Hot Take: FSU football has less pressure to win in 2023 than last year
By Kelvin Hunt
FSU football and expectations go hand-in-hand. It’s what has made the four years from 2017-2021 such anguish for Nole fans.
FSU had been one of the elite programs in the country for much of the last 40 years prior and won a national title less than a decade ago.
However, the transition periods between Jimbo Fisher to Willie Taggart and Taggart to Mike Norvell did little to quell those expectations. FSU fans expected the Noles to return to its elite level seemingly overnight, but the rebuild was much larger than most wanted to recognize.
It’s why it didn’t meet expectations when Mike Norvell went 3-6 in his first season after inheriting a roster with poor culture and no offseason to implement anything to build a foundation upon.
Expectations were not met when Mike Norvell didn’t have a single win in his first four games in the 2021 season, including an embarrassing loss against Jacksonville State. Expectations were not met when Mike Norvell finished that season going 5-3 with a win over Miami.
The standard is the standard is something we’ve heard Mike Norvell say since day one, and it’s why the 2023 season will be no different. The national narrative surrounding this 2023 team seem to revolve around the question can FSU handle the expectations and pressure that come with it?
The expectations are high, but there isn’t more pressure going into the 2023 season.