Florida State football is looking to capture their first conference title since 2014 when they face Louisville in the ACC Championship Game on Saturday. That was also the last year they made their one and only playoff appearance, where they lost to Oregon, 59-20, in the Rose Bowl semifinal game.
Even currently at 12-0 and No. 4 in the country, there's still skepticism that the Seminoles could be left out of the College Football Playoff when the final selection takes place. They would, for sure, drop out of the top-4 if they lost to No. 14 Louisville, whose two losses are to Pitt (3-9) and Kentucky (7-5). But if they win, which would put them at 19 straight wins going back to last season, there's an argument that they should be left out since their star quarterback Jordan Travis is out for the season.
Since Travis was injured during the North Alabama game, the quarterback duties have been left to Tate Rodemaker. Rodemaker was serviceable in Florida State's win over in-state rival Florida during rivalry weekend, helping the Seminoles to a 24-15 win. Jeff Brohm's Cardinals team could present a much different challenge, however.
Perhaps the playoff committee is hoping that the Cardinals can do their dirty work for them by beating Florida State on Saturday night. Either way, this is shaping up to be one of the most interesting conference championship weekends in recent memory. With that said, let's get into some Florida State football bold predictions for the ACC Championship Game versus Louisville.
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Trey Benson gets 20 carries for only 80 yards, two touchdowns
Running the ball hasn't been Florida State football's strong suit this season, as they mostly relied on the arm of Jordan Travis and talented receivers like Keon Coleman and others. Benson has been a fine running back but has only one game this season over 100 yards, in which case he ran for 200 against Virginia Tech.
Benson and Florida State will be going up against the No. 11 rushing defense in the nation facing the Cardinals. Holding opponents to 3.26 yards per carry and 96.8 yards per game. With Rodemaker not the quarterback caliber of Travis, Norvell will most likely look to Benson to make some plays for the offense, but it's not going to be easy against this defense.
Florida State football holds Louisville under 30 points
Both of these teams come into the ACC Championship Game with a top-3 ranked defense. The Seminoles, though, have held every team they've played this season under 30 points. Even in a game where the Seminoles could struggle to score their own points, they more than likely won't give up that many themselves.
Tate Rodemaker gets picked off twice by Louisville football's defense
Oddly enough, it was Rodemaker who helped lead a comeback against Louisville last season when Travis went down with an injury. His three second-half scoring drives helped lift the Seminoles to a thrilling 35-31 comeback win on the road. But these aren't the same two teams from last season, especially Louisville now under Brohm.
That game was also the last time that Rodemaker has thrown an interception. If Florida State has trouble running the ball and Louisville gets a lead, Norvell will be forced to make Rodemaker throw the ball. That's when things could get interesting and he starts making mistakes trying to play from behind. The Cardinals' defense has 12 interceptions on the season.
Louisville wins the first-ever ACC Championship, beating Florida State
Saturday night will be Louisville football's first appearance in the ACC Championship Game. You can't say enough about what Brohm has done for this team, and if he somehow pulls off the upset, it would also be the first win over a top-5 opponent since beating No. 3 West Virginia in 2006.
Louisville is obviously coming off a close loss to Kentucky last week, but this game is huge for this program. The Cardinals are good, and certainly good enough to beat a Florida State team without Jordan Travis. Their defense will more than likely be the story of this game with them forcing Rodemaker into throwing the ball frequently should they take a lead into the fourth quarter.
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