FSU vs. Miami: How Seminoles' Win Reshapes Playoff Picture

Once again, the Florida State Seminoles overcame a sluggish start to find a way to win.

Jameis Winston threw for 304 yards, one touchdown and an interception, but the hero of the game was running back Dalvin Cook, whose touchdown with 3:05 left in the game was the decisive score. The freshman finished with 92 yards and two touchdowns rushing, in addition to 18 receiving yards.

Fox Sports' Bruce Feldman believes that Cook could serve as the heir apparent for Devonta Freeman, who left Florida State after his junior season:

All that really matters is that Florida State won, which means the college football playoff is that much closer for the 'Noles. With Mississippi State's loss to Alabama, FSU might even climb into the top spot.

Following Saturday's results, the top four will likely look something like this when the selection committee unveils its newest ranking.

Seed	Team	Record
1	Alabama Crimson Tide	9-1 (6-1 SEC)
2	Florida State Seminoles	10-0 (7-0 ACC)
3	Oregon Ducks	9-1 (6-1 Pac-12)
4	TCU Horned Frogs	9-1 (6-1 Big 12)

Winning aside, Saturday couldn't have gone much worse for Florida State in terms of building a case for the playoff. No. 19 Clemson lost to Georgia Tech, 28-6, while 18th-ranked Notre Dame fell in overtime to Northwestern. As a result, the Seminoles' two biggest wins this season became a lot less impressive:

That will really come into play if Florida State falters between now and the conference championship. Boston College and Florida shouldn't present much resistance as long as the Seminoles take them seriously.

FSU would meet either Georgia Tech or Duke in the ACC Championship Game, which could be a nice win to end the season, but beating the Yellow Jackets or Blue Devils won't exactly knock the selection committee off its feet.

Still, it will take a lot of guts for the committee to overlook an unbeaten power-five conference champion for a one-loss Big 12/Big Ten champion. Florida State can only beat the teams in front of it, and that's exactly what the Seminoles have done.

"I thought name of the game was to keep winning," said FSU head coach Jimbo Fisher before Saturday's game, per Daniel Uthman of USA Today. "Whether you pick it by computer or that way, hey, we just have to control what we can control. If you don't do that, you're chasing your tail."

The 'Noles haven't been the most convincing, but the final score is all that matters. An unbeaten Florida State deserves a place in the playoff. There shouldn't be any doubt about that.

Where the Seminoles would be seeded right now is up for discussion, but at the very least, they have a top-four spot.

The biggest losers following Florida State's win are one of TCU, Baylor or Ohio State. Most agree that if the season ended now, the playoff would include Florida State, the SEC champion—likely Alabama—and Oregon. That means the Big 12 and Big Ten champions are fighting over the final spot in the playoff.

A one-loss Florida State will almost certainly move to the back of the pack among the power-five champions, so Saturday night was a major blow for the Horned Frogs, Bears or Buckeyes.