If the Florida State football team is in a three-way tie with Clemson and Louisville atop the ACC's Atlantic Division, the Seminoles will have to top a ranking provided by a privately contracted company for a berth in the ACC title game.
The conference partnered with SportSource Analytics this summer in the event of a potential tie, ESPN reported Tuesday, because the College Football Playoff committee's rankings come out five days before the title game.
The company will release "a team rating score metric" to the ACC, and the highest rate will win the Atlantic Division.
After the final week of the regular season, the CFP's rankings would be released on Nov. 29 _ just four days before the ACC Championship game, location still to be determined.
A tie would only take place if Clemson beats Louisville on Oct. 1 in Death Valley, Florida State tops Clemson at Doak Campbell Stadium on Oct. 29, and all three teams fail to lose another conference game.
Even after FSU's blowout loss at Louisville on Saturday, FSU's outlook for the rest of the season remains relatively positive nationally.
_The Seminoles dropped 11 spots to No. 13 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll.
_Bovada gives FSU the nation's ninth-best odds to still win the national championship, tied with Tennessee at 25/1. Alabama (7/2), Ohio State (4/1), Louisville (13/2), Clemson (7/1), Michigan (10/1), Houston and LSU (16/1), and Washington (20/1) have better odds. FSU had the second-best odds last week at 6/1.
_As for bowl projections, SB Nation projects FSU to play against Tennessee in the Orange Bowl, a New Year's Six Bowl. ESPN's Brett McMurphy and Mark Schlabach project FSU to play against Oklahoma in the Russell Athletic Bowl in Orlando's Camping World Stadium on Dec. 28.
