It’s the final week of the regular season, and Florida State continues to avert disaster, and thus its playoff hopes remain alive and well. Here’s where things stand.
Florida State Seminoles
Record: 11-0 (8-0 ACC)
Rank: No. 3
Next big obstacle: vs. Florida on Saturday
Reason for optimism: As seems to be the case each week, Florida State’s biggest reason for optimism remains its record, which remains perfect -- even if FSU’s performances on the field haven’t been. The Seminoles narrowly escaped Boston College on Saturday in yet another close call, but that’s simply a narrative. If the Seminoles can knock off an SEC team in Florida this week, the argument that FSU is a team that rises in the face of adversity gets stronger.
Cause for concern: FSU’s run defense has to be a worry at this point. Boston College carried 51 times for 240 yards in a losing effort last week, mustering a 7:34 time-of-possession advantage in the process. It marked the eighth time in 11 games this season that the Seminoles have surrendered at least 150 yards on the ground -- something that happened just six times from 2011-13. Why is that such an issue? This week’s opponent, Florida, is fourth in the SEC in rushing yards per game versus FBS foes and toppled Georgia earlier this season on the strength of its ground game. Following the Gators, FSU gets Georgia Tech, which ranks fourth nationally in rushing.
Who they’ll be rooting for this week: Start with the teams that can still help Florida State’s strength of schedule, namely the entire ACC. Clemson, Louisville and Georgia Tech can all upend SEC teams, which certainly would make the ACC look better in comparison. A Tech win, in particular, would be big, with UGA ranked in the top 10 and the Yellow Jackets awaiting FSU in the ACC title game. Beyond conference status, however, FSU wouldn’t mind seeing Auburn upend Alabama, Texas knock off TCU, Oregon State upset Oregon or Ole Miss topple Mississippi State. A little chaos at the top of the polls would only make a 12-0 record look all that much more impressive for Florida State.
On the fringes: If Georgia Tech could win out by beating two top-10 teams, Yellow Jackets fans will certainly want to make their case. They’ll have an uphill battle with plenty of teams still ranked ahead of Tech, but it’s at least worth monitoring as long as the Jackets keep winning.