Florida State probably needed a dominant road performance against the Pitt Panthers to solidify their No. 4 ranking in the College Football Playoff rankings.

Instead, the Seminoles have left things up to chance. Or at the least opened the door to whim.

Florida State (9-0, 7-0) did rack up 501 yards in a 24-7 win and have now officially clinched a spot in the ACC championship game for the first time since 2014. The Seminoles also won their 15th consecutive game.

But they did not extend their streak of games with 30 or more points scored.

Whether the Seminoles stay at No. 4 when the new rankings come out Tuesday or drop to No. 5 behind Washington isn’t really important. As long as Florida State wins out, it will be in the Top 4 when the dust settles.

But understand that the Seminoles could drop, because Pitt is not a good team — at all. The Panthers (2-7, 1-4) lost 58-7 to Notre Dame last week and were clearly overmatched. But the Panthers had a 7-0 lead in the second quarter, trailed just 10-7 at halftime and also made some crucial mistakes that kept points off the board.

Florida State fans seem to be quite defensive about this win and will surely be up in arms if the Seminoles drop a spot in the CFP. And I am here to remind them that the selection committee, much like that commercial about Shingles that comes on 10 times a day, doesn’t care.

But the Seminoles won without their 2 best receivers!

Selection committee doesn’t care about your injuries.

But the Seminoles gave up just 7 points and Washington gave up 42 points!

Selection committee doesn’t care. They will see USC as a team that was ranked in the top 20 and had a Heisman Trophy winner at quarterback. While Pitt is 2-7 and got beat by 51 points the week before.

But the Seminoles could’ve scored more points if Mike Norvell didn’t make the offense take a knee in the final 30 seconds!

Selection committee doesn’t care. Norvell should’ve told the offense to run a play. But he probably realizes it didn’t matter.

Seriously, it’s okay. There are 5 undefeated teams left in the FBS. FSU is 1 of them. Ohio State and Michigan will absolutely play in 3 weeks, and therefore 1 of them will lose. Just keep winning. That’s all that matters.

And now for the stock report:

Player of the Week: Ja’Khi Douglas

I’ve been a big fan of Douglas since the 2021 season when stepped up late in the year to make some big plays that led to wins. The Miami game in particular comes to mind. Unfortunately Douglas’ role has mostly been on special teams coverage this year to make way for new receiving toys on offense.

But Douglas was ready when his number was called Saturday and finished with 6 catches for 115 yards with a couple of nice explosive plays in there. Douglas reminds a lot of an FSU player from the early 2000s — Willie Reid. Reid never seemed to have a defined role on offense, but he always delivered when his number was called.

Freshman of the Week: Conrad Hussey

Hussey, a true freshman from Fort Lauderdale, is just a playmaker, and his snap count has increased because of it. Things were no different on Saturday as Hussey forced a fumble and had an interception. He is one of the gems of the Seminoles’ 2023 recruiting class.

Biggest surprise: Explosive plays

Even without Johnny Wilson and Keon Coleman in the lineup, the Florida State offense was full of explosive plays. Tight end Kyle Morlock had a 63-yard catch and run. Trey Benson broke off a 55-yard touchdown run. Rodney Hill took a screen pass and went 48 yards with it. Douglas had a 37-yard reception and Destyn Hill added a 29-yard catch. Those 5 plays accounted for nearly half of FSU’s total yardage.

Biggest concern: Shaky play up front

The Seminoles offensive line had some rough moments. Pitt’s defense recorded 11 tackles for loss and 2 sacks. Take away Benson’s 55-yard run, and the FSU running game managed just 83 yards on 36 carries — about 2.3 yards per carry. Not good.

Developing trend: Must-win games

At this point it shouldn’t be a surprise, but FSU has to win out to have any chance at the Playoff. Any loss at this stage would be a bad loss, and I don’t believe the Seminoles would fare well in comparison to the other 1-loss teams in the committee’s eyes. It’s all or nothing at this point.

First impression about Week 11 vs. Miami

The Hurricanes didn’t do much to help their in-state rivals schedule strength with a 20-6 loss to NC State on Saturday. There is a good chance that Miami will start backup quarterback Emory Williams, because regular starter Tyler Van Dyke isn’t healthy at all. The Hurricanes are more than willing to make a game ugly and try to drag a low-scoring affair into the fourth quarter. The Seminoles will want to get out to a quick start and get some explosive plays early to get Miami out of its comfort zone. There’s a decent chance Coleman will return for the Seminoles, though they can probably get by for another week without him if they need to.