Florida State are currently ranked 4th and with a relatively easy schedule should be looking at making a run at the National Championship Game. But can they do that? The relatively easy schedule may be the biggest obstacle to achieving that. While Virginia Tech shouldn't be underestimated, as things stand they do not play a ranked side until their annual game with Florida.
A second factor that would hinder Florida state would be the perceived strength of the ACC. To put it bluntly, the SEC is seen as the strongest, followed by the Big 12 and Pac 12, then its probably the ACC and Big 10. This means that the title game is likely to be between the SEC champions and an undefeated or 1-loss Big 12 or Pac 12 champion.
So how could Florida State get to the National Championship Game? I think the following would need to happen as a minimum:
- Florida State must win the ACC, probably undefeated.
- There must be no more than 1 undefeated team from the SEC/Big 12/Pac 12.
- Florida must have a strong season but then lose to Florida State.
The above may not be enough but without all 3 I don't think they'll be in Miami on January 7th. The last one is important because it would give Florida State a high profile non-conference win over a ranked opponent, something currently missing from their season. If Florida arrived in Tallahassee with 6 or 7 wins, the win will be ignored. But if they arrive with 9 or 10 it will be impossible to ignore it. For this reason, Florida State should be Gator fans from now until 24th November, it could be the difference between Miami for the Orange Bowl, or the National Championship game
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