Syracuse @ Florida State preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 11, 2014 ) Florida State 38, Syracuse 20

Seven days after suffering one of the most deflating losses in school history, No. 15 Florida State will have its character tested Saturday with a home date against ACC rival Syracuse. The Seminoles allowed Georgia Tech to return a blocked kick 78 yards for a touchdown on the game's final play last weekend, sending Jimbo Fisher's team to its first loss of the season and its first ACC defeat since 2012.

“Move on and don’t let one loss become two. We still have a chance to be a very good football team. A lot of our goals are out there,” Fisher said this week. The Seminoles have not lost back-to-back games since a three-game skid early in the 2011 season. If they lose Saturday, they could be facing the potential of another three-game slide, as they travel to No. 6 Clemson on Nov. 7, making this game especially critical for Florida State. The Orange, meanwhile, have dropped four straight games since a 3-0 start and are coming off their lowest scoring output of the season.

TV: Noon ET, ABC. LINE: Florida State -20.5

ABOUT SYRACUSE (3-4, 1-2 ACC): The Orange are one of the younger teams in the nation, having started underclassmen in 17 of 22 positions against Pittsburgh last week. Syracuse lost that contest 23-20 on a final-play field goal despite a solid game from freshman quarterback Eric Dungey and a career-high 114 receiving yards and a touchdown from wideout Steve Ishmael. Dungey has a respectable 11-to-3 touchdown-to-interception ratio, while Ishmael paces the squad in receptions (25), receiving yards (372) and receiving touchdowns (four).

ABOUT FLORIDA STATE (6-1, 4-1): The Seminoles have committed only two turnovers this season - tied with LSU for the lowest mark in the country - behind a talented and balanced offensive attack. Graduate transfer Everett Golson has thrown 11 touchdowns against one interception, although those numbers were 11 and zero, respectively, before a subpar effort against Georgia Tech. Dalvin Cook is the spark to the Seminoles' offensive engine with a national-best 17 plays of at least 20 yards and a total of 1,037 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground this year.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Florida State is 7-1 all-time against Syracuse.

2. The Orange have scored on 11 drives that lasted two minutes or less. Last season, they only did that four times.

3. The Seminoles are averaging 43 points during their 14-game home ACC winning streak.

PREDICTION: Florida State 33, Syracuse 24