While Florida State fans may still harbor ill will toward ESPN, they have an ally in Heather Dinich.
Appearing on an episode of SportsCenter on Monday afternoon, the ESPN senior writer and national college football reporter was asked for her reaction to the latest Associated Press Top 25. And when it came to the Seminoles falling from No. 8 to No. 18 following a double overtime loss to Virginia last Friday, Dinich didn’t mince words.
“It’s garbage! That’s my thought,” Dinich exclaimed. “Look, you can’t take it seriously. It’s way too reactionary, as evidenced by the fact that Florida State dropped 10 spots after losing in double overtime in its first road game of the season to a very good Virginia team. This is not the same old Virginia team. They’ve put money into the facilities and the transfer portal, OK?”
Dinich proceeded to note that Florida State lays claim to one of the most impressive wins of the 2025 season — a 31-17 victory over Alabama in Week 1. Yet despite the Seminoles’ possessing a head-to-head victory, the No. 10 Crimson Tide still rank eight spots ahead of them following their own victory over now-No. 12 Georgia.
“Does everyone forget that? Because I remember it and after it happened, everyone said, ‘hey, that was the SEC team out there — not Alabama. Oh hey, Alabama got beaten, pushed around up front.’ The same Alabama team that just beat Georgia,” she said. “So Florida State should not be below the Tide, let alone drop to No. 18.”
To Dinich’s point, it certainly seems strange for Alabama to be sitting eight spots ahead of Florida State when the two teams have the same record and the Seminoles beat the Crimson Tide head-to-head. It is, however, worth noting that Alabama has bounced back with three impressive victories, while Florida State’s two ensuing wins have come against East Texas A&M and Kent State.
Ultimately, such rankings are subjective and it’s also worth noting that they play a much less significant — and arguably, totally insignificant — role in the era of the College Football Playoff. But that hasn’t stopped the AP Top 25 from facing criticism, especially with the reveal of the CFP’s first ranking still weeks away.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.