The Florida State Seminoles are ranked No. 2 in the first Bowl Championship Series rankings of the season.
This is the highest ranking FSU has in the last 13 years. The team’s offense has not scored less than 40 points in a game this season.
The ‘Noles (6-0, 4-0 ACC) received the ranking Sunday after defeating the then-No. 3 Clemson University Tigers (6-1, 4-1 ACC) 51-14 in South Carolina on Saturday.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Jameis Winston and the Seminole offense gashed the Tiger defense for 565 yards of offense. The defense held Clemson’s explosive pass offense to only 203 yards.
FSU will face its conference foe North Carolina State Wolfpack (3-3, 0-3 ACC) Saturday at Doak Campbell Stadium. The Wolfpack upset the ‘Noles last season in the fourth quarter, winning 17-16. It has haunted the ‘Noles since last season.
FSU head coach Jimbo Fisher is pleased with his team’s performance at this point in the season. Fisher does not want his team to get sucked into the media hype, comparing it to clutter.
“Clutter is clutter,” Fisher said. “You have to stay focused and prioritize. It’s very critical in maintaining success and having consistent success. Our focus will be on prioritizing and not changing those priorities.”
In addition, Fisher said he is excited to see former legendary FSU coach Bobby Bowden return to Doak Campbell for the ‘Noles pregame ceremony.
Junior running back Karlos Williams said FSU players do not have time to pay attention to the BCS rankings. Williams said he was shocked and happy when he heard but does not want it to become a distraction.
“Being No. 2 is not the ultimate goal, being No.1 is,” Williams said. “Winning the ACC and a national championship is the ultimate goal, but to do that, we have to take it day by day.”
Williams said FSU’s main focus this week is on the Wolfpack. Everything else is clutter.
“Last year is last year,” Williams said. “We have to prepare like we prepared for Clemson. Perfect practice makes perfect play, and we have been getting the results we wanted all season.”
Senior middle linebacker Christian Jones said the team started talking about the Wolfpack game right after the Clemson game because of last year’s loss.
“We felt horrible after that game,” Jones said of last season’s loss against NC State. “We were one drive away from winning. That stuck with us with the rest of the season. We will be ready for them on Saturday.”
Jones said he did not watch the unveiling of the ranking, but he is fully aware of his team’s standing. As a leader of the team, he empathized how important it is to concentrate on goals.
“It’s really exciting,” Jones said. “When my class came in, we weren’t even considered to be a top team. It’s a blessing to be able to be considered for a big game.
“We worked for a long time. We understand we must focus on the rest of the season.”
If the ‘Noles defeat the Wolfpack, there is a possibility of a top-10 matchup between them and the University of Miami Hurricanes. Both teams have not been ranked in the top 10 together since 2004.