Florida State vs. Louisville: How Seminoles' Win Will Shake Up Week 11 Rankings

The Louisville Cardinals' No. 1-ranked defense could only pin down the reigning national champion Florida State Seminoles for so long on Thursday at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium.

Last year's Heisman winner Jameis Winston overcame three interceptions to rally the second-ranked Seminoles back on the road to a 42-31 victory.

Bleacher Report's NFL draft expert Matt Miller raised a great point in his analysis of Winston's roller-coaster performance that was brilliant in the end:

As one of only two power-five conference programs still undefeated, it appears Florida State will retain its rightful status as the second-ranked team in the College Football Playoff in Week 11.

The following quote from playoff selection committee chairman Jeff Long regarding the myriad of one-loss teams fortifies that notion.

"It was extremely difficult, more difficult than any of us had expected having gone through our mock selections before," said Long after the first rankings were released Tuesday, via ESPN.com news services. "There are 18 one-loss teams in FBS at this point in time, and the difference between many of them is very slim."

Barring an upset loss by No. 1 Mississippi State to Arkansas this weekend, the top of the NCAA football hierarchy ought not to change.

Winston didn't look like the best quarterback on the field for at least the first half or so. That designation belonged to Louisville's Will Gardner, who, to be fair, was helped by stud wide receiver DeVante Parker.

Interesting enough, Michael Dyer, a former Auburn running back who didn't play in the Tigers' loss to FSU in last year's national title game, was the one who gashed the Seminoles often.

ESPN Stats & Info contextualized how strong Dyer's effort was:

When it counted most, though, Winston rose to the occasion yet again, spreading the ball around well and getting some necessary help from his backfield on the ground and through the air.

Skip Bayless of ESPN praised Winston's grit:

Respect for the Seminoles' on-field product will only grow after this epic comeback in which they were trailing 21-0 at one point.

Florida State saw a couple freshmen step up and make big plays. Receiver Travis Rudolph had the game-changing, 68-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter, cutting the Louisville lead to 24-14.

The drives in which the Seminoles pulled to within three points and later took a one-possession lead at 35-31 were dominated by running back Dalvin Cook, per FSU Football:

ESPN College Football alluded to the rather easy road ahead in the victors' bid for an undefeated 2014 campaign:

Championship teams tend to do what Florida State did Thursday evening. The Seminoles weren't playing their best, yet they found a way to grind out a win against such a difficult defense.

That has to carry a lot of weight when the College Football Playoff selection committee sits down and assesses where Florida State resides among the game's elite. How the remaining opponents impact the Seminoles' perception is another matter.

But all coach Jimbo Fisher's resilient bunch continues to do is win. With an off-the-charts, big-game QB at the helm in Winston and a deep bunch of players that stepped up Thursday, the Seminoles deserve the benefit of the doubt in the rankings now and moving forward.