FSU vs. Georgia Tech: How Seminoles' Loss Impacts AP Rankings, CFP Picture

The No. 9 Florida State Seminoles, who had won 30 straight regular-season games and 28 straight conference games, fell on the road Saturday night to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, 22-16. Georgia Tech blocked Florida State's 56-yard field-goal attempt and returned it 78 yards for a touchdown as time expired to claim the victory.

As Georgia Tech fans celebrated, the Seminoles were stunned. Although Florida State was undefeated coming in, it had been playing with fire lately. The Seminoles beat a struggling Miami Hurricanes team by just five points at home Oct. 11 and won by just eight against the 3-5 Wake Forest Demon Deacons on Oct. 4. 

One week ago, Florida State trailed Louisville 7-6 at the break before outscoring the Cardinals 35-14 in the second half. Head coach Jimbo Fisher, who is now 64-12 at FSU, seemed to be as stunned as everyone else after the loss, per ESPN.com.

"We did not finish," he said. "I don't know what happened on that last play. We've got to cover it."

Jon Barash/Associated Press

When it comes to the polls, voters may not be kind to the Seminoles. Despite their 6-0 start, Florida State had moved up only one spot since checking in at No. 10 in the preseason Associated Press Top 25. Teams rarely drop much in the polls as long as they are winning, but a loss to a 3-5 team, even on the road, will cause a multiple-spot drop.

FSU is one of just four ranked teams to lose in Week 8, which will cause the Seminoles to fall to somewhere around 15th or 16th—or worse. More importantly, their slim chances of qualifying for the College Football Playoff for a second year in a row are now all but gone.

Jason McIntyre of the Big Lead and Fox Sports Radio didn't even have FSU in his top eight, let alone top four:

The ACC figures to get only one team into the CFP, and the No. 6 Clemson Tigers, who beat the Miami Hurricanes 58-0 on Saturday, are the front-runners. For the Seminoles to have any chance of making the playoff, they will have to win at Clemson on Nov. 7, at No. 13 Florida on Nov. 28 and in the ACC Championship Game. 

With 14 ranked teams still undefeated, a one-loss team from the worst Power Five conference, according to RealTimeRPI.com, is unlikely to make the playoff. Gene Sapakoff of the Charleston Post and Courier is right in his assumption that Clemson is the ACC's only shot:

Don't expect Florida State to beat Clemson. A loss to the Tigers would see the Seminoles miss the ACC Championship Game for the first time since 2011. Saturday's loss doesn't affect the CFP picture much, because unless the Seminoles finished undefeated and some other Power Five teams were upset along the way, they weren't cracking the top four anyway.

The Seminoles will still be tabbed for a bowl with ACC ties, but it won't be what they are used to after winning the national championship two years ago and losing in the semifinals last season.

If the Seminoles finish 10-2, there is a possibility the CFP selection committee could tab them for an at-large bid to the Peach Bowl, which used to have ties to the ACC and still favors schools from the conference, according to ChickFilAPeachBowl.com.