It would be more than fair to say this season hasn't exactly been perfect for the Florida State Seminoles. Sitting at 2-2 after four games doesn't inspire much confidence that head coach Mike Norvell will remain with the team much longer, but that was generally the expectation from the preseason.
The Seminoles struggled in both the portal and in developing their returning players, facts that bled into the expectations for this team from the rip.
Still, 2-2 with decent play in both losses should keep some motivation in the building, even with the cloud that is obviously forming over the program. Plus, it would be silly to pretend the Noles wouldn't love the opportunity to play the villain in Week 5 at home versus the Virginia Cavaliers.
One loss can derail a season, and now it is FSU's chance to return the favor to Virginia.
The Cavaliers and the Seminoles appear to be on different trajectories at the moment. While FSU has been on a general decline, Virginia came into the season with enough hype to threaten a run at winning the ACC. A loss versus West Virginia is the lone blemish on Virginia's record, which is still spotless in the conference. FSU knows this and would be more than happy to return the favor from last year.
The situation is oddly similar to what happened last season. FSU went to Scott Stadium last season as a ranked juggernaut after taking down Alabama and posting some dominant offensive performances en route to a No. 8 ranking.
FSU got behind early and never found a way to fully take control of the game. That loss appeared to take all the wind out of FSU's sails and the team was never able to recover. The season ended up as a major disappointment that showcased some of the greatest highs and lows of the Mike Norvell era in Tallahassee, and while one loss certainly didn't create that narrative alone, it also didn't help.
Despite the hype surrounding the Cavaliers, this game is still totally not out of the question for the Noles to come in and dominate. The Seminoles have played well for long stretches of both losses, and SMU and Alabama have both looked better overall than Virginia.
If the Noles can play like they did against Alabama, there isn't a team in the country they can't hang with. All Mike Norvell needs to do is get a lead and then keep the pressure on Virginia with a dominant, time-controlling run game. The defense just needs to rise to the occasion.
There are still some major question marks surrounding this team and where the brightest future lies, but at the end of the day, the immediate target right now is winning against Virginia and bumping them down the ACC rankings.
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