Florida State Football: How Will Loss Impact Seminoles' BCS Hopes?

Florida State mounted a fourth-quarter comeback against the Clemson Tigers on Saturday, but they came out on the short end of a 35-31 game. The Seminoles' BCS hopes are now in serious jeopardy after looking so promising just two weeks ago.

Who's the Biggest Winner?

As obvious as it may sound, Clemson emerges from Week 4 as the biggest winner in the ACC. The Tigers and Seminoles are the top two teams in the ACC Atlantic and with the victory, Clemson now controls their own destiny en route to the ACC Championship game.

Quarterback Tajh Boyd carved up the Florida State defense to the tune of 344 yards and three touchdowns, while the defense held the Seminoles' rushing attack to just 29 yards.

The player of the game was Clemson freshman wide receiver Sammy Watkins, who caught eight balls for 141 yards and two touchdowns. His quick adaptation to the college game has brought another dimension to the Tigers' attack.

Does Florida State Still Have a BCS Chance?

There is always a chance when a conference has an automatic bid like the ACC. That said, Florida State has no room for error over its final eight games. Since Clemson now owns the tiebreaker over the Seminoles, they really own a 1.5-game edge in the Atlantic race.

The schedule is favorable, with just remaining one game against a ranked team (Florida in the season finale). It's not totally out of the question that they could run the table and force Clemson to lose no more than one game, but it's an uphill battle.

What It Means in the Big Picture

Florida State let a high preseason ranking slip through their fingers with back-to-back losses. Losing to No. 1 Oklahoma was survivable, but the loss to Clemson really puts them behind the eight ball. Within the span of two weeks, the Seminoles have gone from a strong BCS contender to likely being on the outside looking in.

Biggest Thing to Fix

The Florida State running game was averaging less than 100 yards per game heading into the clash with Clemson and struggled again against the Tigers. Chris Thompson gained just 36 yards on 11 carries as the only running back to get a carry on Saturday.

Unless they can start to develop a more balanced attack moving forward, their BCS hopes are toast.

Pivotal Turnaround Game

Nov. 8 at Wake Forest

After a week off to shake off a couple tough losses, the Seminoles have to get right back on the winning track against Wake Forest. Assuming they can knock off a weakened Boston College Eagles squad next week, the Demon Deacons will be 2-0 in conference play heading into that game.

That makes it a must-win for Florida State if they want to keep their BCS hopes alive.

Final Verdict

While running the remaining ACC slate is not impossible, it's unlikely. Beating Wake Forest would improve Florida State's BCS hopes, but it would still be a long shot. The Seminoles would need the Tigers to lose two games while going undefeated themselves over the final nine weeks.

Florida State will not play in a BCS bowl game this season.