-five additions at defensive end and wide receiver.
—Florida State’s roster features 78 different players who have combined for 1,584 collegiate appearances and 39 players who have started at least one game combining for 626 collegiate starts.
—The Seminoles’ offensive line is by far the most experienced group in the country as they enter the season with a nation’s-best 307 games played and 214 combined starts, ranking 41 games played and 35 starts ahead of the next-closest team nationally. Nine different offensive lineman have started at least one collegiate game, and seven different offensive lineman on the 2023 squad have made at least 20 college starts.
—Heisman Trophy candidate Jordan Travis was the only player in the country to lead his conference in yards per play, yards per pass attempt, yards per completion, pass efficiency rating and fewest interceptions thrown (min. 200 pass attempts) last season.
—Preseason first-team All-American Jared Verse returns as the consensus ACC Defensive Player of the Year favorite. Verse earned the most votes among defensive players on the preseason
Odds/lines are subject to change. T&Cs apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.
