Tag: Florida State Seminoles

Committee selects Michigan, Washington, Texas, and Alabama for the College Football Playoff

The committee chose the SEC and Big 12 champions for their resumes over the undefeated but injured Florida State Seminoles.

The last year of the four-team College Football Playoff structure resulted in the most complex debate in the format’s history.

The committee announced the four playoff teams would be the Michigan Wolverines, Washington Huskies, Texas Longhorns, and Alabama Crimson Tide.

Florida State, who finished 13-0, finished fifth in the rankings. The Georgia Bulldogs, who were No. 1 in the rankings before the conference championship games, fell all the way to sixth.

The argument for the final two spots surely consumed most of the night for the College Football Playoff committee. Michigan and Washington, both dominant and undefeated, were automatic selections, but any combination of the final two spots would break a previous precedent established in other years.

Florida State won the ACC Championship, now the first undefeated Power 5 team ever left out of the playoff. They lost starting quarterback Jordan Travis for the season to a broken leg in their final home game, however, creating a popular argument that they are no longer one of the four best teams.

Alabama defeated Georgia to win the SEC, and no SEC champion has ever missed the playoff, but they were competing for one of the final spots with Texas, who defeated them by two scores in their home stadium earlier in the season.

At the end of the day, the committee’s decision shows the criteria truly does come down to the “best four teams,” not the “four most deserving,” as the committee has said over and over throughout the year. The wrinkle that injuries and strength of schedule can outweigh an undefeated record is sure to shake up scheduling and conference alignment in the future, especially with the best programs in college football already starting to consolidate in the same two or three conferences.

The best images from Florida State’s rainy ACC Championship victory

The Seminoles let their defense do the dirty work in a 16-6 victory through the rain in Charlotte, making their final CFP case.

Florida State outlasted Louisville in a rainy ACC Championship game, coming away with a 16-6 victory despite starting a true freshman quarterback who had only thrown four passes before Saturday.

The Seminoles and Cardinals combined for a single touchdown in four quarters, combining for 407 total yards and 22 first downs for the game. The Cardinals managed to tackle Florida State’s punter before he could kick in what looked like the play of the game, but quarterback Jack Plummer threw an interception in the end zone to halt the momentum. Louisville wouldn’t score another point.

Here are the best photos from Florida State’s gritty victory.

Florida State upends Louisville, raises mark to 13-0

Florida State runs its mark to 13-0 with an ACC Championship Game win

Florida State was down to its third-string QB, a true freshman, and the Seminoles still managed to shut down Louisville, 16-6, for the ACC championship on Saturday.

The Seminoles are 13-0 and await word Sunday from the College Football Playoff committee to see if they are one of four teams selected.

Brock Glenn threw for 55 yards, starting at QB because Jordan Travis was out after having surgery on his injured ankle and Tate Rodemaker was in concussion protocol.

The defense for FSU was staunch. It wrecked Cardinals QB Jack Plummer, who was 14-of-36 for 111 yards and a pick.

The teams combined for 412 yards of total offense, less than Texas QB Quinn Ewers threw for in the Longhorns’ Big 12 Championship Game win over Oklahoma State earlier in the day.

Florida State led 3-0 at the half and added a TD in the third quarter and two field goals in the fourth to win.

The question: Does a team with an undefeated record earn a CFP semifinal slot over Texas, Alabama, and Georgia, all schools with a loss?

 

Florida State survives low-scoring affair with Louisville to win the ACC Championship

The Seminoles added a punctuation mark on a 13-0 season with a defensive victory over Louisville in the Charlotte rain.

The Florida State Seminoles outlasted the Charlotte rain and Louisville’s defense for a 16-6 victory in the ACC Championship on Saturday night, cementing a 13-0 season and likely clinching a playoff berth.

The Seminoles, who entered the game No. 4 in the College Football Playoff rankings, entered the game with visions of the semifinals. Wins by Texas and Alabama earlier on Saturday took away their margin for error, however, assuring a loss would eliminate them from the final four. Multiple injuries left the responsibility of that last win on true freshman quarterback Brock Glenn, who had thrown four career passes before Saturday’s game.

The first half was, in a word, ugly. In the opening 30 minutes, the Louisville and Florida State offenses combined for 149 total yards, 10 first downs, and 11 punts. Glenn performed admirably, completing six of his 12 passes for 44 yards, but a missed field goal from 45 yards meant Florida State only led 3-0 at halftime.

The Louisville offense didn’t come alive in the second half, but it started to stir. After gaining 69 yards as a team in the opening half, they gained 56 on the first drive of the third quarter on a drive full of runs and designed screens. The momentum resulted in a game-tying field goal.

The FSU offense wouldn’t let the momentum stay one-sided, however. Junior running back Lawrence Toafili broke off a 73-yard run just minutes later, setting the Seminoles up for the game’s first touchdown.

After exchanging a few more punts, Louisville broke off another long play. Maurice Turner found a seam and raced 41 yards deep into Florida State territory to set up another Louisville field goal.

Then, the Cardinals’ special teams made what looked like the play of the game. Florida State lined up to punt, but Louisville got pressure on Florida State punter Alex Mastromanno and tackled him before he could get the punt off, setting up the Louisville offense just 11 yards from the go-ahead touchdown.

Instead of a glory-sealing touchdown drive, however, Cardinals quarterback Jack Plummer threw an interception in the end zone to hand the Seminoles the ball back, giving FSU life after life. A few punts later, the Cardinals were forced to go for a fourth down and Plummer was pulled down for a sack, bringing the evening’s offense to a merciful end.

Florida State’s win puts them in the driver’s seat for one of the four playoff spots. The CFP committee has never left out an undefeated Power 5 conference champion. All logic points to the Seminoles ending up in the semifinals, leaving the committee to the momentous decision of whether or not to leave Alabama at home.

Florida State freshman Brock Glenn could start the ACC title game

The Florida State Seminoles could have to go with a true freshman quarterback in the ACC title game.

The Florida State Seminoles are set to take on the Louisville Cardinals in the ACC title game in Charlotte.

Up until a couple of weeks ago, the starting quarterback was Jordan Travis. Due to an injury suffered against North Alabama, Tate Rodemaker would have to take over the starting role heading into the annual rivalry matchup against Florida.

Rodemaker would have to leave the game due to a hit by a pair of Gators defenders. He would only miss 55 seconds of the game before he would return to lead the Seminoles to victory over Florida, 24-15. He finished the game with 134 yards passing while completing 12 of 25 pass attempts.

Recent reports indicate that Rodemaker is a game-time decision with a head injury. If he is unable to go, true freshman Brock Glenn will make his first start in the conference championship.

Glenn was a four-star quarterback prospect that was originally committed to the Ohio State Buckeyes before flipping to Florida State. This season he has seen very little live-game action.

Glenn has thrown four passes and one rushing touchdown on four attempts. His first start could come against the No. 1 red zone scoring defense in the ACC.

Bama vs. Georgia, Washington vs. Oregon and more Championship Weekend Predictions

Championship weekend is finally here in college football, so let’s take a look at how we think it will play out.

While the Oklahoma Sooners finished their regular season at 10-2, they did not make it to the [autotag]Big 12 Championship[/autotag]. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t games that matter to the Sooners this weekend.

For instance, the [autotag]SMU Mustangs[/autotag], a team Oklahoma beat, will take on the [autotag]Tulane Green Wave[/autotag]. That matters because if SMU wins, they most likely will be ranked and represent the Group of Five in a New Year’s Six bowl game. That would go down as a ranked win for Oklahoma and boost their resume.

Also, if the Texas Longhorns win and then make the College Football Playoff, that could also boost Oklahoma’s resume and maybe get them into a New Year’s Six game as well. So, there is still a lot for Oklahoma fans to keep an eye on and cheer for this weekend.

So, let’s take a look at how I think the games will play out, and we’ll go in the order of when they will be played.

Former LSU cornerback commit pledges to Florida State

Cai Bates decommitted from the Tigers after taking a visit to Tallahassee last month.

Four-star cornerback [autotag]Cai Bates[/autotag], a one-time LSU commit, completed his flip to Florida State on Friday.

The Edgewater (Orlando) prospect committed to the Tigers back in July following an official visit to Baton Rouge the prior month. He remained locked in through most of the football season, but he announced his decommitment on Nov. 13.

That decision came just two days after Bates took a visit to Tallahassee to see the Seminoles’ game against rival Miami.

A top-10 cornerback in the 2024 class and top-100 prospect nationally, Bates was one of LSU’s highest-rated commits before he eventually exited the class last month.

LSU’s 2024 class currently ranks 13th nationally per On3 and 14th per 247Sports. It features three cornerback commits with [autotag]Ju’Juan Johnson[/autotag], [autotag]Wallace Foster[/autotag] and [autotag]Bernard Causey[/autotag].

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Opinion: Which teams Texas fans should root for during championship weekend

Texas has one last shot to make it to the College Football Playoff.

We are approaching conference championship weekend, but the top four teams that will make it to the College Football Playoff are not guaranteed yet. Continue reading “Opinion: Which teams Texas fans should root for during championship weekend”

Florida-FSU game ranked among last in top games of Rivalry Weekend

The rivalry showdown between the Florida Gators and FSU Seminoles falls low in ESPN’s rankings of the best games from rivalry weekend

The Florida Gators had their 2023 campaign forced to a close on Saturday by the Florida State Seminoles, after a loss to its in-state rival knocked the Gators to a 5-7 record and out of bowl game eligibility.

It was a low-scoring affair in Gainesville, Florida, with two backup quarterbacks duking it out on the gridiron and fighting for any positive yardage. The Seminoles scored the go-ahead touchdown within the final two minutes of the game to prevail and keep their hopes alive for a trip to the College Football Playoff.

Despite the intensity felt by fans of both programs, the experts at ESPN think the 2023 edition of the rivalry showdown was anything but an instant classic. Staff writer Bill Connelly thought both offenses were lackluster, making the low-scoring affair a bore.

Connelly kept his analysis FSU-based and he doesn’t sound confident for the Seminoles’ future.

“After the Seminoles barely figured out how to hold on to their unbeaten record and CFP hopes in Gainesville. (FSU quarterback) Tate Rodemaker, who will fill in for the injured Jordan Travis for the rest of the season, took three sacks — including one in the end zone for a safety — and threw for just 134 yards, and the Noles trailed 12-0 in the second quarter. But two Trey Benson touchdowns and a short field goal gave the Noles a 17-15 lead, and Benson’s rugged 26-yard score with 2:48 left and a Kalen DeLoach interception sealed the deal.”

As for Florida, the football program will now turn to the recruiting trail and transfer portal during the offseason and prepare for a new football year in 2024. The Gators finished the regular season with five straight losses.

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College Football Playoff hopes are still achievable for Texas

With one week to go, College Football Playoff hopes are still within reach for the Texas Longhorns.

It feels sick, but the Texas Longhorns could be 12-1 Big 12 Champions and still not make the College Football Playoff. Continue reading “College Football Playoff hopes are still achievable for Texas”