PHIL STEELE PREDICTIONS: Florida State’s 2026 Bounce Back Hype EXPOSED—Ashton Daniels is KEY

The Phil Steele’s 2026 Florida State Seminoles projections miss the mark—can FSU truly rebound, or will close-game woes haunt them again? Ryan Smith challenges Steele’s optimism, spotlighting the Seminoles’ 1-7 record in one-score games, turnover-prone performances under Ashton Daniels, and arguably the ACC’s toughest schedule featuring showdowns with Alabama and Florida. Are 9–3 expectations now underachievement territory in Tallahassee? Position-by-position, Brian Smith breaks down Florida State’s roster, praising depth at running back and receiver while questioning cohesion on the offensive line and turnover management at quarterback. Insightful rankings from Steele’s magazine are critiqued—QB outside the top 70, linebackers at 65th, and a secondary rated too low at 35th despite NFL-caliber talent like Ashlynd Barker and Ja’Bril Rawls. Can Norvell’s squad prove doubters wrong, or are Seminole fans in for another frustrating year? Everydayer Club If you never miss an episode, it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans. Click here to learn more and join the community: https://lockedonseminoles.supercast.com/ Support us by supporting our sponsors!  FanDuel Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Right now new customers can bet just five dollars and get one-hundred and fifty dollars in bonus bets if your first bet wins. Visit https://FANDUEL.COM to get started — Play Your Game. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expire in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.