Florida State’s dramatic week-to-week swings in ESPN’s Football Power Index continued following another disappointing road performance.
The Seminoles dropped 11 spots to No. 41 nationally in ESPN’s latest FPI rankings after Friday night’s 44-20 loss to Louisville. The fall comes just one week after Florida State made one of the largest jumps in the country, climbing 15 positions from No. 45 to No. 30 following a dominant 38-7 victory over Virginia.
That momentum disappeared quickly at Louisville.
Florida State raced to a 14-0 first-quarter advantage before the Cardinals scored 35 unanswered points and eventually handed the Seminoles a 24-point defeat. Louisville accumulated 537 total yards, including 397 on the ground, while Florida State fell
to 3-3 overall and 1-2 in ACC play.
Florida State’s latest position also represents a significant reversal from where the Seminoles stood immediately after beating Virginia. That victory had vaulted FSU from ninth to third among ACC teams in FPI and offered statistical evidence that Mike Norvell’s team might be turning a corner.
One week later, the Seminoles have fallen back toward the middle of the conference in the metric. ESPN’s latest projections give Florida State a 67% chance of reaching six wins, leaving bowl eligibility far from guaranteed with six regular-season games remaining.
The volatility of the past two updates reflects Florida State’s performance over the last few seasons under Norvell: a convincing performance immediately followed by another lopsided road loss. With Miami next on the schedule, the Seminoles will have another opportunity to dramatically alter how ESPN’s model views them.
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This article originally appeared on FSU Wire: FSU slides in ESPN’s FPI rankings after Louisville loss
