Florida State football will be taking on the arch-rival Florida Gators on Saturday at 4:30 PM EST on ESPN in Ben-Hill Griffin Stadium. The Seminoles will be looking to achieve bowl eligibility in a season that looked so promising for the program after beating Alabama in the opener.
However, Florida State limped to the finish line and currently have a 5-6 record. This is not the standard that the program wants to have, since it is used to competing for conference and national championships.
With that said, the Seminoles decided to bring back head football coach Mike Norvell for the 2026 season. This made several fans frustrating because his squad has only won three conference games in two years. To make matters worse, they have not won a road game since the 2023 meeting against the Gators.
That isn't a recipe for success, as the Seminoles want to get back its production from the 2022 and 2023 seasons. The Florida Gators are in an even worse spot, as they have a 3-8 record where bowl eligibility isn't even possible. Their fan base thought that even with a difficult schedule, former five-star quarterback DJ Lagway can lead them to wins.
They eventually found out that Lagway as well as head football coach Billy Napier were not the answers. The Gators fired Napier, so they are in the market for a new coach. However, several teams are involved in the coaching carousel.
Florida fans figured that Ole Miss head football coach Lane Kiffin was their number one choice, but ESPN's Pete Thamel has reported that the Gators have shifted their focus from Kiffin.
Sources: Florida has shifted focus from Lane Kiffin in the school’s coaching search, as the school has sensed through irregular communication that he’s interested in other options. Florida has interviewed roughly a dozen candidates and is optimistic about the process. pic.twitter.com/cClSqhPDTc
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) November 28, 2025
This has to bring joy to Seminole fans because it could've been rough since they would have to deal with Mario Cristobal at Miami and Lane Kiffin at Florida. However, ESPN's Pete Thamel also mentioned that Tulane head football coach Jon Sumrall is expected to make a decision on Sunday morning.
Sources: Tulane coach Jon Sumrall is expected to make a decision on his coaching future on Sunday morning. He's expected to choose between staying at Tulane, and his outside opportunities have included significant interest from Florida and Auburn. pic.twitter.com/mEiLUKgcvn
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) November 28, 2025
The Gators already dealt with a Group of Five coach with Napier, so I don't think that the fan base would like the hire as much as someone from a Power Four team. Nonetheless, even though Florida is Florida State's rival, this is a situation where Sumrall would be a better fit at Auburn since he is from Huntsville, Alabama and knows the region better for recruiting purposes.