Florida State's hated rival sneaking into early Top 25 ranking doesn't make any sense

Indiana just finished an undefeated 2025 season by defeating the Seminoles' arch-rival Miami Hurricanes by a score of 27-21 on Monday night. It was a great day for Florida State football fans to rejoice in the fact that Miami didn't win a championship.

However, Florida State football has a long way to go if it wants to get back to the level of respectability that it once had, even two years ago. The level of pain and heartbreak for the Seminoles' football program needs to be studied.

The administration decided to retain head football coach Mike Norvell for the 2026 season, which frustrates a large portion of the fan base, given that he has had four losing seasons in six years at Florida State.

Florida State's arch-rivals are both included in the Way-too-Early College Football Top 25 for 2026

College football will now be a nine-month wait, and the Seminoles desperately needed the reset. However, we all know now that the sport never sleeps. Even though Florida State might not even premier a spring game in April, fans will get plenty of news updates.

The national championship game just concluded on Monday night, and a way-too-early college football top 25 has already been released by On3.

The first observation is that Florida State football is nowhere to be found. That was expected since the Seminoles have had four losing seasons in six years, and more importantly, have only won seven games in two years.

However, the more shocking aspect of the top 25 ranking is that the Florida Gators are premiering at No. 24. The Gators brought in a new coach in Jon Sumrall. While their roster did retain running back Jadan Baugh, it seems like their team got worse from 2025 to 2026.

Florida's 2026 schedule is once again difficult, as they play at Auburn, vs Ole Miss, at Missouri, vs South Carolina, at Texas, vs Georgia (neutral site), vs Oklahoma, at Kentucky, vs Vanderbilt, and at Florida State. This looks like a squad that could miss another bowl game.

It is understandable to see Miami in the top-ten for once (they are usually overrated), and head football coach Mario Cristobal has continued to recruit well in the trenches. However, it all depends on how Duke quarterback transfer Darian Mensah pans out (if he goes there).

As for Clemson, head football coach Dabo Swinney has built a sustainable product there, and I am surprised to see that he isn't included in the top 25 ranking. I realize that he had a lackluster season in 2025 after the high preseason expectations, but this should not have meant that the Tigers were outside of the rankings.