FSU football: Top 10 most important wins in Mike Norvell era

Syracuse 2021

FSU football blew a big opportunity to upset No. 10 Notre Dame in the 2021 season opener and blew a lead against Jacksonville State to lose on the last play of the game. A blowout loss against Wake Forest and a first-half drubbing against Louisville had FSU staring at a 0-5 start, with Syracuse coming to Tallahassee. It was the week Mike Norvell gave the infamous speech that seemed to change everything, and the Noles got its first win of the 2021 season against the Syracuse Orange.

It was the first time Jordan Travis started at QB since earlier in the season, and it was a foreshadowing of what was to come over the next two and a half years. However, the win didn't come without overcoming adversity, as FSU built 10-point leads twice in the game, only to see Syracuse tie the game 30-30 with five minutes remaining. The FSU defense forced a punt on Syracuse's final possession, giving the FSU offense the ball with 47 seconds remaining. Jordan Travis set up Ryan Fitzgerald for a 34-yard field goal to win as time expired. FSU won its next two games and looked like a different team.