Saturday Blitz
Fansided

Most Important College Football Game for Each Top 25 Team During 2016 Season

By Zach Bigalke

Sep 17, 2016; Oxford, MS, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide running back Bo Scarbrough (9) moves past Mississippi Rebels linebacker DeMarquis Gates (3) during the fourth quarter of the game at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Alabama won 48-43. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 17, 2016; Oxford, MS, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide running back Bo Scarbrough (9) moves past Mississippi Rebels linebacker DeMarquis Gates (3) during the fourth quarter of the game at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Alabama won 48-43. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
16 of 26
Next
Sep 5, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles defensive end DeMarcus Walker (44) sacks Mississippi Rebels quarterback Chad Kelly (10) during the second half at Camping World Stadium. Florida State Seminoles defeated the Mississippi Rebels 45-34. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 5, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles defensive end DeMarcus Walker (44) sacks Mississippi Rebels quarterback Chad Kelly (10) during the second half at Camping World Stadium. Florida State Seminoles defeated the Mississippi Rebels 45-34. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

11. Florida State Comes Back to Beat Ole Miss 45-34 in Orlando (Sept. 5)

Even with a new starting quarterback in redshirt freshman Deondre Francois, the Seminoles were expected to contend for the ACC and possibly a spot in the College Football Playoff. Ranked fourth in both the AP and Coaches preseason Top 25 lists, Florida State had even received first-place votes in the first ranking of the year. Yet Florida State’s year could have collapsed before it even really got off the ground, as they needed a second-half comeback just to get through the season opener.

Opening the year with a neutral-site game against Ole Miss in Orlando, the Seminoles found themselves in a 15-point hole at halftime. Chad Kelly had already thrown three touchdown passes for the Rebels, and only a late FSU touchdown in the final minute prevented the deficit from looking even worse. After the break, though, Florida State turned on the heat. Including the score right before halftime, the Seminoles put up 33 unanswered points to claw out an insurmountable lead. Ole Miss scored just once more in the fourth quarter, but could never pull back within single digits against a defense that forced four turnovers and allowed Ole Miss less than 20 minutes of possession.

While Florida State failed to finish better than third in the ACC Atlantic, this win still opened the door for Jimbo Fisher’s team to play in a New Year’s Six game for the sixth straight season. A statement win on neutral turf gave FSU a bigger win than anything that division rival Louisville could muster despite having a better conference record, and thus the Seminoles got the nod ahead of the Cardinals for the ACC’s spot in the Orange Bowl despite the head-to-head loss.

Home/College Football News