TALLAHASSEE — T.K. Wetherell, a former state House speaker who went on to become president of his alma mater, Florida State University, died Sunday after a long battle with cancer, the university announced. He was 72.

Wetherell, a Daytona Beach native, served in the House from 1980 to 1992, the final two years as speaker. Wetherell, who played football at Florida State and earned his bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees from the school, served as FSU president from 2003 to 2010.

Known as a wily figure around the Capitol, Wetherell led the university through a period of growth — but also had to grapple with issues such as budget cuts and the heavily debated retirement of legendary football coach Bobby Bowden.

“As a veteran lawmaker, tireless supporter of higher education and then as president, T.K. used his energy and intellect to not only lead FSU through a severe budget crisis but to make sure it flourished in so many ways,” university President John Thrasher, also a former House speaker, said in a statement Sunday. “He was a remarkable person and a great friend.”

Wetherell, who served as president of Tallahassee Community College from 1995 to 2001 and earlier held positions at Daytona State College and Bethune-Cookman University, was a professor in FSU’s College of Education and director of the Center for Higher Education Research, Teaching & Innovation after stepping down as president.

“I cannot tell you how much we have enjoyed this, both me and my family,” Wetherell told FSU trustees in 2009 as he announced he would be leaving the presidency. “It has truly been a dream come true for me and I wouldn’t trade any minute (of) it for anything. It’s been great.”

Wetherell, who served as speaker when Democrats controlled the House, was married to Virginia Wetherell, a former secretary of the state Department of Environmental Protection. Jim Smith, who was chairman of the FSU trustees when T.K. Wetherell was president, said he and his wife, Carole, were close friends with the Wetherells.

“A highlight for me was to serve as chairman of the Board of Trustees during part of his presidency of FSU, where he did many wonderful things for Florida State and the Tallahassee community,” said Smith, a former Florida attorney general and secretary of state. “His passing leaves a big hole in our lives.”

The university’s announcement of Wetherell’s death listed numerous achievements while he was president, including increasing the academic quality of students, increasing the number of doctoral degrees awarded, increasing research dollars and overseeing what the school described as a “boom” in campus building.

“T.K. was an amazing man who was able to accomplish so much because of his boundless energy and his ability to focus and continue working through any challenge,” former Provost Larry Abele said in a statement Sunday. “He was always optimistic that whatever project he was working on would be successful.”

Wetherell was succeeded as president by Eric Barron, who is now the president at Penn State University. When Wetherell told trustees in 2009 that he was retiring, he said he had been wrestling with the decision for some time.

“I want to do some teaching. I want some time to relax and travel … just be a real person,” he said.

On Saturday at 3:30 on ESPN2 the Seminoles will take on the Boston College Eagles.

The 7-3 Eagles come in ranked no. 20 in the college football playoff poll. Their seven wins were against Massachusetts, Holy Cross, Wake Forest, Temple, Louisville, Miami and Virginia Tech. Their three losses have come against Purdue, NC State and Clemson.

The last time the Seminoles played BC in Campbell Stadium was on Veterans and two years ago. The Eagles could not do anything through the air which helped Florida State stifle their offense and when 45-7.

 Last year on a Friday night FSU went to Chestnut Hill and got crushed 35-3.

 Observations from the Notre Dame game

The amount of penalties got better, but the turnovers, missed assignments and dropped passes were too much to overcome. While I thought James Blackman should have started Francois actually played pretty well sans a couple bad throws and decisions. With Walt Bell calling the plays the offense has found a little momentum and a run game. This of course happened right as the defense has hit a wall.

Florida State offense versus Boston College defense

Every starter on the Boston College defense has been in the program for 3+ years.  This experience helps make up for the lack of speed. Pass rushers Zach Allen and Wyatt Ray make the most headlines on this side of the ball.  After a big season by Zach Allen last year, opposing teams have been trying to slow him down with double teams and chipping on him. Because of this, Wyatt Ray sometimes goes up against a single blocker allowing him to gather up nine sacks, which is tied with Brian Burns and Syracuse’s Alton Robinson for the ACC lead. Zach Allen has still been able to record six sacks but is on his own creating a very formidable pass rush for the Eagles. Both are big defensive ends which allows them helps them be able to get in on the rushing attack. This constant pressure has forced opposing quarterbacks to throw 15 interceptions (4th in the FBS). Taj-Amir Torres has two interceptions and Hamp Cheevers, who leads the FBS, has six.

Boston College has made a lot of game changing plays with all of the sacks and interceptions but they are still susceptible to giving up yards and points. So a big thing to watch on this side of the ball will be if the Seminoles can hang on to the football. This will be tough as Boston College ranks 7th in the FBS in turnover margin at +1.0 per game. Florida State ranks 3rd to last in the FBS in turnover margin at -1.3 per game.

Due to BC’s lack of size at the corner position, I expect Walt Bell and Francois to target big receivers like Tamarrion Terry and Keith Gavin in this game. Look for FSU to use jet sweeps to Noonie Murray and DJ Matthews to try to beat BC linebackers to the edge as well.

Florida State defense versus Boston College offense

Probably the most important stat about the Eagles offense is that they have 215 more rushing attempts than passing attempts. With that being said, the biggest question going into this game is the health of quarterback Anthony Brown, who was injured in the first quarter of the Clemson game last weekend. Even though Brown does not throw the ball very much he still has 16 TDs. The most reliable receiver is tight end Tommy Sweeney. He leads the team with 26 receptions. Wide receivers Kobay White and Jeff Smith are the deep targets for the Eagle’s offense with both averaging over 14 yards a catch.

Last but not least, is sophomore sensation AJ Dillon. Since he was inserted into the lineup midway through his freshman season he has led the FBS in rushing yards per game with 146. Last year he went just over that average against the Seminoles rushing for 149 yards. Running behind a mammoth and very experienced offensive line has definitely attributed to Dillon’s success, as 4 of the 5 linemen are seniors. To help counter this run heavy offense Florida State has moved Dontavious Jackson to outside linebacker and has moved Leonard Warner to the starting middle linebacker position. This lineup seemed to have helped a little bit in the second half of the Notre Dame game. I also expect run stuffing freshman Robert Cooper to get more snaps at defensive tackle.

The Seminole secondary received good news as starting corner Lavonta Taylor could be available for the first time since the first quarter of the Clemson game. If Taylor is able to take on a BC receiver by himself that will free up a safety to help stop the rushing attack.

Special teams

Colton Lichtenberg is 5/6 on the season and his career long is 40 yards. It is safe to say that Lichtenberg is very shaky and even though Ricky Agauyo has struggled this season he is the better kicker in this matchup.

The Eagles freshman punter Grady Carlson has shown improvement over the season but is still not on Logan Tyler’s level. FSU has the advantage at both kicking positions. The punt returner for both schools, Michael Walker for BC and DJ Matthews, are in the top 12 in the FBS in return yards per attempt.

Prediction

Boston College has had a solid year but, when the opposing team is able to hang onto the ball they have had trouble stopping people. Once they get an early lead they like to run AJ Dillon and use the play action pass on offense. When the opposing team is forced to pass, BC lets their talented pass rushers go to work. FSU has fallen behind 10-0 in 4 straight games and 17-0 in 3 straight.  So undoubtedly the biggest key for FSU is to start fast and get Boston College to do things that they are not comfortable with.

I think Florida State will finally get out to a good start and battle with the Eagles until the end of the team game. I will say FSU wins 28-26 stopping a Boston College two-point try in the final minutes to get to 5-6. If this happens, next week’s game against Florida becomes that much more important for this team and the program.

This Saturday FSU will travel to Raleigh to take on the North Carolina State Wolfpack at 3:30 on ABC.

NC State is 5-2 on the season and 2-2 in the ACC. The Wolfpack started off 5-0 with wins over James Madison, Georgia State, Marshall, Virginia and Boston College. They have since lost 2 in a row to Clemson and Syracuse.

Carter-Finley Stadium has been a house of horrors for Florida State in the past, but the ‘Noles did manage to win the last meeting there in 2016. Dalvin Cook and Francois led a come back to give the Seminoles a 24-20 victory.

Last year in James Blackman’s first start of his career the Seminoles fell to North Carolina State 27-21. Despite going up against a talented defensive line Blackman 278 yards in the loss.

Observations on the last game

Penalties, turnovers, missed blocks, bad snaps, dropped passes, ejections, bad tackling, errant throws and quitting. I think I got it all. If the Seminoles play like this against any team it still would have been a blowout, but when they play like this against a good team it will end up in a blowout of historic proportions.

James Blackman and Keyshawn Helton looked pretty good in mop up time in the fourth quarter.

Florida State offense versus North Carolina State defense

Francois is dealing with an injury and is considered day-to-day. If he is unable to go James Blackman will get his first start of the year. A different voice on the field with the offense may provide a spark to an offense that has struggled for most of the season.

Going up against Clemson’s 4th-ranked rushing defense did not go very well for the Seminoles and North Carolina State is ranked 5th in rushing defense. So running the ball will most likely not get any easier. NC State is 126th at stopping the pass so pushing the ball downfield will be how FSU is able to move the ball. The deep ball was very effective against the Wolfpack last year and I expect the Seminoles will try to exploit that once again. Tamarrion Terry should be targeted early and often. Florida State’s top receiver Noonie Murray will be suspended for the first half for throwing a punch in the last game. DJ Matthews and Tre’Shaun Harrison will be replacing him in the lineup. Look out for Keyshawn Helton as well.

No offensive linemen were injured last weekend but I expect changes to happen there as well.

Despite losing four players to the NFL draft, the NC State defensive line returns James Smith-Williams and Jarrell Murchison to anchor the line. Hard-hitting and all-around playmaking linebacker Germaine Pratt will be running downhill to stop the run. He leads the team in sacks with 5 ½ and tackles with 73.

Florida State defense versus North on State North Carolina State offense

Ryan Finley is NC State’s quarterback and he is the most polished pocket passer the Seminoles have faced all season. He has thrown for 2,250 yards (15th in the FBS) and 13 TDs with 6 interceptions on the year. Big receiver Kelvin Harman is Finley’s favorite target and ranks 12th in the country in receiving yards at 794. Harman has 46 receptions for 4 TDs on the season. Jakobi Myers, who has 43 catches for 416 yards, is another solid option for Finley. It was announced on Monday that senior receiver Stephen Louis would miss the rest of the season. Emeka Emezie will replace him in the starting lineup.

The Wolfpack’s offensive line features 3 seniors on the left and at center and 2 sophomores on the right side. NC State has only given up 4 sacks on the season. Only Army has given up less. Reggie Gallaspy is the featured back but only averages 3.8 yards per carry. Freshman Ricky Person spells Gallaspy from time to time.

FSU has been able to slow down good rushing games teams this year so I don’t see them having what problem much of a problem slowing NCSU’s attack down. If Brian Burns and company are unable to get to Finley they need to at least make him rush his throws to help out the young secondary against NC State’s experienced receivers. The cornerback depth may take a hit with Lavonta Taylor being sidelined with an injury. Asante Samuel Jr and AJ Lytton will need to grow up quickly for the defense to have a chance to keep the Seminoles in the game.

Special teams

Punter Logan Tyler was punted 12 times versus Clemson. Hopefully his usage comes down a lot this game. AJ Cole and Tyler both averaged 43 yards per punt. Freshman kicker Christopher Dunn has only missed three field goals on the year.

DJ Matthews was unable to get anything going against the Tigers and even fumbled a punt giving Clemson the football on the Seminole 10-yard line. Due to NC State’s kicking prowess I’ll give them the edge on special teams.

Prediction

After last week’s appalling performance it is very hard to predict how Florida State will play this weekend. I am usually optimistic so I will take the side that they will learn from last week and play hard. Hopefully they play with more discipline as well. With that being said, North Carolina State has lost 2 in a row on the road and I expect them to come out playing inspired on their home field. The Seminole defense will play like we have seen them play for most of the season to keep the ‘Noles in the game. I don’t think offense will get enough going in the first half to keep the defense out of bad situations. I think the Seminoles will play much better but will come up short falling to the Wolfpack 31-20.

On Saturday at noon the Seminoles will take on the Clemson Tigers on ABC.

Clemson is number two in the AP poll and are leading the ACC Atlantic. They are undefeated at 7-0 with victories over Furman, Texas A&M, Georgia Southern, Georgia Tech, Syracuse, Wake Forest and North Carolina State.

Clemson won the game last year 31-14. FSU was down by three with six minutes to go on the Clemson side of the field but James Blackman was intercepted cutting the Seminoles rally just short. While running the clock out Clemson scored two rushing touchdowns.

The last time Florida State beat Clemson was in Doak Campbell Stadium during the 2014 season. That was the game that Sean Maguire filled in for the suspended James Winston. Running back Karlos Williams scored the game-winning touchdown in overtime to give the Seminoles the 23-17 victory. Clemson has since reeled off three straight wins in the series.

Observations from the wake forest game

Francois looked healthy and rejuvenated. He still missed a couple throws and is still learning the offense but continued to get better in the new system. The throw he made to Tamarrion Terry on the touchdown that was called back in the second quarter was the best release made he has made all season.

Joshua Kaindoh was ejected for targeting in the fourth quarter and will miss the first half of the Clemson the game.

Wake Forest ran 104 plays on Saturday. It was impressive to me to see the adjustments made on the defensive side to make the Demon Deacon offense come to almost a complete stop. The conditioning of the team was evident, as they only got stronger as the game went on even as the plays were piling up.

The rushing attack is still trying to find its footing, but when Akers and Patrick carried the ball on first down and on non-obvious rushing downs the offensive line was able to get the backs some holes.

Florida State offense versus Clemson defense

The matchup that will be talked about all week will be the offensive line versus the super talented Clemson defensive line. Clelin Ferrell and Austin Bryant are the starting ends. Christian Wilkins and Dexter Lawrence are the starting defensive tackles. Wilkins, Lawrence and Ferrell are expected to go in the first round of the NFL draft. This is bad news for the FSU offensive line, they are still trying to find the right line up. The lineup from the Wake Forest game will be used for the second game in a row. They did a decent job last Saturday but an injury to one of the tackles, Derrick Kelly or Brady Scott, will make it an even longer day for Francois.

The Clemson linebackers are solid tacklers and are experienced enough to not make very many mistakes. The secondary for the Tigers has had some growing pains this season and for FSU to have success it will most likely come through the air by attacking the young safeties. The past couple weeks they have really found their groove as they have only given up 10 points in the last two games. FSU explosive receiver Terry will still be looked at for big plays even though the Tigers defensive backs are big and physical. Receivers that I expect to have the most production are the quick guys like Noonie Murray, DJ Matthews and Tre’Shaun Harrison. Using the pass to set up the run is what really changed the offense’s production in last week’s game so I believe that Coach Taggart will try to use this plan of attack early.

Florida State defense versus Clemson offense

Clemson is 7th in the nation in rushing on the season. So the strength of the FSU defense will be tested against Travis Etienne and the Tiger rushing attack. Nationally Etienne is tied for 1st in rushing touchdowns and is 10^th in rushing yards with 800. He scored three rushing touchdowns against NC State, but was held to only 36 yards. The Clemson offensive line is talented, massive and experienced with three juniors and two seniors. This is easily the best offensive line the Seminoles have gone up against all season.

Don’t forget about quarterback Trevor Lawrence and running backs Adam Choice and Tavien Feaster’s ability to make plays in the run game as well. Keeping Demarcus Christmas, Marvin Wilson and Fred Jones on the field will be vital to Florida State’s success.

With all the talk about the Clemson line I don’t think the Seminole D-line gets as credit much as they should. The Seminole defense has 25 sacks this season, which is 4 ½ more than the Tigers. Brian Burns has been playing incredible football since the start of conference play and is currently 2nd in the FBS with 9 sacks. These are some impressive numbers, but the different blitzes run by defensive coordinator Harlan Barnett have provided a nice boost to the pass rush and that trend will continue against the true freshman quarterback. These blitzes have to get home or else Lawrence will be able to take the ‘Noles apart. When Lawrence has time he will try to throw bombs down field to Tee Higgins and Justyn Ross. When he is pressured he will go to veteran safety valve Hunter Renfrow. Once again the pressure will be on the young safeties to play beyond their years.

Special teams

Ricky Agauyo has been erratic this season but does seem a little more comfortable at home. Logan Tyler has been great the past three games raising his average to 43.3 yards per punt but it is still peculiar to me how much teams do not pressure him with how much struggles against pressure.

Clemson’s kicker Grant Huegel has been decent this season going 7/10. Clemson’s punter Will Spiers is averaging 40 yards per punt. Clemson always has solid athletes in the return game but DJ Matthews has been in a zone returning punts. With the way Florida State has been playing special teams I think the Garnet and Gold has a slight advantage.

Prediction

Florida State has to avoid three and outs and giving up big passing plays in the first quarter or it can get ugly quickly. I think the Seminoles will do well at avoiding those mistakes early to keep it close going into the second half. The Tigers stifling defense and constant rushing attack will eventually break the home team down in the fourth quarter. It will be within 10 points or so going into the final quarter but a short field set up by the defense will help Clemson get a touchdown that will seal the game. I think the Seminoles will fall 30-16.

A Tallahassee Sports Legend has passed

Prof. Roosevelt Wilson passed away this last Sunday. While at FAMU he was athletic director, sports information director and journalism professor. His son Vaughn Wilson, the current FAMU sports information director, is one of my great friends and he has helped me learn the nuances of sports journalism. So no doubt some of Prof. Wilson’s expertise has rubbed off on me. He was a great man, Rattler and Tallahasseean.

The Rattlers and new coach Willie Simmons are 5-2 overall including 4-0 in the MEAC. Directed by junior quarterback Ryan Stanley FAMU is playing fast, physical and disciplined football. This Saturday at 4 PM in Bragg Memorial Stadium the Orange and Green look to stretch their winning streak to five games against Morgan State. Come on Rattlers strike, strike and strike again for the Wilson family.

Florida State University will launch its new Civil Rights Institute with an inaugural event on Thursday, Nov. 1, featuring acclaimed civil rights speaker Desmond Meade.

The institute is an interdisciplinary endeavor created by the Office of the Provost, FSU Libraries, the Center for the Advancement of Human Rights, the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, the College of Communication and Information and the College of Criminology and Criminal Justice. Its mission is to commemorate and study the U.S. civil rights movement and to promote civil rights and social change.

“President Thrasher and I are very pleased to have this important work happening at FSU,” said Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Sally McRorie. “This joint effort will leverage Florida State’s unique history of civil rights with ongoing social justice work.”

The institute will host speakers and events, curate museum exhibits, develop an interactive website and publications, support education and research and build library collections that focus on civil rights and social change.

The Civil Rights Institute grew out of conversations between Doby Flowers and attorney Fred Flowers, both FSU alumni, Thrasher and McRorie. Doby Flowers was FSU’s first African-American Homecoming Queen, and her brother, Fred, was the first African-American athlete to wear an FSU uniform. They have worked with FSU Libraries to develop the steering committee that has been instrumental in shaping the new institute.

The institute’s opening event, which is free and open to the public, will take place at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 1, at the Dunlap Champions Club in Doak Campbell Stadium.

The event will include remarks by McRorie and a presentation by Doby and Fred Flowers on the startup and components of the institute.

Meade, the event’s featured speaker, is president of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition and chair of Floridians for a Fair Democracy, the group that is responsible for the Amendment 4 ballot initiative. The amendment seeks to change Florida’s Constitution to allow felons who have completed their sentences to regain expeditiously the right to vote in Florida.

Meade, who holds a law degree from Florida International University, is a frequent contributor to the national conversation about advocacy for felon rights and a sought-after speaker and has been featured on MSNBC with Joy Ann Reid and by the Huffington Post. He will speak about the issues before the state of Florida from a personal and legal perspective.

Florida State plays host to the Wake Forest Demon Deacons this Saturday at 3:30 on ESPN2.

Wake Forest is 3-3 on the year with wins against Tulane, Rice and Towson and losses to Boston College, Notre Dame and Clemson.

The last time Florida State played the Demon Deacons was last year in Winston-Salem. The Seminoles notched their first victory of the season by a count of 26-19. James Blackman threw the game-winning touchdown to Auden Tate with 53 seconds to go in the game.

Florida State is looking to extend its six-game winning streak against the Demon Deacons. The last time the Seminoles lost to Wake Forest was in 2012.

Observations from the last game

Francois was moving well in the pocket and throwing the football with more confidence. With about five minutes left in the half Francois got tangled up and had to be sidelined for a play. He finished the second quarter out the way he started it and the Seminoles had a 20-7 lead going into the locker room. In the second half he did not play the same way and seemed unsure of himself. He had two turnovers, two more fumbles and plenty of missed reads. This raised questions about whether or not James Blackman should have been put into the game. I think Francois is a solid quarterback when he is not hurt or worried about re-injuring himself. Hopefully he is back to 100% after this bye week.

DJ Matthews was able to get space in the return game and even took one back for a touchdown. Catching the punt and then freezing to scan the field was a new trick he picked up and it is paying big dividends. This is something Peter Warrick used to do.

The defense played well but continues to have problems getting stops on third down and long. The defensive line is getting a lot better at getting to the quarterback, but when they don’t get there right away the corners are having a tough time staying in front of their man.

Florida State offense versus Wake Forest defense

The Florida State offense is coming off of another subpar performance against Miami. The Seminoles looked like they were turning the corner on this side of the ball in the first half. The second half was a different story as they managed just 45 yards of offense, zero points and had two costly turnovers. If they are going to improve they will have a great opportunity to gain some confidence against Wake Forest. The Deacons have been atrocious on defense. Things got so bad that they fired their defensive coordinator just four games into the season. In the two games since they have continued to struggle giving up 24 points to Rice and 63 points to Clemson. Wake’s defense is 123rd in total yards per game, 120th in rush yards per game and 106th in passing yards per game. (There are 130 teams in the FBS) The Seminoles are 112th in total offensive yards per game and 126th in rushing. Something has to give so I think FSU will to try to establish the pass early to push the safeties back to create favorable numbers when they start going with the run. Once Florida State shows it can have success through the air, Akers, Patrick and Rasul will get plenty of carries to try to tire out the Wake Forest defense. Coach Taggart and offensive coordinator Walt Bell have said throughout the week they will use more tempo to get the run game going as well.

The lineup for the offensive line this week will be Derrick Kelly, Cole Minshew, Alec Eberle, Mike Arnold and Brady Scott. Landon Dickerson remained out after re-injuring his ankle against Louisville. If the run game continues to struggle against Wake Forest center Beveon Johnson may come into the game while Eberle moves to guard.

Wake Forest does have a couple playmakers to look out for. These include Carlos Basham Jr, sophomore defensive end and Justin Strnad, a junior linebacker. Basham has three sacks and 29 tackles on the season. Strnad has 34 tackles on the year with two and a half of those being for loss. Cornerback Essang Bassey leads the team in tackles with 39. It’s not a good sign when a cornerback leads a team in tackles so look for the Seminoles to target him through the air.

Florida State defense versus Wake Forest offense

Wake Forest uses a run first spread offense. They like to use misdirection and motion to try to confuse defenses. Freshman quarterback Sam Hartman hasn’t developed into a big-time passer yet but is a determined runner. Matt Coburn (289 yards) and Cade Carney (446 yards) are power backs that are quicker than you think but are not home run hitters. Recently named midseason All-American Greg Dortch is very quick and has enough speed to burn the corners. The slot receiver ranks 8th in the country with 46 receptions. He had a huge game against the Seminoles last year with 10 catches for 110 yards. Look for Florida State to use bump and run coverage on him most of the game to try to manage his quickness. Lavonta Taylor and freshman Asante Samuel Jr will most likely be assigned to cover him. The Wake Forest offensive line is very experienced with all starters being at least redshirt juniors. Wake’s biggest strength is running the football but FSU has been very good at stopping running backs this year. Containing the Demon Deacon receivers on short passes will be the biggest key for the Seminole defense. There are not any notable defensive injuries or changes to worry about.

Special teams

This game will feature two of the most exciting punt returners in the country in Florida State’s DJ Matthews and Wake Forest’s Greg Dortch. Matthews was named ACC specialist of the week last time out versus Miami. Dortch is just as explosive as he is 2nd in the country in total yards per game at 176. Logan Tyler was better versus Miami but the Hurricanes did not pressure him as much as other teams. This was interesting to me because he struggles when he feels like he’s in a rush. Wake punter Dom Maggio is averaging 3 less yards less per punt than Tyler but does seem to get the ball out quicker. Nick Sciba has missed fewer than Ricky Agauyo but has not made a kick over 39 yards this season. FSU has been better on special teams lately but Wake Forest has been more consistent in this area this season.

Prediction and why

Due to some time off to get healthy and learn more about the Demon Deacon’s suspect defense, I expect Florida State’s offense to play one of its best games of the year. Containing Sam Hartman in the quarterback run game and short passes will present a few issues for the defense. Both offenses should be able to move the ball up and down the field but with both teams wanting to use the ground attack the there will be a lot of time used up during these drives. At the end of the day I think Florida State will win 40-20. Greg Dortch will have another big game against FSU but it will not be enough to out score the Seminoles. Cam Akers or Jacques Patrick will finally go over 100 yards on the ground in a game this season.

Starting defensive end Janarius Robinson’s home in Panama City was destroyed in Hurricane Michael. The NCAA allowed him to set up a gofundme to help raise money for his family. If you would like to donate go to https://www.gofundme.com/robinson-rebuild-hurricane-michael

TALLAHASSEE — Florida university leaders want to revise the system’s performance-funding model, looking to eliminate a dreaded “bottom three” that annually denies state money to the lowest-performing schools.

In this academic year, Florida A&M University, the University of North Florida and New College of Florida missed out on shares of $265 million in state performance funding because they were ranked in the bottom three on a 100-point scale.

The three schools lost out despite the fact that two of them, Florida A&M and the University of North Florida, improved their performances on an evaluation in June, while New College maintained its performance level from the prior year.

But that penalty would be eliminated under a plan discussed Tuesday by the Budget and Finance Committee of the university system’s Board of Governors during a meeting in Tampa.

The plan is a response to a new state law directing the university system to develop a “performance-based continuous improvement model focused on outcomes that provides for the equitable distribution of performance funds.”

Basically, the new model would allow any state universities that improve their performances on a series of measures, including graduation rates, salaries of recent graduates, retention of students and student costs, to receive full shares of the state performance funds.

If any school’s performance declined on the 100-point scale over two consecutive years, it would have to develop a “student success plan” to improve performance. The plan would be presented to the Board of Governors, and if approved, the school would receive 50 percent of its state performance funding.

A second evaluation would occur in March and, if approved by the Board of Governors, the second 50 percent of the funding would be released.

Beginning in the 2021-2022 academic year, all the schools would have to score at least a 70 on the performance scale to qualify for the state performance funds.

If a school fell below that level, it would only receive 50 percent of its allocation, divided into two 25 percent amounts subject to a performance-improvement plan and approval by the Board of Governors.

In the last evaluation, the 11 participating schools averaged 81 points on the performance scale, with only UNF falling slightly below the proposed 70 percent measure. Florida Polytechnic University, the state’s newest school, does not yet participate in the program.

Syd Kitson, chairman of the Board of Governors budget panel, said the new performance model retains a focus on student success as well as recognizing “continuous” improvement by the schools.

“We’re trying to be fair to the universities because this is a fairly significant change, but one that we think addresses the concerns that the Legislature had,” Kitson said.

He said, at the same time, it is designed to keep “everybody on their toes and there is a consequence to not performing.”

Kitson also noted the performance-funding system, which has been in use since 2014-2015, has resulted in significant improvements at the universities, including more than a 5 percent increase in four-year graduation rates and a 9.9 percent decrease in the number of undergraduates taking “excess” classes to earn degrees.

“There’s real data that shows that it is working. It’s really contributing to student success. And I think that’s exciting for all of us,” Kitson said.

Another aspect of the new performance model is that it would eliminate the use of a tie-breaking mechanism if more than three schools tied for the “top three” level, which guarantees 100 percent of schools’ shares of the state performance funds.

That formula proved costly this year to the University of South Florida and the University of West Florida, which both statistically ranked among the top three scores, but were eliminated based on the tie-breaker.

The full Board of Governors is expected to review the new performance-funding proposal at a meeting in November.

This was also the case in 2016. See the FBI reports below.

The FBI states that university/college crime statistics are affected by a variety of factors. These include demographic characteristics of the surrounding community, ratio of male to female students, number of on-campus residents, accessibility of the campus to outside visitors, size of enrollment.

Florida State University is located within the Tallahassee city limits. Tallahassee/Leon county has led the state of Florida in crime rate for the last four years – 2014,2015,2016, and 2017.

Also, the city of Tallahassee has set two new records for murders over the last four years.

Last year President John Thrasher in a statement lauded the outreach and crime-fighting efforts of the police department and maintained that student safety is paramount.

“We must continue working closely with our local law enforcement agencies to stem the rising tide of crime in other parts of the community,” Thrasher said. “Nothing is more important to us than the safety and well-being of our students, faculty and staff.”

Like in 2017, the report says the FSU leads in multiple crime categories to include rape, property crime, larceny, and motor vehicle theft.

The statistics are based on all offenses that were reported to local law enforcement in 2017.

The university reported higher crime counts than larger schools like the University of Central Florida in Orlando, the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida International University in Miami, and the University of South Florida in Tampa.

The FBI reports for 2016 and 2017 are below:

TALLAHASSEE — Florida universities continued their academic climb in the latest U.S. News & World Report annual college rankings, placing five schools in the country’s top 100 public universities for the first time.

The 2019 rankings, which were released Monday, included:

— The University of Florida moved from No. 9 to No. 8 on the list, continuing its quest to become one of the top five public research universities.

— Florida State University jumped seven spots to No. 26, just outside its goal of reaching the top 25 public universities.

— The University of South Florida, recently designated by the state as a “preeminent” research university, improved to No. 58, up 10 spots from last year.

— The University of Central Florida was ranked at No. 87, compared to No. 90 last year.

— Florida International University recorded the largest statistical climb, reaching No. 100 among public research universities, up 22 spots from last year.

In other U.S. News rankings, New College of Florida improved to No. 5 on the list of public liberal-arts colleges and improved 11 spots to No. 90 among all public and private liberal-arts schools.

Florida A&M University was ranked No. 9 among public and private historically black colleges and universities, a decline from last year’s No. 6 ranking. The school was ranked second on the list of the top public HBCUs.

The closely watched U.S. News rankings are based on 15 measurements aimed at evaluating the academic quality of the institutions. The measures include graduation rates, retention rates, class sizes, peer reputation and faculty resources.

For the first time this year, the rankings included a “social mobility” factor that measures the performance of students who receive Pell Grants. The federal grants are awarded to students who have annual family incomes below $50,000, with most below $20,000.

The performances of Pell students, who constituted 38 percent of the systemwide enrollment in Florida in the fall of 2016, was one of the factors that helped the state schools rise in the national rankings.

Its largest impact may have been at Florida International, where more than 50 percent of students are on Pell grants. FIU was the only Florida school where the Pell students had a higher six-year graduation rate, 57 percent, compared to non-grant students, 56 percent.

“Our improvement demonstrates that our focus on student success — timely graduation and preparation to take or create great jobs — is making a difference for our students and their families,” FIU President Mark Rosenberg said.

Florida State University reported a 77 percent six-year graduation rate for its Pell students, ranking it No. 22 among public research universities.

“That’s the story of FSU,” Provost Sally McRorie said. “We are creating an environment where everyone can succeed because we provide the kinds of resources that can help people not only find their path but also provide them lots of support and challenges to be better.”

The University of Florida reported an 85 percent six-year graduation rate for its Pell students, the highest in the system.

The rise in the national rankings dovetails with efforts by the Legislature, with backing from Gov. Rick Scott, to increase funding for the university system, while keeping tuition low and expanding need- and merit-based aid for students.

At the same time, much of the new funding is tied to performance standards, developed by the system’s Board of Governors, including measuring graduation and student-retention rates, which are also key metrics for the U.S. News evaluation.

One impact of the funding increases has been the ability of the universities to hire more faculty, which, in turn, helps reduce class sizes and increases research activity.

The University of Florida has hired 100 new faculty through “preeminence” funding since 2013 and has hired another 200 faculty as part of an initiative announced last year, the school reported. In the U.S. News evaluation, UF has improved its student-to-faculty ratio from 20-1 to 19-1.

“The newest rankings are confirmation that we are making good choices and investing in the right places,” UF President Kent Fuchs said.

Florida State University had 240 new faculty members this fall and has improved its student-to-faculty ratio to 22-1, compared to 25-1 two years ago, the school reported.

Although the U.S. News rankings have their critics, the annual report highlights performance trends over time.

In the case of the University of South Florida, the reports have underscored a steady improvement, with the latest rankings showing an increase of 36 spots among public research universities over the last half-dozen years.

“USF is pleased to see significant gains in our national reputational scores,” said Ralph Wilcox, the USF provost and executive vice president.

The national champs! The FSU softball team has one it’s first national championship in program history. It was also the first by an ACC program. During the postseason the team became to be known as the ‘cardiac kids’. The Seminoles were a perfect 6-0 in elimination games. During their postseason run the Seminoles came back to win 6 of the 16 games that they played. The team was lead was by Meghan King, Jesse Warren and several others. Meghan King pitched a total of 37 1/3 innings while giving up only one earned run. Her ERA in Oklahoma City was a World Series record 0.2. Jessie Warren was named the WCWS Tournament MVP for tying the record for most hits in a World Series with 13.

The clutch post season moments started in the ACC championship game when catcher Anna Shelnutt hit a three run homerun in walk off fashion to bring the ACC tournament title back to Tallahassee for the fifth time in a row.

I know football games can’t be won in the spring, but in my view, new FSU coach Willie Taggart had a solid off-season.

Jimbo Fisher had a few recruits lined up, but with his sudden departure a couple jumped ship. Due to this, FSU’s recruiting rankings dropped into the mid 60s. With the new early signing period looming the administration had to move fast. FSU needed a coach that could recruit the state of Florida and Athletic Director Stan Wilcox and President John Thrasher did just that when they hired Willie Taggart from Oregon.

Taggart immediately hit the recruiting trail and brought the once horrendous ratings up to No. 11 in the country. Then he and his assistants got to work getting involved in the Florida State community by cheering on the school’s other sports at the games and on social media and bringing old coaches and players back for the spring game. The local community was so intrigued that the spring game had a program record attendance of over 60,000 people.

Taggart may have won the off-season, but the first real test comes in the opener as the season starts September 3rd on Labor Day night vs Virginia Tech.

The men’s tennis team had a great regular-season and ended up posting a 28-5 record including beating No. 1 Wake Forest in Tallahassee. The regular season was good enough to earn the right to host the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament. After beating Alabama State in the first round the Seminoles fell to Alabama in the second round.

In singles action, redshirt senior Lucas Poullian was eliminated in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

The women’s tennis team had a solid regular-season record that was good enough to put them in the NCAA tournament. The Lady ‘Noles had to go to Gainesville for the first two rounds. After beating North Florida, the Seminoles narrowly defeated the rival Gators to advance to the sweet sixteen. After defeating Tulsa the Seminoles advanced to Elite Eight for the first time in program history. The record-breaking season would come to an end there, as they fell to Vanderbilt 4-0.

In the singles tournament sophomore Carla Touly was also eliminated the round of 32.

The women’s basketball team had one of the best regular seasons in school history. FSU finished the regular season at and in the conference. Good for the 3 seed in the always-tough ACC Tournament. FSU went 1-1 in the ACC Tournament besting Miami and losing to eventual national champions Norte dame. The Seminoles were rewarded a three seed in the NCAA tournament. The Lady ‘Noles ended up destroying Arkansas Little Rock 91-49. Florida State’s great season came to an early demise as they fell to Buffalo 86-65. Forward Shakayla Thomas was taken 23rd overall by the Los Angeles Sparks and guard Imani Wright was taken 26th overall by the Phoenix Mercury.

The baseball team entered the year with high hopes but those expectations were soon dampened due to early season injuries to the pitching staff. FSU used the easy part of the schedule to gather up wins and give the newcomers experience. Towards the end of the season on May 5 coach Mike Martin picked up his 1976 career victory making him the winningest coach in D1 college baseball history.

FSU finished 6th in the ACC but the Seminoles ran through some tough competition to win the ACC tournament for the third time in the last four years. This enabled them to receive a national seed in the NCAA tournament. The excitement was short-lived as they drop the opener to Sanford 8-7.

The next day it looked like the Seminoles would bounce back as they took a 2-0 lead into the ninth-inning. But then the rains came which brought a 2 1/2 hour rain delay. In a controversial move Martin decided to stick with his pitcher who gave up a three run homerun to end the season. Some thought that might be Martin’s last game as coach but it was announced just last week that he would be back for one more season.

Cal Raleigh, Jackson Lueck, Tyler Holton, Cole Sands, Andrew Karp, Rhett Aplin and Cobi Johnson were the seven Seminoles selected in the MLB draft.

The men’s basketball team raced out to and 11-1 record in the nonconference schedule, along the way they beat the rival Gators. The only loss was a narrow one to Oklahoma State. The ACC schedule was very up and down as the Seminoles knocked off North Carolina and Miami but lost to inferior teams like Boston College and suffered a couple losing streaks. FSU’s 9-9 record in the conference seemed like enough to make it into the NCAA tournament. After getting demolished by Louisville in the first round of the ACC tournament FSU fans were a little bit uneasy going into selection Sunday.

An at-large bid was given to Florida State and they were paired with Missouri in the first round as a 9 seed. The ‘Noles used it’s pressuring defense to hold Missouri to just 54 points. After beating Missouri the Seminoles would face Xavier who ended the Seminoles season last year. The ‘Noles were down by 12 in the second half but used a late surge to take the lead with just a minute to go. 16. With the 75-70 victory the Seminoles would now face last year’s runner-up, Gonzaga. The Seminoles pressuring defense gave Gonzaga problems as well and after a slow start FSU cruised to a victory. Florida State was now on the doorstep of making the programs second Final Four appearance. The Seminoles were not able to muster much offense until late in the game which was not enough as they fell to Michigan. The season was tied for the second-best finish in school history.

The beach volleyball team won the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association Championship for the third consecutive year. The garnet and gold made a deep run in the NCAA tournament and made it to the finals in Gulf Shores, Alabama but fell to UCLA.

The men’s outdoor track and field team won the ACC title for the 12th time in school history. The Seminoles could not crack the top 10 at the NCAA championships as they finished 11th.

The men’s indoor track and field team finished 2nd at the ACC championships and 21st at the NCAA championships.

The women’s outdoor track and field team finished third in the ACC behind Miami and Virginia Tech. The lady ‘Noles finished tied for 14th at the NCAA championships.

The women’s indoor track and field team finished 2nd at ACC championships and 26th at the NCAA championships.

The men’s golf team finished eighth at the ACC championships and did not make it to the NCAA tournament. The Seminoles finished sixth in the Oklahoma region of the NCAA tournament, which was not enough for them to advance.

The women’s golf team had a 2nd place finish at the ACC championships. The lady ‘Noles finished tied for 12th at the NCAA championships. Morgane Metraux (-5) finished tied for fifth in the individual tournament.

The contract will provide an estimated $53.2 million in revenue over the term of the agreement to the city to subsidize the routes providing service to the FSU students living off campus.

Under the proposed terms, FSU will pay an hourly rate for service (estimate of 45,000 service hours) of $76.19 in year one, which amounts to $3,428,550, with an annual three percent increase.

The U-Pass rate of $0.71 per trip is proposed in the first year. Based on the 2017-2018 U-Pass ridership, the projected revenue from the U-Pass is an additional $136,000 for the first year of the agreement. Beginning in year two, FSU will pay an additional hourly rate per year to purchase 15 electric buses dedicated to the Seminole Express service.

In order to purchase these vehicles upfront, StarMetro will work with the Treasurer-Clerk and Resource Management offices to evaluate and identify the most financially viable option. Capital purchases are often funded through grants, the internal loan pool, short-term leases or long-term bond financing.

In 2017, FSU advertised invitation to negotiate for FSU transit services. After on-going negotiations, StarMetro received a Statement of Intent to award the transit services contract to the City of Tallahassee effective May 24, 2018.

Based on the staff presentation, the request promotes public safety, decreases traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions.

Also, the action will make the Seminole Express the first all-electric bus fleet on any campus in the country, signaling the City and University’s commitment to leadership in environmental sustainability.

The agency’s office of postsecondary education collects athletics data annually from all institutions with intercollegiate athletics programs that receive funding through federal financial aid programs. Data for 2016 – the latest year available – includes more than 2,000 schools nationwide. Listed below are the rankings for the top twenty schools in Florida.

The available data also breaks out expenses and revenue for various sports. This information, provided below, shows that FSU spent $48.3 million on football while taking in $86.5 million. Interestingly, the data shows that when you remove football and basketball, women sports generate more revenue ($13,980,815) than men’s sports ($11,627,216).

Florida State University, Expenses/Revenues