The Daily Nole

The Daily Nole — Dec. 4, 2016: Clemson Keeps FSU’s New Year’s Six Hopes Alive

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It’s a huge Sunday, Florida State fans. Four teams are in action and FSU football will learn its bowl destination. We’ll keep you updated on the latest in FSU athletics by updating the news and notes section throughout the day.

Lead Story

The dream of playing in a New Year’s Six bowl is still alive for Florida State. That’s because No. 3 Clemson took care of business and defeated 23rd-ranked Virginia Tech 42-35 in the ACC Championship in Orlando on Saturday night.

Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson accounted for more than 370 yards of offense and five total touchdowns in the victory. What the win likely does is cement the Tigers a spot in the College Football Playoff, meaning the next highest ranked ACC team will earn a berth in a New Year’s Six bowl — in this case, the Capital One Orange Bowl on Dec. 30.

For the moment, that team is Florida State who currently sits at No. 12 in the College Football Playoff rankings — a spot ahead of Louisville. Both the Seminoles and Cardinals are 9-3, but Louisville mopped the floor with FSU 63-20 when the teams met at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium on Sept. 17. FSU closed the season on a 4-game winning streak while the Cardinals suffered back-to-back embarrassing losses to Houston and Kentucky to conclude the regular season.

There’s a chance that the College Football Selection Committee could revisit that head-to-head contest and there’s some sentiment that FSU’s win over Florida last week will be devalued because of the Gators’ 54-16 loss to No. 1 Alabama in the SEC Championship on Saturday. The committee will decide Sunday whether it’s FSU or Louisville who will be headed for Miami.

Between the Lines

FSU volleyball rallied from two sets down to beat Florida in the second round of the NCAA Tournament and will advance to the round of 16. The FSU swimming and diving team competed in the Georgia Invite for the second straight day while the FSU men’s tennis team hosted the Tallahassee Futures Tournament.

On the Agenda

The FSU men’s tennis team will host the Tallahassee Futures Tournament again while the swimming and diving team resume the Georgia Invite. Both the men’s and women’s basketball teams will be in action for FSU. The women host Western Carolina at 2 p.m. EST in a contest that airs on ACC Network Extra. The FSU men will be in Washington D.C. to battle George Washington in the BB&T Classic. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. EST on the CBS Sports Network.

News and Notes

Florida State will take on Michigan in the Capital One Orange Bowl on Dec. 30. It’s FSU’s fifth straight major bowl appearance.

Florida State is back in the top 10 in the two traditional polls after being ranked 12th last week. It is the first time FSU has been in the top 10 in either the AP Poll or Amway Coaches Poll since falling to Louisville on Sept. 17.

Florida State defeated George Washington in the BB&T Classic on Sunday, 67-48. Guards Xavier Rathan-Mayes and C.J. Walker each scored 11 points to lead the Seminoles.

FSU volleyball will face Stanford at 4:30 p.m. EST on Friday in the NCAA Tournament round of 16.

What You May Have Missed From The Daily Nole

Seminoles Rally to Stun Gators, Advance to Round of 16
Walker, Forrest Provide Bright Future for FSU Backcourt
Preview: Noles Take on George Washington in Nation’s Capital
FSU Senior Moments: Jesus Wilson
The Daily Nole — Dec. 3, 2016: FSU Volleyball Takes on Florida in NCAA Tournament

Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson

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