| Year: | 2010 |
| Team: | Florida State Seminoles |
| Conference: | Atlantic Coast Conference |
| Division: | Atlantic Division |
| Short Conf: | ACC |
| Coachrank: | 16 |
| Aprank: | 17 |
| Record: | 10–4 |
| Conf Record: | 6–2 |
| Hc Year: | 1st |
| Oc Year: | 1st |
| Dc Year: | 1st |
| Captain3: | Ochuko Jenije |
| Captain4: | Markus White |
| Stadium: | Doak Campbell Stadium (Capacity: 82,300) |
| Champion: | ACC Atlantic Division champion Chick-fil-A Bowl champion |
The 2010 Florida State Seminoles football team represented Florida State University in the 2010 NCAA Division I FBS college football season. The Seminoles were led by first-year head coach Jimbo Fisher and played their home games at Bobby Bowden Field at Doak Campbell Stadium. They were members of the Atlantic Coast Conference, playing in the Atlantic Division.
They finished the season 10–4, 6–2 in ACC play, and won the Atlantic Division to earn a spot in the ACC Championship Game where they were defeated by Virginia Tech. They were invited to the Chick-fil-A Bowl where they defeated South Carolina.
The 2010 season marked the Seminoles' first ten win season since 2003 and their first appearance in the ACC title game since 2005.
See also: 2010 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings.
In Jimbo Fisher's first game as Head Coach, the 'Noles dominated the Samford Bulldogs. The first points of the game came on a 4-yard pass from Christian Ponder to fullback Lonnie Pryor. Florida State put 35 points on the board in the second quarter, thanks to three TD passes by Ponder (B. Reed, L. Pryor, T. Easterling), a 4-yard run by Jermaine Thomas, and a 74-yard punt return by Greg Reid. Samford kicked a FG as time expired to make the score 42–3 heading into halftime. The 'Noles were on cruise control this game and in the second half FSU's backups hung another 17 on Samford, and only allowed 3 points. Jimbo Fisher couldn't have asked for a better first game. The same can not be said for Week 2's trip to Norman.
See also: 2010 Oklahoma Sooners football team. After Week 1's blowout victory against Samford, the FSU fanbase started to have a confidence about it. That confidence was quickly shattered and beaten as FSU got man-handled in Norman, Oklahoma by Bob Stoop's Sooners. The defense got shredded, allowing 47 points, and allowing Landry Jones to look like a Heisman candidate. The offense got shut down after scoring a TD on their first possession. The confidence had turned into a gut-wrenching memory of the 2009 team. But, the 'Noles would rebound.
See also: 2010 BYU Cougars football team. The 'Noles kicked off a 5-game win streak against BYU after getting routed by Oklahoma a week before. The 'Noles run game was excellent as it accounted for 278 yards and 3 TD's. Christian Ponder bounced back from an awful performance against Oklahoma, completing 66% of his passes, throwing zero interceptions, and adding 50 yards with his feet. Chris Thompson ran for 123 yards, 83 of which came on one touchdown run. Ty Jones added another 95 and a touchdown. The FSU defense dominated most of the game by only allowing 191 yards and 10 points.
See also: 2010 Wake Forest Demon Deacons football team.
See also: 2010 Virginia Cavaliers football team.
See also: 2010 Miami Hurricanes football team and Florida State–Miami football rivalry.
See also: 2010 Boston College Eagles football team.
See also: 2010 NC State Wolfpack football team.
See also: 2010 North Carolina Tar Heels football team.
See also: 2010 Clemson Tigers football team.
See also: 2010 Maryland Terrapins football team.
See also: 2010 Florida Gators football team.
Florida State ended a six-game losing streak to its archrival.[2]
See also: 2010 ACC Championship Game and 2010 Virginia Tech Hokies football team.
See also: 2010 Chick-fil-A Bowl and 2010 South Carolina Gamecocks football team.
Lou Groza Award semifinalist[3]
Lombardi Award semifinalist[3]
Outland Trophy finalist[4]
Chuck Bednarik Award semifinalist[5]
Lombardi Award watchlist[3]
Outland Trophy watchlist[3]
Maxwell Award watchlist[3]
Davey O'Brien Award watchlist[3]
William V. Campbell Trophy finalist[4]
Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award finalist[6]
Fred Biletnikoff Award watchlist[3]
Academic All-America
Academic All-ACC
Unanimous Consensus All-American[7]
Academic All-ACC
Senior Bowl MVP[9]
James Tatum Award winner[10]
The National Bobby Bowden Award winner[11]
Academic All-ACC[13]
FWAA Freshman All-American[14]
Rivals.com First-Team Freshman All-American[15]
ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year[16]
Academic All-ACC[13]
Three seniors would go on and be drafted in the 2011 NFL draft.
| Round | Pick | Overall | Name | Position | Team | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 12 | 12 | Minnesota Vikings | |||
| 2nd | 23 | 55 | Kansas City Chiefs | |||
| 7th | 21 | 224 | Washington Redskins |
| Game | Date | Site | Players |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 29, 2011 | Christian Ponder, Rodney Hudson[17] | ||