College Football Rankings: SEC Holds Top Two Spots In First BCS Rankings, No Florida Schools Represented

The first Bowl Championship Series rankings of the college football season were released Sunday evening, and it should come as no surprise that the conference that has won the last five BCS title games would have the top two teams in the initial rankings. SEC stalwarts LSU and Alabama are one and two, respectively, in the first BCS rankings of the year, followed by the Oklahoma and Oklahoma State out of the Big 12. No teams from the state of Florida made the BCS Top 25.

The highest ranked ACC team is the Clemson Tigers, who escaped the Maryland Terrapins and College Park Saturday night with a 56-45 victory. Virginia Tech is No. 12, and Georgia Tech, after suffering a brutal loss to Virginia, rounds out the ACC representation at No. 23.

West Virginia checks in at No. 15, and is the lone representative from the Big East Conference. 

There are 10 undefeated schools remaining, with Kansas State perhaps the biggest surprise of the unscathed.  Bill Snyder's team is ranked No. 11 in these week one BCS rankings.

The complete first BCS rankings of the season:

1 LSU
2 Alabama
3 Oklahoma
4 Oklahoma State
5 Boise State
6 Wisconsin
7 Clemson
8 Stanford
9 Arkansas
10 Oregon
11 Kansas State
12 Virginia Tech
13 Nebraska
14 South Carolina
15 West Virginia
16 Michigan State
17 Texas A&M
18 Michigan
19 Houston
20 Auburn
21 Penn State
22 Georgia Tech
23 Illinois
24 Texas
25 Washington

For more on the Week 8 college football rankings, check out SB Nation's comprehensive StoryStream.

Florida State Takes Down Duke 41-16

The 41-16 pummeling was a much needed boost to an injured and struggling Florida State University football team and their disappointed fans. Troubles aside, the Noles had a better than a middling chance of winning over Duke University’s Blue Devils. Tonight’s win brings Florida State – Duke history to 17 – 0, FSU. However, a good showing from ‘Noles defense, offense, and experienced quarterback didn’t hurt FSU’s chances to end a three game losing streak and take a win back to Tallahassee.

The opening moments of the 1^st quarter showed both teams in good form and evenly matched.   Thanks to an interception by FSU’s defensive tackle Everett Dawkins, the ‘Noles drew first blood with a 27 yard field goal (11:00) to bring the score 0-3, FSU.  The field goal was FSU kicker Dustin Hopkins’s 109^th consecutive point-after attempt and surpassed former FSU kicker Derrick Schmidt’s 1987 record.  Duke immediately answered with a 40 yard push and a 38 yard field goal by kicker Will Snyderwine (8:24) and tied the game 3-3.

After trading field goals, FSU quarterback E J Manuel threw a 50 yard pass from FSU’s 40 yard line to receiver Christian Green who would take it to the Duke 1 yard line.  Not leaving the job unfinished, Manuel rushed for 1 yard for the first touchdown of the game (7:50).  The kick was good and the score stood 3-10, FSU. Just four and a half minutes later, Manuel would do it again with a 50 yard touchdown pass to receiver Rodney Smith (3:00).  The kick was good. The Noles’ defense forced Duke to punt and the score would remain 3-17 for the remainder of the quarter.   

During the first minute and a half of the 2^nd quarter, FSU continued a 95 yard push that they started in the 1^st and quickly scored another touchdown thanks to a 10 yard rush by running back Devonta Freeman (13:48).  The kick was good and the game stood at 3-24 FSU. The rest of the 2^nd quarter was messy, but a 45 yard field goal by FSU’s Dustin Hopkins pushed the score to 3-27 in the last seconds of the half. 

The opening minutes of the 3^rd quarter were much of the same.  Though Duke succeeded in receiving their own onside kick, Nole defense held them two yards short of a first down at the FSU 48.  Manuel and Freeman nickel-and-dimed their way down the field and took the score to 3-34 FSU (8:26). In the last minutes of the 3^rd quarter, Duke started their 44 yard push that put them at the FSU and by which they would eventually score their first touchdown.

The 4^th quarter opened with Duke running back Juwan Thompson rushing the ball 1 yard to the FSU in zone (4:52).  The extra point was good and the score went to 10-34 FSU.  However, Duke would recover their own onside kick and take the ball 45 yards to score another touchdown (1:45).  Their two-point attempt failed and the game was 16-34 FSU.  Not wanting to be foiled for the third time, FSU’s fullback Chad Abram, returned Duke’s on-side kick for no gain to the Duke 39.  Superb rushing by Manuel and Freeman took the Noles to another touchdown and extra point.  The score remained 16-41 FSU for the remainder of the game. 

FSU Players of Note:

-quarterback EJ Manuel threw for 239 yards with an average of 17.1 yards and a catch/attempt ratio of 64%. Manuel also had 11 carries and an average of 5.6 yards per carry for a total of 62 yards. 

-running back Devonta Freeman had 19 carries and averaged 5.7 yards per carry for a total of 109 yards.

Game Notes:
-A historically heavily penalized team, the Noles’ 5 penalties did not match their usually prolific standards.

- The Noles’ overall rushing game took 242 yards, including 109 from freshman Devonta Freeman during his 19 carries. The second most effective running performance was by Manuel, with 62 yards over 11 carries.

- Noles’ starting quarterback EJ Manuel seemed to be well on his way to recovering from his third degree shoulder sprain.  The defense did a good job of protecting him to prevent further injury. 

-The only trouble FSU had during the game was with Duke’s making effective use of an onside kick strategy.

E.J. Manuel Tremendous, Noles Back To Form?

Florida State trampled the Duke Blue Devils to the tune of 41-16, in biggest regard to quarterback E.J. Manuel. Recovering from a third degree shoulder sprain suffered to Oklahoma, the Noles went on to lose three games without him healthy. He practiced all week and was ready to play. I grinned and bared my teeth with nervous anticipation, but E.J. was truly healthy and it was a beautiful thing.

FSU never needed the back up quarterback as Manuel dominated the Blue Devil defense. Manuel averaged 17 yards per completion for 239 yards, 2 touchdowns, and no interceptions. Manuel also had 64 yards rushing and scored 2 additional TDs with his legs. He targeted nine different recievers and had three passes over 50 yards, each leading to or setting up a touchdown.

Playing deep and connecting were junior Rodney Smith, sophomore Kenny Shaw, and freshman Christian Green. None familiar names. The Seminole game changer, freshman Rashad Greene, was a game time decision and did not play. The Seminoles did turn over the ball once but limited themselves to five penalties, a vast improvement. 

Seven Seminoles recorded rushing yards as Florida State attempted to bolster their ground war, and found two viable weapons against the Blue Devils: E.J. Manuel and freshman Devonta Freeman, who ran for 109 yards for 19 carries and a touchdown. Florida State ran 110 yards as a team last week, in which Freeman led the team in rushing as well. In other words, we found a running back!

So the streak continues. Duke still has yet to defeat the Seminoles and Florida State has an ACC victory to build on. Should Clemson and Wake Forest lose tonight, the Noles will be only two games back in the division. 

A victory felt great this week. Next week the 'Unconquered' host Maryland, then N.C. State before traveling to Boston College, each game easier than the last. Hopefully the Noles are headed for redemption.

Florida State Vs. Duke: Seminoles Storm Into Durham, Crush Blue Devils 41-16

Florida State (3-3, 1-2 ACC) snapped Duke's (3-3, 1-1) modest three game winning streak, and in the process won their first game in over a month Saturday afternoon, taking out some early season frustrations in a 41-16 bludgeoning of the Duke Blue Devils at Wallace Wade Stadium.

It was the Seminoles first victory since a cakewalk 62-10 win over Charleston Southern on September 10. Florida State is now 17-0 all time against Duke.

Once ranked fifth in the country, Florida State had fallen hard and fast in recent weeks thanks to losses to Oklahoma, Clemson and Wake Forest. Quarterback E.J. Manuel, injured for most of that tough stretch, played well against the Blue Devils, completing nine of 14 passes for 239 yards and two touchdowns. He had three completions of over 50 yards in the first quarter, helping Florida State establish an early 24-3 lead that they would not relinquish.

The much-maligned Seminoles defense also stepped up Saturday, sacking Duke quarterback Sean Renfree five times while also knocking down numerous other pass attempts at the line.

For more Seminole news and analysis, visit our affiliate Tomahawk Nation.

Florida State Vs. Duke: Disgraced Seminoles Look For Easy Win

Florida State looks to end their skid against the usually-terrible Duke Blue Devils.

Seminoles Injury Update: Rashad Greene Unlikely Against Duke

On top of yesterday’s news about Chris Thompson and Andrew Datko, the last thing the Seminoles needed right now is more bad injury news. And yet, the injury updates just keep pouring in:

Thursday evening, as he was speaking to reporters for the final time before the Seminoles take on Duke on Saturday, Seminoles head coach Jimbo Fisher announced that receiver Rashad Greene, a former St. Thomas Aquinas standout, was “very questionable” for this weekend’s game.

“He had an ankle [injury],” Fisher said. “He’s had it all week. He tried to nurse it. We thought he’d be back, and he’s … it’s going to be interesting. He’s going to be a game-time decision.” (Coley Harvey, Orlando Sentinel)

This news is almost ironic, considering that Greene wouldn’t have gotten an extended chance this season if not for early-season injuries to receivers Bert Reed and Willie Haulstead. Haulstead is currently out with a concussion and likely won’t be back this season — or at least, very late in the year — and Reed should be back soon from his ankle injury.

FSU’s season has seemingly been “blessed” by Murphy’s Law: what could go wrong, has gone wrong. There’s still time for them to salvage a respectable record, but with their Swiss cheese lineup right now, it could be an uphill battle.

FSU Injury Update: Chris Thompson, Andrew Datko Likely Done For Season

I think it’s fair to say that the Seminoles’ season has so far been one giant disaster. To say the least. After being ranked as high as #5 in the AP Poll, the Seminoles are in the midst of a three-game losing skid and have tumbled all the way out of the Top 25. They’re hoping to snap that skid against Duke this weekend, but their season is already effectively over; their hopes of competing in any of the major BCS bowls are done.

One of FSU’s problems has been that they have had a rash of injuries this year, the latest of which could have a considerable impact on the remainder of the season. From Coley Harvey, Orlando Sentinel:

Two players, running back Chris Thompson and offensive tackle Andrew Datko, appear to be in the middle of long-term ailments that may keep them off the field the remainder of the season.

Thompson broke two vertebrae in his back during last Sunday’s loss to Wake Forest, and he will be in a back brace for up to three months. Considering the nature of his injury, Thompson is lucky he doesn’t need surgery.

Meanwhile, Datko has been playing through a shoulder injury all season, but coach Jimbo Fisher is now saying that Datko will likely be out the remainder of the season. In other words, it feels as though the Seminoles are turning their attention toward next season; if they aren’t going to compete this year, why risk one of your star players not being 100% for next season? Let him heal, while testing out the younger players on your team.

FSU At Duke: Seminoles Aim To End Losing Skid

The Florida State Seminoles (2-3, 0-2) visit Durham, NC to battle the Duke Blue Devils (3-2, 1-0) this Saturday at 3:00 Eastern.