Florida State?

[Eric]

I'm curious as to why more people aren't talking about them as a legit playoff contender. Any team with Dalvin Cook at RB has a chance to win every given week. Plus the fact that he's not talked about as a leading Heisman candidate is nuts.

Two road games against Clemson and Florida are daunting, but FSU is the kind of team that looks at that like a chance to make a statement. I think they've looked fine thus far. In my estimation, they have as good of a chance at getting into the playoff as Clemson does, even though Clemson was my preseason pick.

[Cane from the Bend]

They are, in my opinion, a legitimate playoff contender.

Clemson will be tough, and I think have the best chance of beating the `noles prior to, and I hate to admit this, the gators.

florida is scary improved. It just goes to show you what a real head coach can do with dormant talent. That team is loaded, and, their game against LSU in Baton Rouge just emphasizes how far they've come in such a short amount of time. Yes, the lizards lost to the Tigers, though, it was a tight game. The swamp rats never quit, and the game was never out of their reach.

If FSU finishes the regular season undefeated, they are a shoe in. Putting florida away will give the voters confidence enough to put them in the Tournament.

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[donovan]

I suggest the reason no one talks about it is because, in the end, it doesn't matter. A selection committee will decide, behind closed doors, using criteria that allows any decision they want. (They are honest people, not the issue) They decide on the basis of what is best for college football and what is best for college football is making sure the money keeps flowing. Cynical...sure.

The big money games are always an East, Midwest team versus a Western Team.

Take your circle of friends who are casual football fans...ones that like to watch games but also eat the dogs and leave early when the game is lopsided. They don't ever talk about the NC. That only has interest to those of us with no life. I have asked some of my cronies...who really don't get football about Florida State and they say, "How are they doing."

What happens is when "your team" is eliminated from the possibility, e.g. Oregon, those people want to have a story to tell, just doesn't include worry about the NC. As for the talking heads...they write what gets them readership or listeningship...that is their motivation. Write a story about Flordia State on the West Coast and I am the only one that would read it. (By the way, I suspect Mr. Billybud has never left an FSU earlier in his life.)

Will FSU be there. I think the will. But no one is going to get excited yet and if you poll 2/3rd of thid country, Missouri River westward....they don't even talk football....too busy worying about the latte Grandiose and spending other peoples money.

[billybud]

FSU has some holes...a patched up young offensive line, and a defensive secondary with so many players out injured that a four year practice team walk on with no game experience at any position except special teams had to be played against Louisville.

FSU was written off early by ESPN...lost 11 starters to the draft and was playing a transfer QB who was a turnover machine at his last stop.

The narrative was written early. FSU fans, like all fans when we put on our tin foil hats, think that there is a vast ESPN conspiracy. In the ESPN power rankings, FSU was at #23 at one time.

FSU won by 20, and was ahead by 20 in the first minutes of the 4th qtr...and the ESPN header says.."FSU pulls ahead in a nailbiter to beat Louisville".

Yet Notre Dame wins by 10 and the header was "Notre Dame crushes USC".

But it doesn't matter in the end...as it was last year and is this year..it is win, baby win and you'll be in. Lose one and you will be out...that narrative was written preseason.

[billybud]

At least the dropping has stopped in one of the polls...when FSU sat at #6, they went through a period where they would win a game and drop in the polls, win a game and drop. Still, FSU won again and the Coaches Poll dropped them this week.

No quality loss, I guess. And the wina are not glam wins like TCU and Baylor...FSU is playing a different sort of football than the Big 12. Jimbo is playing a spread but with old school influences of chipping away, running and passing, and, when ahead, running the clock and depending on the defense. He actually ran out of the power I in the 4th qtr against Louisville.

Dalvin Cook has been playing with a hamstring problem, in and out of games, but he may be one of the best backs playing this year. His YPC is actually higher than Fournette's (8.7 vs 8.0).

[billybud]

How long can this metric last for FSU?

"The Florida State offense is the only one in the country, at any level of college football, that doesn’t have a turnover this season.

For some perspective, there are 128 FBS teams, 123 FCS teams, 169 Division II teams, 241 Division III teams, 85 NAIA teams and 66 junior college teams across the nation in 2015. So that’s a total of 812 offenses in college football in 2015. And the only one who has yet to commit a single turnover so far this season is Florida State. Yep. The only one. Out of 812"

[Vileborg]

The last 4 weeks of the season start the semi-finals. The power 5 settle it on the field. It'll come down to which of the 5 conference champs weathered the storm best.