During a College GameDay segment on Saturday morning, ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit weighed in on Florida State’s struggles ahead of tonight’s game between the Seminoles and the 15th-ranked Clemson Tigers.
Florida State, of course, has gotten off to a disastrous start this season with a 1-4 record after beginning the season 10th in the preseason AP Poll.
It’s the Seminoles’ second 1-4 start to a season under head coach Mike Norvell, and it comes on the heels of a 2023 campaign where FSU felt it was snubbed from the College Football Playoff after going undefeated during the regular season and winning the ACC title.
“I think if you turn it to Mike Norvell, what he’s facing… We were just with him a few weeks ago, and it was coming off well, ‘they got ripped off last year, they’re going to be a team now that’s on a mission,’ and they lose to Georgia Tech (in the season opener), kind of got smacked in the face, and we were interested to see how they respond,” Herbstreit said.
“They lose to BC (to drop to 0-2), and I think that’s when things really became where it was a challenge for Mike Norvell to keep it together.”
Herbstreit added that with FSU’s schedule – starting with tonight’s game against the Tigers – it’ll be a real challenge for Norvell to “prevent this from being a two- or three-win season” for the Noles.
“They’re 1-4 right now,” Herbstreit said. “Clemson is a team right now, you’ve got Duke, you’ve got Miami, you’ve got Florida coming up – I mean, if they don’t somehow find somebody… (Former FSU QB) Jordan Travis was the guy – you talk about transformational – he was the guy that changed this program and its direction for Mike Norvell. He’s no longer there. It’s one thing to try to beat Clemson. It’s another thing to just try to prevent this from being a two- or three-win season right now.”
Clemson is a 17-point favorite in tonight’s matchup vs. FSU at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee.
The game is set to kick off at 7 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN.