Florida State is a much better team than they are given credit for this year. Everybody says that Penn State is going to blow them out, but Florida State can give them a really tough time, and even pull the upset, if the Seminoles come to play.
Consider this: Florida State beat the three toughest teams in the ACC. Miami was hosting Florida State in the Orange Bowl for the very first game of the year, and they came into the game (more than likely) expecting to continue their recent dominance over the Seminoles. However, the team from Florida State had different plans, as they pulled off a major upset in a defensive battle, and established themselves as a major player in the ACC.
Two weeks later, Boston College, a sleeper pick for the ACC Atlantic Division, visited the Seminoles. FSU sent them packing with their tail between their legs after a 28-17 win. Florida State continued to roll on to a 7-1 start, and had clinched the Atlantic Division title after playing 8 games. So with a loss to Virginia to knock them out of the Rose Bowl picture, and a 5-1 conference record to give them a berth in the ACC title game, FSU really had nothing left to play for with 3 games left in the regular season. This showed, as the 'Noles played like they had nothing to play for. Three consecutive losses ensued, coming to North Carolina State 20-15, Clemson 35-14, and Florida 34-7.
After losing in such spectacular fashion to three teams that were also-rans, everybody had written off Florida State to win the ACC title game. Coming in as a 14 point dog to Virginia Tech, Florida State established dominance right away, and cruised to a 27-3 lead before the Hokies even realized what was happening. Even though the Hokies staged a comeback in the fourth quarter to cut the lead to 5 points, they never came closer than that.
So how is it that a team that beat Virginia Tech, Boston College, and Miami (FL) is being written off as unworthy of a BCS berth, and as an easy win for Penn State? Perhaps FSU isn't deserving of a BCS berth (personally, I don't think they deserve one), but they are the ONLY team in the ACC that did what they needed to do, according to the system set up by that conference, to get a BCS bowl. Virginia Tech choked in the title game, and Miami choked against Georgia Tech to eliminate themselves from title contention.
As far as an easy win for Penn State, maybe the 'Noles do have 4 losses, but it should be obvious considering who they beat, that when they put their minds to it, they can win against almost anybody. They beat a highly touted Miami team, a one loss Virginia Tech team, and a pretty good team from Boston College. Despite their four losses, they will give PSU a run for their money if they put their mind to it. So the Orange Bowl can be a classic for the ages, IF the Seminoles come to play...
Florida State does not deserve to be in a BCS bowl game. They went 8 and 4 on the season, which is not "Bowl Champion" caliber and there are many more teams out there that have much better records and beat good teams that didn't get a bowl game.
What the hell does "come to play" mean? Oh I get it, if the team you pick does well than they came to play, if they don't do well that means they didn't come to play. It certainly could never be that you made an idiotic pick.
The "come to play" has to be the most nonsensical cliche used in sports. It is meaningless. The teams should tell the fans BEFORE the game if they came to play, then the fans can go find something better to do if they know the team didn't come to play. But no one ever says it until after the game, and coincidentally it is almost always after a loss.
What I mean is that when a team is motivated and pumped up, they play well. After Florida State already won their division in the ACC, they had nothing more to play for until they were in the ACC title game. So naturally, they didn't play as hard, and as a resuilt, they lost. FSU, on their best day, beat Miami close and beat the snot of Virginia Tech. No, I don't like an 8-4 team playing in a BCS game, but FSU was the only team that met the requirements set up by the ACC to get the automatic berth. So the problem isn't with FSU, but with the ACC's requirements. But anybody that can't see that a team that beat Miami, Boston COllege, and Virginia Tech, in the same season, even with 4 losses, is a good team, then they aren't truly paying attention. FSU is a good team on the best of days, and a horrible team when they aren't playing for anything. They played hard against the teams they had to beat to win the ACC. That's quite unlike a 'better' Virginia Tech team, that got blown out anytime it was playing for anything of any significance.
I am a student at Northern Kentucky University pursuing a major in biochemistry. I originally come from Bedford County, Pennsylvania, but am living in Northern Kentucky. I have an interest in college football and the NFL, and am of course, rooting for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
