Florida State football limped to the finish line after starting the 2025 season with a 3-0 record after beating Alabama in the opener. The Seminoles followed the success with losing seven of their last nine games to put a bow on the year.
It was frustrating to see Florida State lose to the arch-rival Florida Gators in the finale because their program had an interim coach and had nothing to play for with having a 3-8 record. The only positive that they can point to was ruining the Seminoles' season, and they did just that.
There is a possibility that Kansas State opts out of its bowl game, which could leave the door open for the Florida State Seminoles.
If Kansas State opts out of bowl, the 5-7 teams, based on 2020-24 multi-year APR rankings, an NCAA source told @On3sports, is in order Rice, Auburn, UCF, Miss St & Florida St. These rankings aren't publicly available. @RedditCFB & others have reported incorrect lists of APR teams
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) December 5, 2025
As a helpful tip, APR stands for "Academic Progress Rate". Fans are frustrated at head football coach Mike Norvell with the play on the gridiron. Winning no road games in two years is something unheard of when analyzing this university's proud history.
However, Coach Norvell has been a bright spot when it comes to holding his players in the classroom, which is very commendable. This is unfortunately a profession wins and losses matter (which I hope that Norvell can obtain sustainability soon).
While On3's Brett McMurphy mentioned that the Seminoles aren't the first choice for a bowl game, it could be a reality for Florida State if things fall their way. However, do they need to accept a bowl game invite?
Let's look at it from a positive perspective, it could be a great opportunity for getting the youngsters more practice time in hopes of determining them properly. A player such as Kevin Sperry could start at quarterback in the bowl game because there could be no reason to start Thomas Castellanos.
However, the downside is that the fan base doesn't want to watch this squad anymore. They just want to get to the offseason. It might be more beneficial to not play so that the coaching staff can get a head start in the transfer portal.
It could surprise the fan base if the Seminoles get in a hilarious match for the Pop-Tarts Bowl, where we could see a toaster get burned alive.