No. 17 Florida State seeking 9th straight win over Syracuse
No. 17 Florida State (7-3, 4-3 ACC, No. 17 CFP) at Syracuse (4-6, 2-4), 3:30 p.m. (ABC/ESPN2)
Line: Florida State by 21.
Series Record: Florida State leads 8-1.
WHAT'S AT STAKE
Florida State already has been eliminated from playing for the Atlantic Coast Conference championship, so beating Syracuse and winning the season finale against Florida would set the Seminoles up for an upper-tier bowl game. Syracuse needs one more victory to have at least a shot at playing in a bowl game since five-win teams could be needed to fill out the 80 bowl slots.
KEY MATCHUP
The Syracuse defense against the Florida State offense. FSU QB Deondre Francois, who has thrown for 2,675 yards and 15 TDs with four picks, will be going against the 116th-ranked defense, which is allowing 471.5 yards per game. The Seminoles are averaging 465.1 yards per game to rank 34th offensively.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Florida State: RB Dalvin Cook needs 19 yards to break Warrick Dunn's all-time rushing record and 59 yards to reach 4,000 for his career. The junior star, whose first career 100-yard rushing game came against Syracuse (122 yards on 23 carries and one TD), has 1,242 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns this season. He also has 27 receptions for 400 yards and one TD.
Syracuse: Brisly Estime is tied with Michigan's Jabrill Peppers for second in the FBS in punt return average at 17.3 yards per return. Last year, Estime returned a punt 59 yards for a TD against Florida State, the first punt return for a score allowed by the Seminoles since 2001.
FACTS & FIGURES
Syracuse's lone win in the series was a 37-21 victory in 1966. It was the first game between the teams and the final game at Syracuse's old Archbold Stadium for All-America RB Floyd Little, who rushed for 193 yards on 25 carries and scored three TDs, all from 24 yards. ... FSU ranks second in the nation in red-zone percentage at .957 (44 scores in 46 opportunities). ... LB Parris Bennett is the first Syracuse player to make more than 100 tackles in a season since 2010.
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