Florida State is widely regarded as the No. 1 team in the country for one easy-to-see reason: The Seminoles have the most talent.
It's not exactly breaking news to say FSU is loaded at just about every position, from reigning Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston at quarterback to top linemen like Cameron Erving on offense and Mario Edwards Jr. on defense. A scout told NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah just a few months ago that the team has "a million prospects" that are under consideration for the 2015 NFL Draft.
One coach in the ACC apparently agrees.
According to Fox Sports, a league coach said Florida State is so stacked with its starting 22 that half of the teams in the ACC don't not have a player who would start for the Seminoles this season.
That's quite the statement. The funny thing about it is he might actually have understated the talent advantage Jimbo Fisher has on the rest of the conference.
Clemson would probably be the unanimous pick as the second-most talented team in the ACC -- the Tigers had 12 players named to the Senior Bowl watch list earlier this week. Somebody like wide receiver Charone Peake or defensive end Vic Beasley would probably end up starting in Tallahassee. Defending Coastal champion Duke might be able to get wide receiver Jamison Crowder into the FSU lineup, and Virginia's Anthony Harris likely would be a starter at one of the safety positions.
As talented as Karlos Williams is, he'd probably be the second option at running back behind Miami's Duke Johnson. Louisville's DeVante Parker and Lorenzo Mauldin should be able to earn a start, too (more for the former than the latter). That covers five schools out of the 14-team league.
There would be some close calls at others, though. Syracuse's Sean Hickey might be able to beat out Bobby Hart as the Florida State right tackle. Virginia Tech is a talented squad, but guys like Luther Maddy and Kyshoen Jarrett would probably end up as rotation players. Maybe North Carolina's Ryan Switzer would be the primary punt returner. After that, the coach's statement rings true as Boston College, Georgia Tech, Pitt, N.C. State, and Wake Forest don't have any players that could come close to starting for FSU.
There's a reason why the Seminoles will be favored in every game this season, and it begins and ends with their starting 22 being college football's best.
You can follow Bryan Fischer on Twitter at @BryanDFischer.
