Wake Forest At Florida State: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

Before the Florida State Seminoles took the field against Wake Forest, the only top 10 that had suffered a loss was Oregon. The Ducks fell to Arizona on Thursday, 31-24.

By the end of the game against the Demon Deacons and a 43-3 win, and shortly thereafter, the state of college football had been turned upside down. Alabama, Oregon, Oklahoma and Texas A&M had all fallen while Mississippi and Mississippi State had appeared to gain the most from the Saturday afternoon and early morning activity.

And there appears to be more to come. The college football season isn’t half over but there is certainly plenty of controversy to be had. That is why this weekend was so crucial to college football’s landscape.

In a win over their conference rivals, FSU may not have looked as sharp as it should have, but it will certainly place the Seminoles squarely in the top spot of the football rankings this week.

Here is the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly from this game.

THE GOOD: THE FULL WORKOUT.

Wake Forest entered as the worst offense in the ACC and one of the worst in the country -- and that was exactly what Florida State needed to work out some bugs. The Seminoles missed more than 30 tackles last week and had allowed 300 yards passing in two of three games against FBS opponents this season. That didn't happen at all in 2013.

While FSU was not as sharp as it should have been, they scored 30 unanswered points in the second half and dominated everywhere they needed to in the second half.

THE BAD: INJURIES AND OTHER STUFF

The FSU defense dominated the overmatched Demon Deacons (2-4, 0-2) and held them to 126 offensive yards, including 40 rushing. Linebacker Reggie Northrup forced and recovered a fumble and ran it 31 yards for a touchdown that put Florida State up 30-3 in the third quarter.

The ‘Noles showed a rookie passer what it’s like to play at the Doak.

Wake Forest quarterback John Wolford was held to 58 yards passing and an interception.

The game took its toll on Florida State (5-0, 3-0) as leading receiver Rashad Greene (concussion) and starting center Austin Barron (arm) both left and did not return.

"When our offense struggles a little bit, we definitely come in strong," FSU cornerback P.J. Williams said. "We know we have to make a play for them so they can get back on the field."

THE UGLY: FRESHMAN DOMINATION

Freshman defensive end Lorenzo Featherston was a surprise star for the Florida State defense after making his first career start. He posted seven tackles, including 2 1/2 for loss and a fumble recovery. Wake Forest could not block him early in the first half.

Also, this is a game the Seminoles should have won by more points. Next week FSU goes to Syracuse to face the Orange before a showdown with Notre Dame at home. Could the Seminoles be looking ahead to that clash on Oct. 18?

ESPN.com contributed to this article.