College Football Rankings 2014: Top 25 NCAA Playoff Standings for Week 13

Mississippi State’s loss to Alabama threw a major wrench in the College Football Playoff rankings for Week 13, and the result was a major turnover in every major NCAA Top 25 poll heading into the final stretch of the regular season.

With the Crimson Tide taking the No. 1 spot on the College Football Playoff poll and the Florida State Seminoles earning the top spot in the Associated Press rankings, the next few weeks of football will be the most important of the year.

Here are the Week 13 College Football Playoff, Associated Press and Bleacher Report Top 25 polls and a preview of this week’s most important matchup.

Lynne Sladky/Associated Press

Week 13’s Most Important Matchup

There is an abundance of exciting matchups on the Week 13 schedule, but the most important game in terms of postseason implications is the Florida State Seminoles taking on the Boston College Eagles.

Florida State remains undefeated in 2014, but the team was passed over by Alabama and Oregon in the latest College Football Playoff rankings. While the Seminoles topped the AP poll, the rankings that really matter have the program at No. 3 overall.

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New College Football Playoff rankings Top 4: 1. Alabama 2. Oregon 3. Florida State 4. Mississippi State pic.twitter.com/qGG7013upv

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 19, 2014"

With a meeting against Boston College Saturday, Florida State must send a definitive message to the rest of the sport that the program is the best in the nation. The problem is that the Seminoles have played from behind recently and have struggled with consistency.

Saturday’s victory over Miami (Fla.) was due in part to late-game heroics from quarterback Jameis Winston, but the team has been involved in far too many close battles. Florida State has trailed in the second quarter in seven of its last eight games and has been too dependent on the offensive unit to make big plays in crunch time.

While the Seminoles have struggled to maintain a steady pace for an entire game over the last several weeks, Boston College coach Steve Addazio told The Associated Press, via ESPN.com, about his respect for the program:

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These guys find a way to win and they play the best at their most competitive moments. That's usually what great teams do. ... They won the national championship and they're undefeated and it's their second year running. They played Auburn last year in the national title game, found a way to win. I'm into giving credit where credit is due, and they're an amazing football program.

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This game will be so interesting due to the chance it presents the Eagles. BC has played strong in the ACC this season, and a win over Florida State would make this year’s campaign a rousing success.

Boston College has a talented rushing attack that is currently ranked 12th in the nation with an average of 264 yards per game. With the Seminoles giving up 139.7 yards rushing per game, the Eagles have the rushing ability to upset their opponents if FSU isn’t 100 percent focused on the task at hand.

Florida State has a potent offensive attack of its own, but Winston will be forced to square off with a Boston College defense that is ranked 23rd in the nation, allowing just 21.9 points per game. The Eagles are coming off a loss to Clemson but have marquee wins over USC and Virginia Tech.

If Seminoles head coach Jimbo Fisher can keep his team focused on Boston College, there is no doubt that Florida State has a more talented roster.

Led by Winston and the nation’s 17th-ranked offensive unit (averaging 37.1 points per game), the No. 3 team in the College Football Playoff poll will struggle to make a statement. The Seminoles will beat the Eagles, but they will not prove they belong at the top of the playoff conversation.

Predicted Winner: Florida State 34, Boston College 30

*Stats via ESPN.com.