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Fact or Fiction: Florida State should go all-in on P.J. Fleck

National recruiting director Mike Farrell and national recruiting analyst Adam Gorney tackle three topics daily and determine whether they believe the statements or not.

MORE: Recruit most influenced by LSU's win | Did Morris, Taggart get enough time?

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1. The loss to LSU signals the beginning of the end of the Nick Saban dynasty at Alabama.

Joe Burrow and Ed Orgeron
Joe Burrow and Ed Orgeron (AP Images)

Farrell’s take: FICTION. Get ready because this take is coming on all your favorite talk shows. And it’s garbage. LSU was very impressive in its win over Alabama and the Tigers look like the team to beat in the SEC, but the Crimson Tide kept the game close and could still sneak into the playoff.

And what about next year when Tua Tagovailoa and all those receivers are gone? Alabama will just re-load and a quarterback named Bryce Young is ready to give the SEC fits. Injuries on defense have hurt Alabama this season and, yes the Crimson Tide have lost their last two games to strong opponents, but don’t count them out next year or whenever Nick Saban is in charge.

Gorney’s take: FICTION. LSU made a huge statement on Saturday but Alabama’s run is far from over. The Crimson Tide have won two of the last four national titles, Saban is still recruiting extremely well and he will have Alabama back in the title hunt soon - maybe even this season. Would I be shocked if the Crimson Tide end up back in the playoff picture very soon? No, not at all. I wouldn’t worry if I was Alabama. The program is in the best hands maybe ever in the game.

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2. Florida State should go all in on P.J. Fleck.

P.J. Fleck
P.J. Fleck (AP Images)

Farrell’s take: FACT. I’m not privy to the inner workings of the Florida State coaching search, but based on what P.J. Fleck has done in the Big Ten at Minnesota, imagine what he could do at Florida State with all those geographical recruiting advantages. This is the guy who could get the Seminoles back to the promised land sooner than later and they should throw everything at him.

Gorney’s take: FACT. Florida State is a little bit of a different animal since Fleck has thrived at programs where players felt overlooked or maybe even a little disrespected in the recruiting process. That blue-collar, workmanlike, dare I say Row The Boat attitude might not fly at Florida State, where almost every recruit is elite. But Fleck can recruit, he can build programs and he can coach. Back up the Brinks truck and get him to Tallahassee as soon as possible.

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3. Clemson is being disrespected.

Trevor Lawrence
Trevor Lawrence (AP Images)

Farrell’s take: FACT. Who cares, right? It will all sort itself out in the end anyhow. That's true, but when the committee put Clemson fifth in the first playoff ranking it was exactly what the Tigers wanted and needed. Their play from here on out will illustrate that. They will certainly be in the top three when the new rankings are announced Tuesday, but you could tell a bit by how they throttled NC State this past weekend that they now have something to prove.

Gorney’s take: FICTION. Clemson is going to be in the top four of the playoff rankings after the committee mistakenly put Penn State in there, so the Tigers are not being disrespected at all. Two things can be true at the same time: Clemson could be one of the best teams in the country and its schedule could be a joke. The Tigers don’t play anybody, but they’re the defending national champs and they should be in the playoff for sure.

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