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ESPN Senior Writer- Senior college football writer
- Author of seven books on college football
- Graduate of the University of Georgia
Florida State and its fans can exhale -- the Seminoles are again a top-four team, even without injured star quarterback Jordan Travis.
Despite a shaky start on Saturday against unranked Florida, the College Football Playoff selection committee promoted the undefeated Seminoles to the No. 4 spot. The 24-15 win against the Gators validated the committee's belief that FSU's talent extends beyond Travis, but the move to No. 4 also happened in part because that spot opened following Ohio State's loss to Michigan. The bump up from No. 5 signifies the likelihood that Florida State will reach the playoff if it can beat No. 14 Louisville in the ACC championship game.
It helped FSU that Louisville is still a top-15 opponent following the Cardinals' loss to rival Kentucky on Saturday. With an ACC title and three wins against CFP top 25 teams -- No. 13 LSU, No. 14 Louisville, and No. 23 Clemson -- it would be extremely difficult for the committee to exclude the undefeated ACC champs, even with a pedestrian performance by Seminoles backup quarterback Tate Rodemaker.
Florida State's path to the playoff seems clear. That's not necessarily the case for every contender. Here's what each of the top eight teams need to do to reach the four-team playoff.
Jump to: What would a 12-team CFP look like?
