What Beating Notre Dame Would Mean for Florida State's Playoff Chances

At the season's midpoint, the Florida State football team is one of five unbeaten teams. And the schedule affords a perfect opportunity for the Seminoles (6-0) to improve their playoff chances with a win over No. 5 Notre Dame Saturday night.

FSU won the 2013 national title and has claimed 22 straight wins. It's clear that the Seminoles are one of the top teams in the nation, even if Mississippi State vaulted in front of FSU in the AP and coaches polls Sunday.

But FSU still needs to build—and strengthen—its resume in 2014. While the defense was maligned for allowing 41 points in a win over North Carolina State, FSU has shown its fight in scoring 39 points per game and has won its last three games by 15 points or more.

An FSU win over a Top Five team would give the Seminoles a signature win on a national stage, a day that will begin with ESPN's "GameDay" in the shadows of Doak Campbell Stadium and end with the national broadcast on ABC.

"This would be big to shoot back up to No. 1," said Raycom analyst Tommy Bowden, a former Clemson coach. "The fact that Mississippi State has overtaken them, they need to get that for playoff considerations."

Yes, many coaches and writers will be watching. But so too will the members of the College Football Playoff selection committee, who will release their first standings on Oct. 28.

The FSU-Notre Dame winner is almost assured of having a spot in the top four in the initial standings. Both teams have a bye following the game (FSU plays at Louisville on Oct. 30 and Notre Dame faces Navy on Nov. 1).

If FSU were to beat Notre Dame, the Seminoles would have three wins over ranked teams in seven games. FSU can claim a season-opening win over Oklahoma State, which is now No. 15. And the Cowboys have rattled off five straight wins since that loss to FSU. The Seminoles defeated Clemson in overtime, with a suspended Jameis Winston on the sideline. The Tigers are ranked 22nd in the AP poll.

Critics of FSU will argue that the Seminoles defeated Clemson and Oklahoma State by just six points. But FSU should be given credit for battling and winning.

FSU's schedule in the offseason was considered one of the 10 toughest paths to the College Football Playoff by FOXSports.com's Bruce Feldman. The Seminoles have completed the first half unscathed.

Notre Dame is by far the toughest game FSU will play in the second half of the season. Games against Louisville, Virginia, Miami, Boston College and Florida await, but none of the teams are ranked.

A win over Notre Dame puts FSU in the driver's seat for the final five games. FSU is firmly in control of the Atlantic Division with its win over Clemson and would then play in the ACC championship game.

There's plenty of football left, but, barring injury, FSU appears poised to secure a spot in the four-team playoff if the Seminoles knock off Notre Dame.

Bob Ferrante is the Florida State Lead Writer for Bleacher Report, all quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Stats courtesy of seminoles.com. Follow Bob on Twitter. All recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports.