David Pollack Names College Football Powerhouse That 'Sucked' Last Season

"I think the obvious one is Florida State," Pollack said. "Like, Florida State is not going to be 1-7 (in conference). ... Florida State sucked. Florida State was terrible. They went 1-7 in the ACC, and they lost by an average of 20 points."

There are several reasons to believe that Florida State will improve in 2025. First, head coach Mike Norvell has demonstrated his capabilities by leading the team to back-to-back seasons with at least 10 wins, including a notable 13-1 record in 2023. 

Additionally, Florida State has been very active in the transfer portal, finishing with the No. 6 transfer class. The Seminoles made two significant additions: offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn, who previously served as the head coach for both the Auburn Tigers and UCF Knights, and former Boston College Eagles quarterback Thomas Castellanos. 

During his two seasons as a starter at Boston College, Castellanos threw for 3,614 yards and 33 touchdowns, while rushing for 1,307 yards and 14 touchdowns. Notably, he began his collegiate career at UCF under Malzahn. 

Together, Malzahn and Castellanos plan to revitalize an offense that ranked poorly in 2023, finishing 132nd in total offense, 116th in passing offense, 128th in rushing offense and 130th in scoring offense out of 133 teams. 

Castellanos will replace D.J. Uiagalelei, Brock Glenn and Luke Kromenhoek, all of whom played in at least five games last season and collectively accounted for 2,164 passing yards, 11 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions. Uiagalelei is hoping to secure a spot with the Los Angeles Chargers after going undrafted, Glenn remains on the roster, and Kromenhoek transferred to the Mississippi State Bulldogs. 

Florida State is set to open its season against Alabama on Aug. 30 at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC.