TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Few expected Florida State to run the table again in the Atlantic Coast Conference and coast into the expanded, 12-team College Football Playoff. Not after losing quarterback Jordan Travis, running back Trey Benson, receivers Keon Coleman and Johnny Wilson, and a handful of standout defenders.
However, no one could have seen this coming.
The Seminoles are winless after three games, the result of an erratic passing attack, a sluggish ground game and a defense that can't seem to stop the run and can't get consistent pressure on quarterbacks.
And now FSU, which was ranked No. 10 to start the season, is without question the most disappointing team in college football. And with all due respect to Clemson, Florida and Kansas, it's not even close.
“I know that it’s a frustrating thing to sit there and look at, and it’s frustrating for everybody involved, for those guys that are out there playing,” Florida State coach Mike Norvell said Monday. “They want more. They want to be better. They’re working hard at it. But it’s some of those little things that we have to improve on and just the consistency of it.”
The only thing Florida State has done consistently this season is lose — twice as a double-digit favorite (Georgia Tech and Boston College) and again as a 6 1/2-point choice against Memphis. The Tigers got a victory against their former coach and a $1.3 million payday.
How the 'Noles got here is as easier to explain than how they might get out.
Some wonder whether last year's CFP snub is having a greater impact on the team than anyone could have imagined. But those inside the building insist it's more about execution and chemistry than psyche and history.
Florida State lost 10 players to the NFL draft, including five selected in the first 64 picks. Norvell turned to the transfer portal for help — a place that was so kind to him while building last year's team that went 13-0 in the regular season — but former Oregon State and Clemson starting quarterback DJ Uiagalelei has fallen well short of expectations.
Uiagalelei has been so inconsistent — he's completing 56.6% of his passes with one touchdown — that the FSU faithful have started chanting for backup Brock Glenn.
And those preseason discussions about whether Florida State would make the playoff have turned to whether the Seminoles will become bowl eligible. Six wins are difficult to find on the schedule, which continues Saturday as California (3-0) travels cross-country for its ACC debut.
While Norvell and his assistants tried to focus on details and fundamentals during a bye week before hosting Memphis, little change showed on the field and the Seminoles lost 20-12.
Florida State became the first team in college football history to start the season inside the top 10 and lose its first three games to unranked opponents. The slide has stirred speculation about Norvell's future in Tallahassee.
Norvell would be owed roughly $65 million (85% of his remaining contract that runs through 2031) if FSU decided to fire him. It's an unlikely path, especially for a program already spending considerably resources in hopes of escaping the ACC and potentially joining a league that would provide more long-term financial stability.
So the Seminoles might have to power through a slumping season and hope for brighter days ahead and a reboot in 2025.
Florida State is 124th in scoring offense at 15.3 points a game. The run game, viewed as a strength going into 2024, is downright dysfunctional at 2.2 yards a carry and 52 yards a game.
And the defense is allowing 24 points a game, which ranks 83rd in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
Linebacker Justin Cryer admitted to feeling hurt after Saturday’s latest loss but remains hopeful the team can get things turned around.
“I believe in us,” Cryer said. “There’s no doubt about it. I’m the biggest supporter of us that we have. I’m fully committed, I’m fully bought into what we have. ... Things aren’t clicking right now. We’re going to figure it out.”
The return of offensive coordinator Alex Atkins should help. Atkins will return to the sideline against Cal after serving a three-game suspension due to an NCAA recruiting violation.
While Florida State's main goals seem shattered, rivalry games remain against Clemson and Miami as well as a trip to Notre Dame and a regular-season finale against Florida.
“I can tell you that there’s a lot of work that’s going into that improvement, but we’ve got to see it show up on game day with everybody involved,” Norvell said. “Our team, they understand the expectation of what it’s supposed to look like.”
