In a stunning decision Friday night, Florida State announced that quarterback Jameis Winston will be suspended for the entirety of Saturday's game against Clemson.
Wednesday, the school had suspended Winston for the first half because of an incident in which Winston yelled an obscene phrase while in the student union.
"Based upon the results of the continuing investigation of Tuesday's incident involving Jameis Winston, we have decided to not play him for the entire game against Clemson on Saturday night," said a statement from the school.
Sophomore Sean Maguire, who has attempted 26 career passes, will start for Winston; there is no clear-cut backup for Maguire.
The late announcement of the game-long suspension creates numerous questions, the biggest of which is what the "continuing investigation" turned up.
Reporters from FOX Sports and ESPN tweeted that Winston had not been entirely truthful with FSU's administration; specifically, Fox Sports said there was a discrepancy with where Winston said he was standing when he yelled.
Another question: How much does FSU's offensive game plan change -- and how much can it change, given the timing of the announcement? FSU seemed likely to rely on its running game and its defense in the first half with Winston suspended for that half. With their Heisman-winning quarterback now suspended for the entire game, how much leeway will Seminoles coaches give Maguire? Maguire has a strong arm, but he never has taken an important snap in a game and this might be the most important ACC game of the season.
Finally, what kind of mindset does FSU hit the field with? The Seminoles are the defending national champs and a veteran team, and this could be a rallying point. At the same time, Winston is the best player on the team, and any mistakes could end up having a snowball effect.
One positive for FSU is that its defense looks as if it will be able to handle Clemson's offense, which still is finding its way this season with new starters at quarterback, tailback and wide receiver.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
