Florida State entered the season ranked No. 3 and certainly didn't expect to be spending the holiday season in Shreveport, Louisiana, preparing for the Independence Bowl. What's more, it didn't expect a December hullabaloo over whether one of its six regular-season wins should have even counted toward bowl eligibility. Southern Miss enters on a three-game winning streak, finished 8-4 (6-2 Conference USA) and topped Marshall 28-27 to close out the regular season.
Viewing information
Date: Wednesday, Dec. 27 | Time: 1:30 p.m. ET
Location: Independence Stadium -- Shreveport, Louisiana
TV: ESPN | Live stream: Watch ESPN, Watch ESPN apps
Storylines
Florida State: The big news in this one is who won't be on the field on Wednesday afternoon. Safety Derwin James, defensive end Josh Sweat and linebacker Matthew Thomas will all sit as they prepare for their futures in the NFL. Quarterback James Blackman will be there, along with running backs Jaques Patrick, Cam Akers and a host of ultra-talented players who do have motivation to perform well in what will be an audition with new coach Willie Taggart looking on. It will be fascinating to see how the younger Seminoles have adjusted to a brief taste of Taggart's system and how the older players, like Patrick, who could be moving on, approach a game they didn't expect to be in prior to the season.
Southern Miss: For the Golden Eagles, this is a perfect chance to announce their presence as a dangerous program in Conference USA. We all know Florida State has had a down season, but the athletes are still there. Southern Miss has a high-octane scheme that features dual-threat quarterback Kwadra Griggs, who missed three games in the middle of the season due to injury. Griggs threw for 1,793 yards, 15 touchdowns and only two interceptions, adding 231 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. The biggest question will be on defense. Florida State's offensive line has been suspect for several years, and the Golden Eagles finished second in C-USA with 94 tackles for loss, and first in tackles for loss per game with 7.83.
Prediction
Give me the Seminoles to win, cover and do it in a very ugly way. Mixed motivation will haunt them early in the game and allow the Golden Eagles to hang around a bit. But in the end, the ability to play ground-and-pound football will turn 3-yard gains into 7-yard gains in the second half and allow the Seminoles to pull away. The defense will force a late mistake or two that earns a cover just before the final gun. Pick: Florida State (-15.5)
So what side do you need to be all over in the Independence Bowl? Visit SportsLine now to get a strong pick for Florida State vs. Southern Miss from insider Emory Hunt, who's on a 14-5 run in college football against the spread picks.
