The 12-team College Football Playoff era is off to a fitting start.
Anything can happen, right? Georgia Tech beat No. 10 Florida State 24-21 at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland on Saturday in the first stunner of the 2024 college football season. The Seminoles – a popular pick to repeat as ACC champions in 2024 – struggled against the Yellow Jackets in the first half and could not get a stop in the fourth quarter.
Georgia Tech broke a 15-game losing streak against top-10 teams with a 44-yard field goal by Aidan Birr as time expired. That secured a program-building victory for Brent Key.
MORE: Meet star Florida State kicker Ryan Fitzgerald
How did Florida State lose to Georgia Tech?
The Yellow Jackets out-played the Seminoles for most of the game.
Georgia Tech out-rushed Florida State 190-98 behind a dominant offensive line and the tag-team of running back Jamal Haynes (11 rushes, 75 yards, 2 TDs) and quarterback Haynes King (15 carries, 54 yards).
Haynes scored on a 1-yard run with 3:13 left in the first half to give the Yellow Jackets a 14-11 lead, and they never trailed again. Florida State tied the score at 21 with 6:24 remaining in the fourth quarter, but the Yellow Jackets were able to hold the ball the rest of the way.
Georgia Tech ran 12 plays for 49 yards and avoided disaster with 55 seconds remaining when King fumbled the snap and was tackled for a 10-yard loss. However, he hit Eric Singleton Jr. for a 12-yard screen pass to set up the game-winning field goal on the next play.
The Seminoles' defense could not get off the field in the clutch, and that is a setback for coach Mike Norvell. Florida State won the ACC last season before being denied a spot in the College Football Playoff.
DJ Uiagalelei's debut produced mixed results
The Seminoles were missing sophomore receiver Hykeem Williams, but the passing game was too conservative in the first half. DJ Uigalelei completed 12-of-14 passes for just 96 yards in the first half, and Florida State relied too much on the screen and short passing game.
Florida State had five rushes for 58 yards on its first possession, but it could only muster 26 carries for 40 yards the rest of the game.
Uiagalelei made the clutch throws in the game-tying drive. He had a fourth-and-7 completion to Ja'Khi Douglas for 20 yards and a fourth-and-8 completion to Malik Benson later in that drive. That helped set up the game-tying touchdown.
Uiagalelei finished 19-of-27 for 193 yards. King was 11-of-16 for 146 yards. There were no turnovers in the game. Once Uiagalelei settled in and pushed the ball down the field, the Seminoles were efficient on offense. It was a case of too little, too late.
MORE: DJ Uiagalelei's long path to Florida State
Can Florida State still make the College Football Playoff?
Of course. Every team in the Power 4 gets a mulligan, and this means the Seminoles have little margin for error left to get to the ACC championship game. That is a sobering thought in Week 0 for the preseason favorite to win the conference, but there are more than enough chances to get back in the race.
Florida State still plays home games against No. 14 Clemson and Florida and road games against No. 19 Miami and No. 7 Notre Dame. The Dublin opener could be treated as a glitch if they can sweep those four matchups, but it was clear the Seminoles have been impacted by losing 10 players to the 2024 NFL Draft.
Georgia Tech enters wide-open ACC race
The Yellow Jackets announced their presence in the ACC championship and playoff race with a program-building upset under coach Brent Key. Remember, Georgia Tech beat preseason darling Miami 23-20 in spectacular fashion last season.
Georgia Tech's final five games are Notre Dame, Virginia Tech, Miami, No. 24 NC State and No. 1 Georgia. It's the toughest schedule in the ACC, but this gives the Yellow Jackets room to have a say in that final month of the season.
Clemson – the other popular favorite – faces Georgia in Week 1.
Miami and NC State already felt like they had a chance in the ACC. Teams such as Georgia Tech. Virginia Tech and North Carolina are in the mix now, too, and SMU makes its debut in Week 0. It will be a thrilling Power 4 conference race.
