The Florida State Seminoles have been one of the best stories of the college football season through two weeks. The team began by knocking off the mighty Alabama Crimson Tide in Week 1, in a game that wasn’t even as close as the 31-17 final score implied.
Then, in Week 2, the Seminoles absolutely dominated FCS East Texas A&M, winning 77-3. It was expected that the Noles would easily beat their FCS foe, but it was still impressive to see how perfect the team played. Racking up over 700 total yards of offense is impressive no matter who the opponent is.
As a result, the Noles are getting some love from the media. Heather Dinich of ESPN recently updated her projections for the College Football Playoff, and the Noles came in at the No. 4 spot. Dinich offered the following on why the Noles could earn such a high seed:
The Seminoles are still scoring. FSU racked up 70 points against FCS team East Texas A&M — through three quarters. It finished with a 77-3 victory. This FSU team is doing everything it can to make the selection committee forget the 2024 team that won two games. Florida State’s Week 1 win against Alabama was one of the most notable nationally and will continue to help the Noles if the Tide finish as a Top 25 CFP team. The committee also compares common opponents, and although beating East Texas A&M will be a moot point on Selection Day, it’s at least interesting to note that fellow ACC team SMU set the bar in Week 1 when it beat the Lions 42-13.
As Dinich noted, the Noles’ case will be helped if the Crimson Tide go on a run and finish as a top team. If the Tide lose a couple more games, however, the Week 1 win for the Noles may not be as big a boost as some think.
It’s also worth noting that the Noles beat East Texas A&M by 74 points, while fellow ACC team SMU only beat the Lions by 29. There will be plenty more opportunities for Florida State to impress as well, with games against Miami, Florida, and Clemson still to come.
“If the Seminoles can win the unofficial state title by beating rivals Miami and Florida, they could be competing for one of the top four spots and an at-large bid, assuming they finish with one loss or better,” said Dinich. “ESPN’s FPI, though, gives FSU less than a 50% chance to beat each in-state rival.”
The Noles will enjoy a bye in Week 3 before taking on lowly Kent State in Week 4.
