It is officially Week 6, and Florida State is currently holding onto a 3-2 record heading into a difficult game against Louisville. The Seminoles are once again underdogs as the team travels to Kentucky for what could be the defining game of the 2026 season. The team has struggled with momentum, and with a dominant win over Virginia secured, it is time to take advantage.
The Cardinals might be in a far different spot to start the season, with back-to-back ACC losses to Wake Forest and NC State. However, they are still a very dangerous team that could easily drown out any sort of momentum or success the Seminoles previously had. Coach Mike Norvell understands the danger that Louisville currently presents, and winning the Week 6 clash would be a step in the right direction amid ongoing buyout talks.
Norvell has had a difficult time returning to glory with Florida State after winning 23 games in two seasons. The Seminoles have won ten games since then, including three wins this season, and solely from a win-loss perspective, the state of the program is unacceptable. There is not a ton of time left for Norvell to truly prove himself this season, and it will take more than wins over Louisville and Virginia.
Florida State needs better, more sustained success to consider sticking it out with Mike Norvell
There have been plenty of discussions surrounding whether or not Norvell should remain the coach of Florida State for even the rest of the season, but there has not been a lot of talk about what needs to be done to mend the relationship. Everyone agrees that Florida State needs to be better to make the idea of keeping Norvell more realistic, but what exactly does that mean?
First and foremost, Norvell needs to prove that he can go back to producing a consistent, effective product on the field. Wins are certainly nice and expected, but Norvell cannot continue to run a team out on the field without higher expectations for success. There is no reason to expect Norvell-led teams to be consistently successful based on his recent track record, and step one needs to involve changing that narrative.
So far through the 2026 season, Norvell has struggled to do so with seemingly a different team taking the field each time. The team that defeated Virginia in Week 5 is easily the best version of Florida State we have seen this season, but nobody knows if that same team will take the field against Louisville.
The Seminoles recorded 199 rushing yards against SMU in a tight game, and then recorded 204 total rushing yards in two games against the likes of Alabama and Central Arkansas. Quarterback Ashton Daniels tossed for 377 yards against Alabama, but has not broken 300 yards in any other game this season. It is the small things surrounding Florida State that are the most concerning, because if the team cannot rely on anything consistently, then a team like Miami could really expose any weaknesses.
Norvell needs to have more games like the win over Virginia, where the team took small wins from the win over Central Arkansas and magnified them. With the talent present, there is no reason to expect the team to struggle when performing as they did in Week 5. Now it is up to Norvell to find a way to consistently replicate that performance.
Even with a more consistent team and extra wins in his pocket, Norvell would still need to get over another hump, and that involves winning a more serious game. Miami has been an absolute buzzsaw this season, and finding a worthy opponent for them in the ACC has not been an easy task this season. The Hurricanes have allowed just 39 points in three conference games this season, and next weekend the Seminoles will be visiting town.
As unlikely as a win over Miami might be, with FanDuel Sportsbook considering the Hurricanes to be a 19.5-point favorite, taking down a top-ranked program would go a long way. Beating Alabama would have been epic, but the game that matters the most on the schedule for Norvell is by far the challenge against Miami due to the conference implications.
It is a long shot, but if Norvell can defeat Miami and survive the rest of the season with a team that looks improved, the idea of his return for the 2027 season could become more realistic.
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