Heather Dinich emphasizes Miami game as a must-win for Florida State's College Football Playoff hopes

No. 18 Florida State suffered its first loss of the season last Friday night on the road at now-No. 24-ranked Virginia 46-38. The Seminoles fell behind 14-0 but eventually forced a comeback and 2OT, but were unable to pull off the win in Charlottesville.

The ‘Noles now sit at 3-1 through four games with just one victory over a Power Four opponent (Alabama). Due to their lack of resume and a weak schedule looming over the remainder of the season, ESPN‘s Heather Dinich emphasized this weekend’s Miami game as a must-win for Florida State‘s College Football Playoff chances on Friday morning’s ‘Get Up.’

“For Florida State, this is a game they have to win because this is probably their last chance to impress the selection committee against a ranked opponent,” Dinich said. “Down the stretch, you’re banking on wins against Clemson and Florida. You’re gonna have a lot of really good 10-2 teams, and I don’t think Florida State wants to get into that debate with their schedule.”

Following this weekend’s clash with the nation’s No. 3-ranked team, Florida State‘s final seven opponents all sit outside the AP Top 25 Rankings (Pittsburgh, Stanford, Wake Forest, Clemson, Virginia Tech, NC State and Florida). If it were to run the gauntlet or lose one game, its Playoff chances could be on the ropes (without an ACC Title win) if it were 10-2 with a weak resume. Talk about 2023 Déjà vu.

Jordan Rodgers claims that Miami is on ‘upset alert’

“Yeah (Miami is) on upset alert,” SEC Network‘s Jordan Rodgers also said on ‘Get Up‘. “I don’t think what we saw last week with Florida State losing a shootout to Virginia really changes anything. They can still run the football. They’re No. 2 in the country in rushing, but Miami is as good as it gets in run defense. They’re eighth and I think they’re a lot better than that. They shut down Notre Dame. Jeremiyah Love only had 93 yards. They shut down Florida on the ground, so it’s strength on strength.”

“That means Miami is gonna lose this game before Florida State wins this game, and I’m talking directly to Carson Beck. We’ve seen more of the Georgia version of Carson Beck the past couple of weeks. Three interceptions in the last two games. He’s forcing throws. He needs to play like a quarterback that realizes he has an elite run game with Mark Fletcher and an elite defense. You don’t have to play Superman. If he doesn’t turn the ball over, Miami should win this.”

Kickoff between No. 3 Miami and No. 18 Florida State this weekend is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET. The game can be seen on ABC.