Joel Klatt's Mike Norvell questions ignore the reality of this Florida State season

Week 0 did not go according to plan for Florida State in the win over New Mexico State, and it is safe to say plenty of eyes noticed the clear flaws on the field. The Seminoles need to find solutions quickly in order to focus on the upcoming challenge against the SMU Mustangs, and the reality is that similar performances against stronger teams could finally push coach Mike Norvell out of the door.

Florida State and Norvell have been moving in separate directions for a while now after finding some initial success in Tallahassee. The game against New Mexico State served as an opportunity for Norvell to prove that the Seminoles can look like a cohesive unit on the field. Many major voices around college football including Joel Klatt have been critical of the performance out of the team in Week 0, but Klatt is starting to forget what it will actually take to save Norvell's job.

Joel Klatt completely misses the point while questioning Mike Norvell's future at Florida State after Week 0

In a recent segment from his podcast, The Joel Klatt Show, Klatt did not hold back about his feelings towards Norvell. Klatt dissected Florida State's 34-17 win over New Mexico State in order to judge whether or not enough has been done by Norvell:

"I'm concerned for Florida State based on that performance struggling with New Mexico State. You look up at the schedule and you start to think to yourself, is Mike Norvell going to make it through the season?"

Klatt clearly did not like what he saw out of Florida State on the field in the middle of Norvell's fight to remain with the program. He additionally stated that, as the schedule continues to intensify, confidence in Mike Norvell's ability dips.

Klatt is certainly making a valuable point with his concerns surrounding Florida State in Week 0, but the keys to the program were never going to be handed back to Norvell after a dominant non-conference win over New Mexico State.

Klatt brings up an interesting point in his argument about the fact that USC had such a big lead over San Jose State in Week 0 that the Trojans were able to take a foot off the gas. The Seminoles never created a comfortable gap, and additionally the team looked poor in some specific areas while walking towards the win. A more convincing performance would have gotten Klatt and many others off the back of the Seminoles, but no margin of victory over New Mexico State could have realistically put out the flames on the seat beneath Norvell.

Wins and losses certainly mean a lot at this point after multiple years of failing to meet the lofty expectations set on the field. Wins can cure plenty of the problems surrounding Norvell at the moment, but the wins do not mean anything to Florida State unless they come against top programs.

Week 0 served as a chance for Norvell and Florida State to try to find a winning recipe on the field. Heading into the game, Norvell explained that plenty of players are still fighting for a role, and yet the coach opted to keep plenty of the roster on the bench throughout. The game felt like the perfect excuse to give everyone a chance, but the decisions from Norvell turned what could be a tool into a failed opportunity.

Norvell has managed to record 17 wins and just eight losses over non-conference opponents since taking over the program. Winning the outside games has not been nearly as much of an issue for Norvell as winning the big games has been. Fans would have loved to see a more dominant opening to 2026, but nobody was going to instill full confidence back into Norvell following a win over New Mexico State.

Saving the Florida State job was always going to be a difficult task for Norvell, and the upcoming schedule is what can ultimately sink the coach. Norvell needs to prove himself quickly against the likes of SMU, Alabama, Louisville, and Miami in order for Florida State to truly consider keeping him.

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