Dalvin Cook, Soft ACC Keep Florida State in Hunt for Under-the-Radar Playoff Bid

While No. 2 TCU was pulling off a wild comeback win over Kansas State and No. 4 Michigan State was trying to hang onto a road win over Rutgers, Florida State was in a fight of its own Saturday night.

Yet somehow, even though it was a rivalry game between two big names on a national network, the Seminoles and the Miami Hurricanes didn't seem to get the same buzz as the dramatic finishes for the Top Five teams.

Welcome to college football in 2015, where Florida State—the team that won the title two years ago and made the inaugural playoff last year—is flying somewhat under the radar as an undefeated team.

The Seminoles held off Miami by a score of 29-24 on Saturday night in Doak Campbell Stadium behind a do-it-all effort from running back Dalvin Cook and a couple of fourth-quarter stops from a strong defense.

STEVEN CANNON/Associated Press

"We've got a ton of ways to go, but I'm very proud of them," Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher told Heather Cox of ESPN after the game. "That's what this game always comes down to. That's Miami-Florida State, baby."

Now the program that made the most headlines in the last two seasons is 5-0 and knocking on the door for a return to the Top 10.

"The Seminoles haven't heard their name as a serious playoff contender, but that could change now that they've improved to 5-0," Jared Shanker of ESPN.com wrote. "It wasn't a perfect night, but Florida State showed the offensive life it was lacking through most of the first four games."

Florida State definitely has its flaws. On Saturday night, rough offensive play on third down and pass defense were major problems. The Seminoles converted just three of 10 third-down attempts and allowed 405 yards to Miami quarterback Brad Kaaya.

But who among the title contenders haven't shown weaknesses this season?

Ohio State and Michigan State have a growing number of critics. TCU has a banged-up defense that has gotten the Frogs into a pair of shootouts, and Baylor had a slow defensive start to the season against low-quality competition.

The undefeated contender Florida State most resembles, LSU, went through defensive headaches of its own Saturday in a win over struggling South Carolina.

Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

But what the Seminoles and the Bayou Bengals both have on their respective resumes are star running backs who will put the offense on their back and drag the team to victories.

Cook, a Miami native, had 261 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns against the Hurricanes. He scored on plays of 72, 36 and 32 yards and averaged 10.1 yards per carry.

"That guy is a champion and an unbelievable guy," Fisher said, per Cox. "Let me tell you something, I'm glad he's on my team."

What was even more impressive is that Cook had a program-best performance against Miami after being questionable for most of the week with a hamstring issue—one that looked like it could come back to haunt him on a long first-half run.

But Cook returned to the game and was excellent throughout.

"It was a last-minute thing," Cook told Cox. "When I came out here, Coach asked me if I felt good. I told him I felt great in warm-ups. I was ready to go."

Cook's great performance seemed to open things up more for quarterback Everett Golson, who finished the game 25-of-31 passing for 291 yards and a touchdown.

The former Notre Dame transfer continues to improve in Fisher's advanced offense each week and protect the football. His turnover-free play turned out to be vital in such a close win for his new school.

"We left a lot of things out on that field, but he's understanding our system now and how we play," Fisher said, per Cox. "He's doing a great job of managing the game. Now he's starting to make the big plays."

So long as Florida State keeps feeding the ball to Cook and pulling out victories, the Seminoles will continue to be in the thick of the playoff race.

Opponent	Record	Location
Louisville	2-3	Tallahassee
Georgia Tech	2-4	Atlanta
Syracuse	3-2	Tallahassee
Clemson	5-0	Clemson, South Carolina
NC State	4-2	Tallahassee
Chattanooga	4-1 (FCS)	Tallahassee
Florida	6-0	Gainesville, Florida

Like fellow contender Clemson, which became a strong playoff projection favorite last week after knocking off Notre Dame at home, Florida State has the advantage of an ACC schedule with only one other major contender. 

Besides the trip to face the Tigers in the beginning of November, the Seminoles only have to face undefeated rival Florida in nonconference play.

Their next two opponents, Louisville and Georgia Tech, have disappointing records compared to their preseason buzz.

Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

With Cook peaking and Golson improving, Florida State should be able to carry this offensive momentum into the next few games of the ACC schedule.

With three more wins in a row, the Seminoles will head to Clemson for a potential unbeaten versus unbeaten showdown for control of the ACC and their best shot at a playoff bid.

But don't tell that to Fisher and his young team, who are concentrating on the present.

"This team keeps evolving like I always talk about," Fisher said, per Cox. "We aren't worried about anything but the next week. This team keeps growing and understanding what we're doing. We've got a lot of young, talented football players that are learning to be champions."

Although they're not receiving the same spotlight that recent FSU teams had, these Seminoles will get their time to shine if they continue to pass their tests on the field.

For now, Fisher and his team will be satisfied with improving each week and being the surprise, under-the-radar contender.

Unless otherwise noted, other statistics courtesy of cfbstats.com.

Justin Ferguson is a college football writer at Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JFergusonBR.