Mike Norvell promises the best of FSU this Saturday against Miami: "It's a 365-day-a-year game."

Mike Norvell knows what the FSU-Miami game means to the program, the players and the fans. 

The FSU head coach doesn't hide from the pressure and the excitement of the Miami game. Instead, he's chosen to embrace it and make the players understand that playing a rival school at night on national television is a reward for a long offseason of preparation.

"This is a 365-day-a-year game. What you do, how you prepare...everybody can get excited during game week, but it's a mindset of what you're willing to invest throughout the course of the year that put you in position for this week," Norvell said during his mid-week press conference.

After a blistering start that featured double-digit wins over Alabama, East Texas A&M and Kent State, FSU ran into a roadblock last week with a 46-38 double-overtime loss to Virginia. That raised the stakes of Saturday's game even higher as a second conference loss would all but end the Seminoles' shot at the playoffs. 

It's going to be an emotional night at Doak. Popular alum and recently-retired ESPN College GameDay personality Lee Corso is expected to be in attendance and FSU is planning on doing something to honor the 'Sunshine Scooter'. It's going to be a crowd that will have all day to get worked up. Those are the emotions that Norvell says make FSU-Miami special.

"It's an exciting game to be a part of. It's a blessing to be a part of this game. We have enough guys that have been in it, been a part of it....You get jacked up for every game, but this is just one of those ones," Norvell added.

Norvell, FSU vs. Top 5 Opponents

This is the fifth time that a Norvell-led FSU team has faced a top five opponent and the Seminoles are 2-2 in their previous four games against top-5 opposition with a 1-1 record at home. The wins came against No, 5 North Carolina in 2020 and No, 5 LSU at a neutral site (Orlando) in 2023. 

Miami, ranked at No. 3, is the highest-ranked opponent the Seminoles have faced at home since No. 2 Clemson came through Tallahassee in 2018. The last time FSU defeated an opponent ranked No. 3 or higher was back in 2013 when the Seminoles defeated No. 3 Clemson and No. 2 Auburn en route to the program's third national title.

But the last time FSU defeated an opponent ranked No. 3 or higher at Doak Campbell Stadium would be way back in 1996 when No. 2 FSU beat No. 1 Florida, 24-21. Yes, almost 30 years ago.