Florida State football finished with a 5-7 record in 2025. That seemed unheard of after the Seminoles defeated Alabama in the opener. The direction of the program is looking bleak as Florida State has had six losing seasons in eight years.
However, everything shouldn't be as pessimistic as it is being presented. Coach Norvell is capable of turning this thing around, just as he did in 2022 with a 10-3 record and in 2023 with a 13-1 record. Although the sample size is only two years in Tallahassee, the concept remains.
On3's J.D. PicKell did make a great point in his recent YouTube video talking about the state of the Seminoles (check out the full article here), where he mentions the over-reliance of the transfer portal compared to high school recruiting. Florida State seems to have corrected the issue with its 2025 and 2026 recruiting classes (hopefully) to provide depth on the roster.
CBS Sports' Chip Patterson is not fond of Florida State in recent ACC power rankings
The offseason is here, and it doesn't feel as though the public is giving the Seminoles much of a chance in a "prove-it year" for Mike Norvell. Many in the fan base thought that he might be relieved of his duties after the road loss to Stanford, but the administration announced at the end of the year that they would be retaining him for the 2026 season.
Florida State now has a 7-17 combined record in the past two seasons. That is never the standard for a university that strives to compete for championships. However, that is the situation that we are in, as the program is the laughingstock for individuals like Paul Finebaum, Greg McElroy, and even the Miami Hurricane fans (whose team is now relevant).
Given that it is the offseason, many analysts like to drop their power rankings. CBS Sports' Chip Patterson dropped his way-too-early Power Rankings for the ACC, and had Florida State as the No. 10 team in the conference (out of 17).
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— cjgironda (@CjGironda) February 14, 2026
I must be dreaming because I never thought I would have envisioned the Seminoles being sandwiched between teams such as Georgia Tech, California, Duke, and North Carolina in power rankings. This could have easily been Chip Patterson trolling his Cover 3 colleagues, Danny Kanell and Bud Elliot, who have either played for Florida State or posted content regarding the Seminoles.
Nonetheless, I might be setting myself up for disappointment, but Florida State should be much better than these power rankings suggest with wide receiver Duce Robinson back in the fold, as well as adding a former 1,000-yard rusher in the SEC in running back Tre Wisner, and having another year in defensive coordinator Tony White's scheme.
The last couple of years for the Florida State football fan base have been a roller coaster, and everyone is hoping for smooth sailing to be a reality. The Seminoles open the 2026 season with New Mexico State, with many newcomers looking to prove these power rankings wrong.