Florida State enters 2026 with expectations at a low point after back-to-back disappointing seasons. With just seven wins over the last two years, skepticism is growing across college football, and Mike Norvell faces mounting pressure to finally deliver a turnaround.
With a key weekend of official visits underway in Tallahassee, anticipation for Florida State's upcoming season should be building; instead, the program finds itself with expectations at their lowest point in years.
Florida State is coming off back-to-back disappointing seasons, ones that can, frankly, be described as embarrassing. The Seminoles managed seven wins in the two seasons, with only three ACC victories.
What makes the downturn even more frustrating for fans is that, following the 2023 season, it looked as though Florida State had turned the corner and was poised to be a legitimate contender year after year. Instead, that optimism now looks more like fool’s gold.
And with the Skepticism growing around Mike Norvell and with optimism gone and expectations around the program at the lowest they've been in years, Novell is running out of time to figure it out. And unfortunately for Norvell, the skepticism isn't limited to a single outlet or person.
From an ESPN analyst to a former Florida State quarterback turned CBS broadcaster to oddsmakers in Las Vegas, confidence in the Seminoles heading into the 2026 season is clearly becoming hard to find. The one person who still believes is Mike Norvell, despite finding himself near the top of every coaching hot seat ranking.
Norvell told the media during the ACC spring meetings that “he expects this year to be the best year of my life.” Not words you expect from a coach who could be looking for a new job as early as October if his team gets off to a slow start.
Norvell still has faith he can turn it around, but former Florida State and NFL quarterback turned CBS broadcaster Danny Kanell expects a very different outcome in 2026. And according to Kanell, his expectations are much higher than most fans this season.
Kanell dropped a brutal view on The Next Round, saying, “my expectations are low,” adding, “they’re higher than most fans I talk to.” He would go on to say he has them right around six and a half wins.
For a coach whom Kanell believes fans already want to move on from, it's not a win total that Norvell is going to survive again. And it's not just fans who are expecting a rough season. Kanell explained why boosters may not be cutting the checks to turn this thing around.
According to Kanell, boosters are “waiting for what feels inevitable,” adding, “This season’s going to be a disaster. They’re going to have to move on from Mike Norvell.”
Kanell’s comments hit harder than most because they come from someone whose home is Florida State, having played there from 1992–95. While there, Kanell won a national championship in 1993. He also earned Second-Team All-American honors, was named the ACC Player of the Year and ACC Offensive Player of the Year and was a two-time First-Team All-ACC selection.
Unfortunately for fans, it’s not just Kanell who is down on the Seminoles; ESPN’s Bill Connelly in his ACC preview has them finishing 12th in the ACC, nowhere near how a program like Florida State views itself should be predicted. And for Norvell, finishing 12th may not be enough to save his job.
According to Connelly, “Norvell did just enough in 2025, following the cataclysmic 2-10 collapse of 2024, to keep his job for a seventh season.”
The odds makers in Las Vegas share the same outlook for the season, viewing Florida State as a long shot to win the ACC, let alone reach the College Football Playoff. FanDuel lists the Seminoles at +4500 to win the conference, while DraftKings has them slightly lower at +3500. To win the national championship, DraftKings has Florida State at +18000.
The good news for Norvell is that games and outcomes are decided on the field, giving him the opportunity to prove the projections wrong. But it’s apparent that Norvell is running out of time at Florida State to turn the program back around.
With pressure mounting from fans, national media, and former Seminoles, any stumble could quickly turn the conversation in Tallahassee to who the program’s next head coach will be.
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