Florida State could further defy the institution of college football if they end their season undefeated. Players have admitted to serious discussions about raising a national championship banner if they end the season as the only undefeated Power 5 champion. "It's only right. Nothing else needs to be said if we're the only undefeated team," linebacker Kalen DeLoach told ESPN. There are just two other undefeated Power 5 champions, with Michigan and Washington both playing in the College Football Playoff.
However, the team also stressed that they were strictly focused on their upcoming Orange Bowl matchup with Georgia. "The Orange Bowl is an awesome bowl, one of the best in the country, and we have a great opportunity in front of us playing Georgia. It's still a big game for us, and we're taking it serious. We're focused on the guys we have here to help us win the game," quarterback Brock Glenn said.
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Florida State Short-Handed Against Georgia
Finishing 14-0 would be a great testament to Florida State's tenacity given the short-handedness they have been burdened with heading into the Georgia matchup. A quarterback is the aforementioned Glenn. Glenn began the year as the third-string quarterback but will make his second career start following the ACC championship game. QB1 Jordan Travis remains sidelined with a broken leg. Meanwhile, second-stringer Tate Rodemaker announced he would be skipping the game to enter the transfer portal. Several other players have announced that they will skip the game, either to focus on the NFL Draft or enter the portal. Overall, nearly 20 players will be unavailable for the Seminoles.
Meanwhile, Georgia will be looking to bounce back from the loss that ended their title defense and arguably led to Florida State's snub. Furthermore, despite nearly 20 Bulldogs either transferring or draft declaring, head coach Kirby Smart has said the team will largely be a full strength besides injuries. "Right now we've got our guys that are healthy playing. Guys that are completely healthy and cleared to play, they've all said they're going to play. They've been practicing, doing everything. We do have guys dinged up and injured that have been trying to fight their way back. We'll see if they can go or not in the game," Smart said.
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