Desmond Howard explains why Florida State isn’t out of the CFP race even with Week 0 loss
Desmond Howard isn’t ready to count out the Noles.
Despite Florida State’s stunning 24-21 loss to Georgia Tech in Week 0, Howard said on ESPN airwaves on Tuesday that he believes FSU can still get back into the College Football Playoff picture.
The 5 highest-ranked champions will make the expanded CFP this season, meaning the ACC’s champion will almost certainly be included in the field this year. But beyond the expanded Playoff, Howard expressed faith in FSU coach Mike Norvell and his staff.
“I know it was a conference loss, but they still have everything ahead of them,” Howard said. “Mike Norvell is a really good coach. With really good coaches, you try to figure out what you’ve got. Sometimes, you don’t know until you know. And now, they understand what they have on offense. They understand what they have on defense. They had to replace a bunch of wide-outs too, so now I think they can go back to the drawing board.
“They have a big game on Monday, so I think we’re going to see a different Seminoles team moving forward.”
https://twitter.com/ESPNCFB/status/1828512722746503438
Per ESPN’s Playoff Predictor, Florida State’s odds to reach the CFP fell from 36% to 12% after the Noles’ Week 0 defeat.
Florida State is now a big underdog to reach the College Football Playoff, per Vegas. FanDuel currently has Florida State priced to make the CFP at +360. FanDuel has FSU as a 15.5-point favorite at home against Boston College on Monday night.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.