Let's take a look at Florida State football.
Best / Worst Case Record for :
Louisville | Virginia | Miami | Duke | Georgia Tech | Boston College | Pittsburgh | Virginia Tech | NC State | Clemson | Syracuse | North Carolina | Wake Forest
Florida State
No program in the country has had a bigger gap between its highs and lows in the last 10 years than Florida State. From National Champion in 2013, a playoff team in 2014, and 5 consecutive top 15 teams to going through 3 coaches, and 4 consecutive losing seasons. Early in those 10 years, Florida State could claim to be one of the top 4 programs in college football, now it would be a stretch to call them one of the top 4 programs in the ACC Atlantic Division. After a disastrous 0-4 in 2022, Florida State showed signs of life in the 2nd of the season. In a pivotal year for head coach Mike Norvell, we could see the Noles start to turn the corner into being a quality football program once again.
Will Go 9-3 (5-3) if:
QB Jordan Travis keeps developing. Jordan Travis played some of the best football after September, and Florida State went 5-3 in their last 8 games. Even in their losses to Clemson, NC State, and Florida the games were competitive. If Florida State can beat a decent, but not great LSU team in game 2 the season could take off. The Noles lost 5 games last year by 10 points or less and may just need a confidence boost. What happens last year had they beat Notre Dame in their opening game that went to OT? Games at NC State and Miami will be tough, but FSU gets Clemson, Wake Forest, and Florida at home. FSU did well in the transfer market, and its talent level is still in the upper half of the ACC. Safety Jammie Robinson is one of the best returning defenders in the ACC.
Will Go 5-7 (3-5) if:
The Noles can’t pull a few upsets. The Noles will be underdogs likely in each one of these games – LSU, Wake Forest NC State, Clemson, Miami, and possibly Florida. That’s 6 potential losses right there. The last time FSU won more than 7 games was in 2017. It’s been a long time since Florida State could enter a season knowing they were better than the majority of their opponents. While I said, FSU is in the upper half of ACC talent, it’s not anywhere close to the ACC’s best teams. There just aren’t a lot of NFL-ready players on the Noles, and Jordan Travis for all his potential didn’t make hardly any top 5 ACC QB lists. FSU wasn’t in the top 60 in offense or defense last year. That happens again, and FSU could be looking at their 5th consecutive losing season. Even when the program declined in Bobby Bowden’s later years, Florida State never had a losing season. It’s a long way back up to respectability.
