FSU football: 5 narratives Mike Norvell destroyed in 2023

FSU Can't Beat Ranked Teams

FSU football beat the No. 5 North Carolina Tarheels in the 2020 COVID season, but folks don't want to count that win for Norvell. Admittedly, North Carolina likely wasn't the No. 5 team, but they had the ranking, and that happens even in non-COVID years, meaning teams have rankings they haven't earned. Fast forward to the 2022 season, and the Noles finished the season 10-3, with every loss coming against a ranked opponent. The narrative formed that FSU didn't beat anyone ranked that season, and they are not really that great because of it.

They opened the season against No. 5 LSU, and everyone picked the Tigers to roll the Noles in Orlando. I predicted the Noles to win before the season, and that's what happened. FSU also smoked No. 16 Duke and No. 14 Louisville in the ACC Championship game. They had an average winning margin of 16.3 points in those three wins. They defeated every opponent on their schedule, so the narrative they can't beat ranked teams has to be put to rest.