Florida State football lost to North Carolina State on the road by a score of 21-11 on Friday night. The Seminoles' road woes have continued, where they are a completely different product than they are inside Doak Campbell Stadium.
Obviously, teams play better at home, especially in a place like Doak Campbell Stadium. However, the losses on the road fall back to the top of the program. Winning championships with head football coaches Bobby Bowden and Jimbo Fisher, there is a standard here at Florida State.
Fans are disappointing with the fact that head football coach Mike Norvell will continue to lead the team in 2026. This isn't a piece highlighting where he should or should not be employed with the Seminoles, but the program has a job to do: Play the Florida Gators.
It won't be an easy task, even though the Gators have a 3-8 record and have no head football coach after firing Billy Napier. The Seminoles have success against Florida during the last time that they played them in Ben-Hill Griffin Stadium in 2023, which was Florida State's last road win.
To be completely honest, that is an embarrassing statistic for a program that has poured so many resources into being a competent football team. Fans are angry, and understandably so. Florida State opens as 2.5-point underdogs on the road against the Gators this Saturday at 4:30 PM EST on ESPN2, according to DraftKings Sportsbook.
This number seems fair, given the Seminoles' struggles on the road. However, Florida State does have something to play for with the bowl eligibility (even if that means having a game in Birmingham or Tampa). This would be a great opportunity for the youngsters on the roster to get many bowl practices for experience and a plan for 2026.
This is a situation where I don't blame Florida State football fans for thinking that the Seminoles could lose this one.