On The Bench: An FSU football podcast network

FSU has a pivotal game against UVA coming up. What would a win mean for the Seminoles? And how much would a loss add to a downward spiral?

Plus, we add some insight into the hiring of Jim Leavitt and what it creates an interesting dynamic for FSU's staff.

FSU squeaked out a 45-44 overtime win over Louisiana-Monroe. So why does it feel more like a loss than a win>

What went wrong for FSU's defense against Boise State?

Quite a bit. But that doesn't mean some of the issues cannot be fixed. We welcome The Osceola's Patrick Burnham to the bench to help explain the intricacies  of the 3-4 defense, what didn't work for FSU on Saturday, and what areas can realistically be fixed moving forward.

It's been a weird week from the optics standpoint for FSU, from Hydrategate to recovering from the Boise State loss.

Florida State, internally, viewed its season opener against Boise State as somewhat of a Super Bowl.

Winning would’ve set an overwhelmingly positive tone for 2019. But with a 36-31 loss, FSU must find a way to avoid a spiral after just one game.

The gang at On The Bench goes over what went wrong, what to build on and what this loss means in the grand scheme of FSU’s season.

Florida State experts flood On The Bench to preview the Seminoles’ 2019 campaign. Local and national media members, celebrities and more join the show as they give their insights into the program, as well as share their season prediction for FSU.

Thanks to Tallahassee band The Shower Beers for lending their music to the pod. You can check out Early Times and Cheerwine, as well as their other songs, here. 

FSU announced James Blackman as its starting quarterback on Sunday evening. The gang at OTB reacts to Blackman officially being named QB1.

Former Florida State standout Bryant McFadden sees a newfound hunger from the Seminoles' secondary. He shares why he's optimistic about the future, why FSU is DBU and more.

Plus, TaReef KnockOut joins the show to celebrate FSU's announcement that home uniforms will consist of white numbers in 2020.

FSU enters the 2019 campaign with a Top 10 recruiting class. It's an impressive feat coming off a 5-7 season, and it points to what Willie Taggart can do if he's able to sell on-field success.

247Sports regional recruiting analyst John Garcia Jr. joins On The Bench to breakdown what FSU is doing well on the recruiting trail this cycle. 

How much better will Florida State be in 2019?

ESPN's David Hale joins OTB to explain his research on what the analytics say about FSU's potential growth, the Briles Effect, and why he thinks the progress in the win-column will be minimal in Year 2 under Willie Taggart.

Plus Hale shares how he's irritated just about every ACC fan base this offseason, his most embarrassing Sonnone story and FSU seasons in the form of The Simpsons characters.

Intro/Outro comes courtesy of Tallahassee band, The Shower Beers: Early Times and Cheerwine