FSU football rises in new SP+ rankings

The ’Noles will be bowling once again— and they also got a little bump in Bill Connelly’s latest SP+ rankings, as Florida State made its way back into the nation’s top 50.

After their win over Alabama State, the Seminoles are up from No. 51 in the country to No. 48. The FSU offense improved too, from 44th to 40th, as did the ’Nole special teams, from No. 95 to No. 93. The defense dipped modestly, from 61st to 62nd among FBS programs.

Alright, let’s check in on the Jones. Joneses. Joneseses. Let’s check in on the other schools that also have five losses, starting with those ranked above FSU. And this time I’ll include teams with more than five losses, too, just to piss you off.

• No. 26 Washington State (5-5)
• No. 30 Missouri (5-5)
• No. 31 TCU (5-5)
• No. 38 Tennessee (5-5)
• No. 40 Michigan State (4-6)
• No. 41 South Carolina (4-7)
• No. 42 Arizona State (5-5)
• No. 47 Texas Tech (4-6)

And now the power-five squads with five losses ranked beneath the Seminoles. And here, we’ll include the P5 teams with fewer losses than Florida State as well, so you can see where the ’Noles have gained an edge against programs with equal or better records.

• No. 49 Kentucky (5-5)
• No. 51 Illinois (6-4)
• No. 52 Pitt (7-3)
• No. 57 Wake Forest (7-3)
• No. 58 Louisville (6-4)
• No. 64 Boston College (5-5)
• No. 66 Oregon State (5-5)
• No. 82 Cal (5-5)

Finally, a little update on SP+ cellar-dwellers. Of 130 FBS teams, the lowest ranked ACC school is (no drumroll required) No. 103 Georgia Tech, at 103rd. The bottom P5 squad? Rutgers (2-8), at No. 110. And the worst FBS program? Yep, it’s still 1-10 UMass, the team last year’s FSU offensive coordinator Walt Bell left Tallahassee to take over. The Minutemen have occupied that unenviable position for five straight weeks now.