It was a bad week to be a top five team in the CFSL last week. Four of the top five fell in week four including number one Alabama. So without a doubt there will be a new number 1 team in the land as the Podcast wraps up and week 5 kicks off. And I am just assuming this, but I assume it will be the only team in the top 5 last week to not lose and that was Florida State. Now to be fair, FSU has had a legitimate argument as the #1 team even before this. And as we look at the other four games that toppled the top spots you can call them all upsets if you’d like. But think about the four teams: #1 Alabama, #3 Oklahoma, #4 Oklahoma State, and #5 Michigan. Alabama and Oklahoma lost to teams sitting just out of the top 10. So yes, upsets in a sense, but let’s be fair to Florida and Texas. Those are two great teams that vaulted themselves towards the top of their conferences and the CFSL. Michigan lost to rival and two time defending champion Notre Dame. The Irish were 7th in the CFSL and in my opinion no Notre Dame win is an upset win until they are dethroned in the playoffs and are looking to regain the seat at the head of the table. The only quote upset in the top five would have been the Cowboys falling in Morgantown to the Mountaineers.
The Mountaineers did not dominate that game by any means. In fact they fought their way back and tied things up early in the fourth quarter. That was the first of three fourth quarter touchdowns in route to the 14 point win by the 14 and a half point underdogs. And while Alabama and Oklahoma both lost to teams outside of the top 10 you could argue those would have been easier to predict than the WVU upset victory. And had the Cowboys been able to win that game late Thursday night they would have an argument for the top spot.
But with all the teams around them falling, Florida State seems poised to be the new number 1. This seems to be an open and shut case. So let’s take a quick look at how Florida State has gotten themselves to this position. The Seminoles are the only 4-0 team in the CFSL and carry the 3rd best point differential in the league at a +104. The only two teams in front of them are Notre Dame at +113 and Wisconsin at +109. The most impressive thing about that number is that there were times last season that you weren’t convinced that Florida State’s offense could score 104 in an entire season. Their defense is still great with Isaac Frost and Kiyoko Winter leading the charge. But the offense has found a boost with the addition of Jim Carr and Vernon Mills from Oklahoma. Pairing those two with Aaron and Archer Ike and the rest of the offense has been exactly what this offense seemed to be missing. Florida State now possess both a lock down defense and, as of right now, the highest scoring offense in the league.
In my opinion we are on a collision course for a Seminole and Irish rematch in the playoffs. Week 1 saw those two meet, with Florida State coming out on top by 3. Would a playoff match up result in a different outcome? I’m sure both Tom (Florida State) and Josh (Notre Dame) would love to go at it again. But I’m sure they will also both say that there are 4 more games between now and the start of the playoffs that they need to worry about first. Both ADs will take it one game at a time. But if they both continue to win they could potentially be #1 and #2 heading into the playoffs and a rematch would have to occur in the National Title game. And while that seems a long way off it is certainly fun to think about.
