We are a few days removed from the dominant Florida State performance against the Virginia Cavaliers, and the result still doesn't feel real. Where has this version of the Seminoles been all season?
FSU played its most convincing game of the season, and the results showed it. Records were broken, narratives changed, and overnight, the Noles were able to change all of the talk surrounding the program by beating one of the better teams in the ACC.
The Seminoles and their fans are riding as high as they have been in over a year. While Virginia is no Alabama, winning the game in such a convincing manner, especially against a conference opponent, carries a similar level of significance to what we saw last season after the Week 1 upset. Three complete quarters were all it took to absolutely dominate a team that had its sights set on the ACC, and now the question turns to what this team can do if it plays like this down the stretch.
In truth, the sky is the limit for this Florida State team if its defense can keep showing up like we saw this past weekend. Defense has been the biggest limiting factor for the Seminoles for a few years now, and it would even be fair to say that if half of that performance was put forth against Alabama and SMU, the Noles would be 4-0.
Our @CBSSports conference head coaches of the week: pic.twitter.com/Y2POjG9vEU
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) October 5, 2026
The good news for Mike Norvell, Tony White, and the rest of the team is that there is still time to show that the Virginia game is the norm rather than the outlier. The Noles have six games coming up against conference opponents, and of that bunch, every one is winnable based on what we saw last weekend. None of that is to say any will be easy, but Florida State fans are rightfully starting to change their opinions on what this season can be if we keep seeing complete games.
The entire game against Virginia felt like the Seminoles were turning the page on every bad narrative in the building. Ashton Daniels was unstoppable in the red zone with the football in his hands, setting a program record with five touchdowns in the game. The defense, the most maligned unit on the team, made the Virginia offense look pedestrian by posting a staggering 10 sacks.
The Seminoles showed the world what every Florida State fan already knew: this team has all of the talent to be one of the best in college football, they just have to be consistent when it counts.
FSU fans should remain cautiously optimistic, especially with some very good teams still on the schedule, but some of the doom and gloom should dissipate with some actual momentum starting to build. There is a real chance that this team can go 9-3 and make some noise in a decent bowl game if they can keep playing like this. It is just a matter of how long that consistency can remain.
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