If somehow the Florida Gators' hopes for a College Football Playoff berth or SEC Championship appearance were to come down to Week 13, things just got extremely interesting.

The Florida State Seminoles finally pulled the trigger and fired Mike Norvell.

Norvell is owed a pretty penny, and that's putting it lightly, as his buyout is an estimated $50 million.

This move felt like a long time coming, and while he was 41-39 in his seven years with the program, it was nowhere near good enough.

Florida will head to Florida State on Friday, Nov. 27, in the regular season finale. Now, it's well-known that it will be a Norvell-less Seminoles squad, so what exactly does that mean for the Gators?

Norvell, 45, came to Florida State in 2020 after a run with Memphis. Obviously, everyone remembers FSU's historic 2023 season, but they weren't able to cap it off with a run in the College Football Playoffs.

That season, Norvell won the Paul "Bear" Bryant Award along with being named Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year and ACC Coach of the Year.

In just a few short years, the Seminoles have fallen off in a big way. Florida State is just 3-5 this season, and it's going to be an uphill battle for them to make a bowl game, especially with the Gators on the schedule.

Remember, Florida has back-to-back wins over FSU, though these two teams are 2-2 in their last four.

That said, Florida has won five of the last seven meetings dating back to 2018, a few years prior to Norvell's arrival.

The 70th edition of the Gators vs. Seminoles showdown will take place this season, and it's currently unknown just how different FSU will look by the end of November.

School president Richard McCullough told ESPN that Norvell was relieved of his duties after the Seminoles fell two games under .500 in an ugly loss to Clemson.

Florida State's only notable win this year is against Virginia. Overall, the combined record of the three teams they've beaten in 2026 is 9-17.

Norvell had a chance to save his job in a double overtime game against No. 1 Miami, but he wasn't able to do so.

The very next week, the Tigers took care of business, 36-24, and that was all she wrote for Norvell.

FSU is led by senior quarterback Ashton Daniels, who is just shy of 2,000 passing yards with 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

Director of scouting Rick Stockstill will serve as the interim coach. Stockstill spent 18 years as the head coach at Middle Tennessee, going 113-111.