Florida State Falls In AP Top-25 Poll Following Near Upset By Boston College

The Seminoles dropped for the first time this season after nearly fumbling away a three-touchdown lead against the Eagles.

Dustin Lewis | Sep 17, 2023

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Florida State Seminoles

Florida State displayed its first signs of weakness this season after nearly blowing a 31-10 second-half lead to Boston College. The Seminoles were outgained 457-340 in total yards and Jordan Travis lost the quarterback battle to Thomas Castellanos, who was making his second career start.

Castellanos threw for over 300 yards and finished just shy of 100 yards on the ground after being brought down for a loss late in the game. Boston College averaged 15.3 yards per completion and held the ball for north of seven more minutes of game time than Florida State (33:50 to 26:10).

The close victory where the Seminoles were favored by more than three touchdowns has them moving the wrong directly in the rankings for the first time this season. On Sunday afternoon, the weekly Associated Press Top 25 Poll was released. Florida State dropped to No. 4 in the country after being leaped by Texas in the rankings. The complete AP Top 25 Poll can be viewed here. FSU stayed pat at No. 3 in the Coaches Poll.

Taking a glance at the remainder of the poll, Georgia and Michigan, along with the Longhorns, are the only teams ranked higher than Florida State. The Seminoles received one first-place vote after garnering three during the last two weeks.

As of now, FSU has three ranked teams remaining on its schedule; Duke (18), Miami (20), and Florida (25). The Seminoles are still the highest-ranking team in the ACC ahead of a trip to Death Valley. Outside of the Blue Devils, Hurricanes, and Tigers, North Carolina (17) continues to hang around in the rankings.

Despite the near disaster against Boston College, the Seminoles held on for the victory. FSU hasn't defeated the Tigers on the road since 2013 but has come extremely close in their last two meetings, falling short by a combined 16 points.

Florida State returns to action on Saturday afternoon in a crucial matchup with the Clemson Tigers on the road. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. and the contest will be televised on ABC.

Stick with NoleGameday for more coverage of Florida State football throughout the 2023 season.

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Published Sep 17, 2023

DUSTIN LEWIS

Lewis joined NoleGameday in 2016 and is currently in the role of Editor-In-Chief. A graduate of Florida State, Lewis contributes to football, recruiting, and basketball coverage. Connect with Dustin on Twitter at @DustinLewisNG.