Florida State Seminoles

FSU Football: Noles Now In Line For Possible Orange Bowl Berth

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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After FSU football got their ninth win of the season Saturday against Florida, the ‘Noles are now a favorite to be selected for the Orange Bowl.

It was just a month ago that fans of the Florida State Seminoles were starting to get pretty worried about what the rest of the 2016 season would have in store. After a loss to Clemson, FSU football dropped to 5-3 and wondered if they would end up with more losses and head to an even worse bowl game.

Now, it looks like the ‘Noles could be heading back to a New Years Six bowl game – and stay in the Sunshine State to do it.

With a combination of Florida State’s win over hated rival Florida last night and Louisville’s upset loss at the hands of Kentucky earlier in the day, the Seminoles are now in line to be the ACC’s representative in the Capital One Orange Bowl.

Thanks to a tie-in between the game and the conference that started with the 2006 season, someone from the ACC will be heading to Miami Gardens on December 30th:

The Atlantic Coast Conference is locked into a 12-year deal with the Orange Bowl, so if the ACC champion qualifies for the playoffs in a year when the Orange is not a semifinal host, the next-highest ranked ACC team will play in the Orange.

After Satruday’s action, you can be willing to bet that the Seminoles will be the second highest rated team from the ACC when the latest rankings for the College Football Playoff come out Tuesday.

Of course, the only thing that could stop these plans is if Clemson – who is currently projected to make the playoff system – gets upset by Virginia Tech in the ACC Championship Game this weekend. Thus, as much as it may hurt, FSU football fans need the Tigers to win if they want to head to a better bowl.

If the Seminoles are selected, it would be the 10th time in program history – ranking FSU third in bowl history for number of appearances, behind Oklahoma and Nebraska. The ‘Noles are 4-5 all time in the game and 1-3 in their last four trips, coming out on top in their last visit by defeating Northern Illinois 31-10 following the 2012 season – and setting up the run for the 2013 national title.