The Fix: 5 questions facing Florida State in 2014

The Fix is a look at major storylines following this year's top college contenders, and how teams will handle these challenges heading into the season.

The Florida State Seminoles enjoyed a fair bit of success in the BCS era, but the Bowl Championship Series is no more, and the Seminoles will now look to carry that success into the new playoff era.

Not surprisingly, the team's success a year ago has led to many underclassmen jumping ship for the pro ranks, but there's still plenty of talent in Tallahassee as the team gets set for another run at a national title.

Here are five questions facing Florida State entering the 2014 season:

Can Jameis Winston replicate his Heisman-caliber year?

The track record of Heisman Trophy winners that return to school for another year isn't good. Of the last seven student-athletes to win the award, Jameis Winston is the fifth to win the award and return to school the following year. Not one enjoyed the same success they did the year before. In fact, Ohio State running back Archie Griffin is the only player to win the award twice, and that was way back in 1974-75.

Winston's offseason shenanigans have been well-documented, be it allegedly stealing crab legs from a local grocery store, or closing out games for the school baseball team, entering games to the sound of the theme song from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. One wonders if he's focused enough on the upcoming season, or if his success has gotten to his head.

He'll also return to a passing offense that lost a first-round talent in wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin, and center Bryan Stork.

Can the team's ground game keep churning out yards?

All of the headlines went to Jameis Winston and the team's passing game, but the Florida State rushing attack was very effective a year ago, churning out 2,844 yards and 42 touchdowns.

Last year's leading rusher, Devonta Freeman, has moved on to the pro ranks, as has James Wilder Jr. The duo combined for 1,579 and 22 touchdowns last season, leaving the team looking for bodies to come in and replicate that production.

Karlos Williams is back for his senior season, and will likely spearhead a backfield committee that could feature as many as four backs, including redshirt sophomore Mario Pender, the eighth-ranked running back from the class of 2012, who's yet to see a snap since coming to Tallahassee.

Sophomore Ryan Green and early enrollee Dalvin Cook have plenty of speed and figure to fill out the committee. Green hit the field in 12 games in his freshman season, averaging 4.9 yards per carry on 33 attempts, while Cook comes to town as the third-ranked running back in the class of 2014.

Can they fill the holes made on defense?

Florida State lost some key contributors on the defensive side of the ball during the offseason, with three notable standouts:

• Defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan was a force in the interior of the team's defensive line. He finished first on the team in tackles for a loss, second in sacks, and did a number on the run, finishing third on the squad in tackles.
  
  Eddie Goldman hopes to step into a large role to replace Jernigan in his junior season. He recorded 19 tackles, three for a loss, and two sacks in limited playing time a year ago. After coming to Tallahassee as a five-star prospect, it's about time he's started to live up to that potential.
   
• Safety Lamarcus Joyner contributed in numerous ways in 2013, lining up all over the field and finishing second on the squad in tackles, first in sacks, and had two interceptions and three forced fumbles. His versatility helped make the Seminole defense so dynamic.
  
  Sophomore Jalen Ramsey could take a lot of the snaps that would have gone to Joyner, projecting as a starter in the team's base package. Head coach Jimbo Fisher has said as much, though expect to see some of Nate Andrew and Tyler Hunter back there as well. Each of those players has seen a fair number of snaps in the Seminoles' secondary, and know the system well.
   
• Defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt led the second-ranked unit in the nation, tweaking the team's scheme upon joining the program a year ago. He's moved on to take the same position at Georgia for more money.
  
  Pruitt deserves a lot of credit for the work he did in Tallahassee last season, helping the Seminoles take the next step, but the reality is he inherited a unit that was top-5 in the country to begin with, so new defensive coordinator Charles Kelly should be able to keep the unit afloat.

How angry is Clemson?

The Seminoles' third game of the year will be against the rival Clemson Tigers.

Flash back 11 months from that date to Oct. 19 of 2013 when an undefeated Florida State team went into Death Valley and wiped the floor with a previously undefeated Clemson team.

2013 was a prime year for the Tigers to make a run at a national title, but the Seminoles took that away from them in a big way with a decisive 51-14 road win.

Tajh Boyd and Sammy Watkins are gone, along with a host of others, and even the most hopeful Tigers fan would have to admit the team is in the midst of a rebuild, but Dabo Swinney is still around, and there's little doubt he'll have his boys extra motivated for this contest.

Where are the traps on their schedule?

The current state of the ACC is hardly anything for a team like Florida State to be worried about, but voters will surely be eager to throw them aside at the first sign of weakness as they did with Alabama a year ago. Pulling off a perfect season, even against a soft schedule, isn't easy, as Louisville learned a year ago.

The Seminoles likely won't be guilty of looking past a good Oklahoma State team in their opener in Arlington, and the aforementioned game with Clemson comes after a bye week. The next week they travel to play at N.C. State, which could be a challenge.

Notre Dame is the next speed bump, but that will be at home. Playing at Louisville would have been more impressive in 2013 when Teddy Bridgewater and Charlie Strong were around, as is the case with a Miami team that will see Stephen Morris play down the road with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Boston College gave the Seminoles more trouble than any team on their regular schedule, and the Eagles come to town in a sandwich game between contests against instate rivals. The regular season finale against Florida shapes up to be a tough one against a Gators team that seems poised for a bounce back.