Florida State’s ultimate goal for 2017 went up in smoke last week, when it watched NC State defensive end Bradley Chubb spit on its logo at midfield following a six-point Wolfpack victory. That defeat dropped the Seminoles to 0–2 and effectively ended their College Football Playoff candidacy.
A broader, grimmer reality set in for the Seminoles on Saturday: They’re in danger of having one of their worst seasons of the decade. Florida State escaped undefeated yet unranked Wake Forest with a 26–19 win in Winston-Salem, barely avoiding the program’s first 0–3 start since 1976.