ESPN expert predicts Florida State's placement in initial College Football Playoff rankings
ESPN’s Heather Dinich believes Florida State will be safely into the top 4 of the initial College Football Playoff rankings this week.
The first rankings will be revealed by the CFP selection committee on Tuesday night. Florida State enters this week with a perfect 8-0 record on the season and has played a tough schedule of opponents.
Dinich released her projections for the initial rankings on Sunday. She has Florida State slotted in at No. 2 behind only Ohio State. Georgia and Washington round out Dinich’s top 4.
Here’s some analysis from Dinich on FSU’s place in the top 4:
Their best win is against LSU, a team that can still win the SEC West, and the overall quality of opponents the Seminoles have defeated is stronger than that of most other contenders. The committee doesn’t just value wins against ranked opponents. It also considers wins against Power 5 teams .500 or better, and that includes everyone on the Seminoles’ schedule except the Sun Belt’s Southern Miss (1-6). The Noles didn’t play an FCS opponent, and they won three true road games plus the neutral-site tilt in Orlando, Florida.
Florida State is the lone remaining undefeated ACC team. The Noles will be trying to get back into the College Football Playoff this season for the first time since 2014.
The initial rankings will be revealed at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday night on ESPN.