The Florida State Seminoles have been one of college football's most disappointing teams this season. They are now sitting at 1-4 after an embarrassing loss to a new conference foe SMU 42 to 16. Florida State started this season as a top-10 team in the AP polls and had high expectations. The Simonals already have three conference losses, which pretty much seals their fate at an auto bid for the newly expanded College Football Playoff. An ACC Championship with this many losses would be the only way Florida State could make the playoffs, but that is now very unlikely.
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Head Coach Mike Norvel led the Seminoles to a 12-1 record last year, highlighted by their controversial exclusion from the college football playoff that left a bitter feeling in many Seminoles fans. Due to the successes of that season and Nick Saben's sudden retirement that saw many of Jimmy Sexton, who was also Saben’s agent, clients got extensions after rumors of Sexton's clients started being associated with the Alabama opening. Norvell is one of few rumored Sexton clients to receive a new contract as he signed an eight-year $84 million contract. A few months after signing that contract, many are already questioning his future as head coach for the Seminoles.
Moving on from Norvell this early into his extension would cost Florida State $63 million, resulting in a nine-million dollar drop each following year. Florida State, if they were to move on from Norvell this season, it would hurt the program badly as the Seminoles don’t have the financial resources of a school like Texas A&M, who moved on from Jimbo Fisher last season, cost them $76 million. Moving on from Norvell now would undoubtedly hurt the Seminoles as they are trying to get out of the ACC. Florida State doesn’t draw the same revenue as other universities to recover from a contract buyout at such an amount.
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Mike Norvell also has to take the blame for the Seminoles quarterback situation. This past off-season, the Seminoles acquired former conference foe DJ Uiagalelei when he entered the transfer portal after one season at Oregan State. This is not the first time Uiagalelei has led a major ACC program, as he started his college career with Dabo Swinney and Clemson. DJ was a highly-ranked five-star prospect out of the class of 2020. At Clemson, he replaced Trevor Lawrence, but after two disappointing seasons as the starter, true freshman Cade Klubnik replaced Uiagalelei. DJ would transfer to Oregon State for one season, leading the Beavers to an 8-4 record.
Florida State's disappointing start to the season can be attributed to Uiagalelei's poor play. He has thrown for 1,065 yards, four touchdowns, and six interceptions on the season so far. Uiagalelei has also struggled with his completion percentage as he only competed 53.8 percent of his passes, which is currently a career low for the senior quarterback. DJ has struggled with his completion percentage throughout his college career, having only one season where he completed more than 60 percent of his passes. For DJ, this season was one final shot for the former top-15 player, but Uiagalelei suffered a broken finger in this past Saturday’s loss to SMU. Norvell announced yesterday that backup quarterback Brock Glenn will start in place of the injured Uiagalelei, which could mark the end of Uiagalelei's time at Florida State.
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Looking at the rest of Florida State's season, the odds of making an ACC Championship appearance this season seem very unlikely, having already lost three conference games. But for Norvell, a win vs. Clemson this Saturday would be huge for the Seminoles' season as they look to steady the ship. Although a win would relieve some pressure, a loss would put the program in rough shape to potentially be bowl-eligible this year, having Miami, Florida, Notre Dame, and undefeated Duke. Also, their recruiting class has suffered, falling out of the top 10 of the 2024 team rankings, according to 24/7 Sports. Florida State is now at a significant crossroads with its program, with recruitment taking a hit and fans questioning Mike Norvell. Florida State Athletic Director Michael Alford might have to shake things up this upcoming off-season to maintain Florida State’s Status as a National Championship contender.
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