See where Florida State football is ranked in the final AP Poll for the 2023 season
Talks of claiming a National Championship through the AP (Associated Press) Poll were shortlived for Florida State football.
The Seminoles (14-1) season concluded with a 63-3 loss to Georgia in the Orange Bowl, ending their pursuit of a perfect season. The lone team to finish with an undefeated 15-0 record was Michigan, with a 34-13 victory over Washington on Monday in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.
As a result, the Wolverines finished as the No. 1 overall team in the final AP Poll, released around 1:45 a.m. EST Tuesday morning.
The Huskies followed at No. 2, followed by two 2-loss semifinalist teams in No. 3 Texas and No. 5 Alabama. The Bulldogs finished No. 4 despite losing to the Crimson Tide in the SEC Championship.
FSU finished tied for No. 6 with Oregon.
The Seminoles went 3-1 against teams that finished in the Top 25, with wins over No. 12 LSU, No. 19 Louisville and No. 20 Clemson. The lone loss came to No. 4 Georgia in the Orange Bowl.
Looking ahead to 2024
FSU won the ACC for the first time since the 2014 season and the 13 wins were also the most since the same season. The Seminoles have now gone 23-4 over the last two seasons following an 8-13 mark in the first two seasons under head coach Mike Norvell.
Many star players for the Seminoles - including quarterback Jordan Travis, defensive end Jared Verse, running back Trey Benson, receiver Johnny Wilson and defensive tackle Fabien Lovett - returned for the 2023 season with the sole purpose of seeking a National Championship.
FSU went undefeated and won a conference championship, but was snubbed of a College Football Playoff spot. That led to nearly 30 FSU players opting out of the Orange Bowl due to injuries, transfers or declaring for the NFL Draft.
The Seminoles will look vastly different in 2024 as a result.
ESPN ranked FSU as No. 16 in its "Way-Too-Early College Football Top 25" rankings.
16. Florida State Seminoles
2024 outlook: "The Seminoles will have to do some self-examination after their 60-point loss in the Orange Bowl, the worst defeat in program history. The Seminoles were missing 30 players who were injured, opted out or entered the transfer portal. The sting of going undefeated and being left out of the CFP will probably linger for a while. Coach Mike Norvell and his staff have to pick up the pieces with many of their best players moving on. Uiagalelei will have the unenviable job of replacing Travis. DJU started 40 career games at Clemson and Oregon State and had a 30-10 record with 8,319 passing yards and 57 touchdowns. The Seminoles picked up a big addition on defense in Jones, a former Georgia linebacker whose father was an All-American at FSU. There are going to be many new faces on both sides of the ball in 2024."
Final 2023 Associated Press Poll
Michigan
Washington
Texas
Georgia
Alabama
t-6 FSU (tie)
t-6 Oregon
8 Mizzou
9 Ole Miss
10 Ohio State
11 Arizona
12 LSU
13 Penn State
14 Notre Dame
15 Oklahoma
16 Oklahoma State
17 Tennessee
18 Kansas State
19 Louisville
20 Clemson
21 NC State
22 SMU
23 Kansas
24 Iowa
25 Liberty
Reach Ehsan Kassim at ekassim@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Ehsan_Kassim. You can also follow our coverage on Facebook (NoleSports), Instagram (tlhnolesports) and YouTube channel (NoleSportsTD).
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida State football tied for No. 6 with Oregon in final 2023 AP Poll
