The only thing worse than being overrated is not being rated at all. At least when you're overrated, that means someone's thinking about you. Right now, no one seems to be thinking about FSU football and that has to change.
CBS Sports' Cody Nagel put together a rather fun list of predictions for college football teams in a way-too-early Top 25. There are a lot of crazy predictions, and it's a fun read for a sort of throwaway article. What's in the story, however, isn't as important as which team isn't in the story.
FSU fails to make another way-too-early Top 25
No Florida State, no Seminoles, no Mike Norvell...nothing. College football;l is moving on without Florida State and it's getting a little tiring. Virginia Tech is even listed in this top 25 and James Franklin hasn't coached a game there yet!
If there's a trope in sports I hate more than the championship team saying "nobody believed in us", I can't think of it. MAYBE it was appropriate for Indiana this past season, but otherwise it's a joke. Sure no one believed in the 2024 Ohio State Buckeyes that had three All-Americans and seven guys drafted in the first 45 picks. It's just silly and the athletes that say it sound like fools.
But it might be appropriate for Norvell and the 2026 FSU Seminoles because they aren't even making the pointless Top 25 lists that are released in February. This is the only time I can remember in my lifetime when FSU football isn't getting some benefit of the doubt. Even during the Lost Bowden decade of the 2000s, the Willie Taggart era and after the disastrous 2-10 season in 2024, someone gave the Seminoles the benefit of the doubt.
The college football media is done with FSU right now. The lack of road wins. The lack of wins in the ACC. The overall malaise around Tallahassee. It's just left a bad taste in everyone's mouth. So if Norvell and FSU football needed the additional motivation to get its collective ish together, this should be it. Because nobody believes in you.
There is good news though. None of this means anything. The games are still played on the field, and they all start with a 0-0 score. There will be plenty of opportunities to prove the naysayers wrong.Â