Florida Gators' Billy Napier Drops FSU Football Way Down In Final Coaches Poll Vote

A few head coaches around the country dropped the Seminoles significantly in their final Coaches Poll vote of the season.

Jackson Bakich | Jan 10, 2024

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Florida State Seminoles

After finishing the regular season undefeated and winning the ACC Championship Game, Florida State was ranked No. 3 in the December 3 edition of the US LBM Coaches Poll (previously the USA Today Coaches Poll). However, following the College Football Playoff (CFP) Committee’s decision to leave the Seminoles out of the final four and the blowout loss to Georgia in the Orange Bowl, the Coaches Poll moved FSU down to the No. 6 slot.

Interestingly enough, some coaches with ties to the university – both friendly and not-so-friendly – voted the Garnet and Gold three or four spots lower on the list compared to the overall ranking.

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For instance, Florida head coach Billy Napier voted the Seminoles as the No. 9 best team in the country, as did former Louisiana-Monroe head coach Terry Bowden, son of FSU legendary head coach Bobby Bowden.

Additionally, former Florida State defensive coordinator and current Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops put the Seminoles at No. 10 in his rankings.

The very lowest of the rankings that FSU received was from Nevada head coach Ken Wilson. He positioned the Seminoles as the No. 12 team in the nation.

Despite losing to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta, the Georgia Bulldogs leaped over both Texas and Alabama to claim the No. 3 position in the final Coaches Poll rankings.

Michigan and Washington found themselves in No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, as expected.

A total of four ACC schools (five if you count Notre Dame) made the final Coaches Poll Top-25 ranking. Future ACC school SMU came in at No. 24 as well.

Stick with NoleGameday for more coverage of Florida State football throughout the offseason.

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Published Jan 10, 2024

JACKSON BAKICH

Born in Orlando but raised in Lake County, Florida, Jackson Bakich is currently a senior at Florida State University. Growing up in the Sunshine State, Bakich co-hosted the political talk radio show "Lake County Roundtable" (WLBE) and was a frequent guest for "Lake County Sports Show" (WQBQ). Currently, he is the Sports Editor of the FSView and host of "Tomahawk Talk" (WVFS), a sports talk radio program covering Florida State athletics in Tallahassee.