Florida State football’s existential crisis

The GIST: In a Week 1 dominated by blowouts, Monday night’s lone game stood out as No. 10 Florida State suffered a brutal 28–13 home loss to underdog Boston College. This wasn’t just any upset, though — it’s an existential crisis for the Seminoles.

The context: Last year, FSU fans finished the regular season full of self-righteous rage after the undefeated ’Noles — reeling from star QB Jordan Travis’ season-ending injury — were snubbed by the College Football Playoff (CFP) selection committee.

• Slightly humbled by their subsequent Orange Bowl smackdown, the Seminoles remained steamed. Convinced their ACC membership was partially to blame for the slight, they’re now suing the conference for the right to leave and join the SEC.

The latest: Still indignant, FSU’s overhauled roster kicked off this season in a full-blown spiral. Monday’s shocking loss comes on the heels of their Week 0 embarrassment by Georgia Tech, planting ’Noles head coach Mike Norvell directly in the hot seat.

• In the wake of those losses, Florida State fell from preseason No. 10 to completely unranked this week — they didn’t receive a single vote in yesterday’s AP poll. Pain.

Zooming out: In previous years, two losses meant a team’s shot at a CFP berth evaporated, but with this season’s field expanding from four teams to 12, that’s no longer the case — leaving hopeful ’Noles fans saying, “So you’re telling us there’s a chance?”

• If they can run the table in dominant fashion — and if Georgia Tech and Boston College continue to impress, thereby justifying FSU’s losses — the ’Noles could still find themselves in the CFP mix come December…but it’s a long shot. Who knows, anything could happen.