Florida State falls from preseason top 10 to likely missing a bowl game after loss to rival Miami

Oct 27, 2024

Less than a year removed from a 12-0 regular season and its first ACC championship since 2014, Florida State is likely out of bowl contention before the calendar turns to November. The Seminoles dropped to 1-7 on the year in Saturday's 36-14 loss to No. 6 Miami, extending their ACC losing streak to four straight games.

This is the first time since 2021 that Florida State is set to miss out on a bowl, and the third time under coach Mike Norvell. The Seminoles are the second Power Four conference team to drop to seven losses during the 2024 season, following Mississippi State (1-7), which lost to Arkansas 58-25 Saturday afternoon.

It's been a season of firsts for Florida State, almost all of which are entirely negative. In Week 8, the 'Noles lost to Duke for the first time in program history, snapping a 22-game losing streak against their conference foe. That dropped them to 1-6, their worst start since 1975 -- the year before Bobby Bowden became head coach. It was also the worst seven-game start for a preseason top-10 team since 1989 LSU.

The door isn't entirely closed on Florida State's postseason hopes, but Seminoles would have to win out -- and they would need a lot of help well without of their control -- to keep their scant hopes alive. In 2012, the NCAA relaxed bowl criteria to include 5-7 teams -- a move made to accommodate the growing slate of bowl games,

Every team that finishes with at least a 6-6 record will be selected first, and then any remaining vacancies will be filled by 5-7 teams, with programs that rank higher on the Academic Progress Rate score receiving first priority.

It is an extremely rare occurrence, but it does happen from time to time. During the 2023 bowl season, Minnesota was the only 5-7 team to make the cut. The Gophers beat Bowling Green 30-24 in the Quick Lane Bowl.