Florida State back up to No. 4 in College Football Playoff ranking after UF win

The Florida State football team’s fall from the Top 4 of the College Football Playoff rankings only lasted one week.

Thanks to Ohio State falling to Michigan last Saturday, the Seminoles were able to move back up to No. 4 in this week’s rankings, which were revealed live on ESPN on Tuesday night. Shortly after the Buckeyes fell to their Big Ten rivals, Florida State rallied for a 24-15 victory against rival Florida in The Swamp.

It was the Seminoles’ first victory in Gainesville since 2017, and it was made more special by the fact that star quarterback Jordan Travis was not available after sustaining a season-ending leg injury.

Two-time defending national champion Georgia remained at No. 1 this week, while Michigan moved up to No. 2, and Washington moved up to No. 3.

Florida State (12-0) has one more hurdle remaining — the ACC Championship Game against Louisville (10-2) — to try to secure a berth in the four-team College Football Playoff. The game is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on Saturday in Charlotte.

Once the new rankings were unveiled, ESPN analysts Kirk Herbstreit, Greg McElroy, Booger McFarland and Joey Galloway all seemed to indicate that Florida State has a strong path to the final four should the Seminoles win on Saturday.

“Based on what we just saw, if you’re Florida State, it looks like you’re four quarters away from controlling your own destiny and securing a spot in the playoff,” Herbstreit said. “Even without your guy, Jordan Travis.”

“I think they’re perfectly fine,” McElroy said of the Seminoles. “If they win, they’re in. We don’t even need to entertain the idea of a one-loss team potentially jumping them, a la Texas and Alabama. Florida State’s in. They’re gonna take care of business this weekend, and they’re gonna be in. And they deserve to be. Because the results have to matter. They’re undefeated.”

Galloway suggested Florida State could be in danger if Alabama upsets Georgia in the SEC Championship Game, Florida State wins ugly against Louisville and other events fall into place. But McFarland countered that the Seminoles will be included if they are a 13-0 ACC champion.

“Let’s face it, if Florida State beats Louisville — whether it’s by one point or 20 points — they’re going to get into the playoff,” McFarland said.

As the conversation continued, however, Herbstreit changed course and said Florida State should be left out of the playoff if the committee doesn’t believe it is one of the country’s best four teams — regardless of record and resume.

But when he was asked about Florida State’s status in the wake of Travis’ season-ending injury, CFP Committee Chair Boo Corrigan said the Seminoles proved in their win at rival Florida they are still a formidable team with backup QB Tate Rodemaker in the starting lineup.

“Trey Benson getting three touchdowns during the course of that game,” Corrigan said. “As we talked about last week, it’s more than just one player. But obviously they’re a different team without Travis.”

Stay connected with Warchant.com for more on this story.

*ALSO SEE: Warchant 3-2-1: On Florida State’s playoff chances, improved composure, and more

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