Mike Norvell’s situation at Florida State is sliding in the wrong direction fast, and Monday’s firing of his boss only adds more heat. Michael Alford is out, which removes one layer of stability from a program already staring at a messy decision about Norvell’s future. Florida State has made it clear it does not want Alford involved again this year in any call on Norvell or a possible replacement.
The buyout is the big reason Norvell survived last year, and it is still enormous: more than $45 million at the end of this season. That kind of number once made him too costly to dump.
Now it is starting to look like he may be too costly to keep. Since the Seminoles were left out of the College Football Playoff in 2023, they are 8-19 overall and 3-14 in the ACC, a stretch that got even uglier with an underwhelming home loss to SMU on Labor Day.
The timing is brutal, too. Florida State is trying to put itself in position for whatever comes next in conference realignment, and that makes poor football even less acceptable.
The schedule doesn’t offer much mercy either. The Seminoles go to Alabama on Saturday, then after Central Arkansas they return to ACC play against three straight ranked teams: No.
25 Virginia, No. 23 Louisville and No.
5 Miami. If that run goes badly, the open date waiting after it feels ominous.
Luke Fickell’s Wisconsin team is not in the same kind of chaos, but there are real concerns there as well. The Badgers were competitive for much of the opener against Notre Dame, then handled Western Illinois 36-9.
The strange part is on defense, where Wisconsin still has not produced a takeaway this season. That follows last year’s tie for last nationally with just six.
Fickell’s 2021 Cincinnati team led the country with 34 takeaways, so this is a glaring disconnect. Maybe there is just too much defensive staff.
Wisconsin gets Eastern Michigan at home Saturday, a game that should be, and better be, comfortable. Big Ten play starts at Penn State on Sept. 26, and Fickell at least avoids Indiana and Ohio State this season.
Dave Aranda could have used a signature win against Auburn in the opener, but Baylor came up short on a two-point conversion with nine seconds left. The Bears also need more from the run game after managing only 103 yards against the Tigers. Baylor hosts Louisiana Tech on Saturday before Big 12 play begins Sept. 26 against Colorado, and Aranda’s conference record over the last four seasons - six games under .500 - is a problem that can’t be ignored.
Dave Doeren’s North Carolina State tenure has always carried a certain uneasy comfort, but the opening beatdown at Virginia changed the tone. Beating Richmond on Saturday did little to repair the damage.
The Wolfpack still have several toss-up games ahead that could determine where this season ends up. Next is a trip to Vanderbilt, and the Commodores have looked vulnerable through two games in life after Diego Pavia.
Greg Schiano’s Rutgers team has been the most alarming power-conference start so far. The Scarlet Knights are 0-2 against the state of Massachusetts after getting blown up by UMass and then falling to Boston College.
Schiano went to AJ Surace at quarterback after the opener, but Surace responded by throwing four interceptions against the Eagles. Rutgers has seven picks in 65 pass attempts, an absurd 10.8% interception rate.
Hosting No. 12 USC on Saturday gives the Scarlet Knights a chance to flip the script, but it could just as easily become a rough night.
North Carolina’s problem is not what’s happening on the field. The Tar Heels are 2-0 and have gone seven straight quarters without allowing a touchdown.
The issue is everything around the program. General manager Michael Lombardi has resigned after being placed on administrative leave, and defensive coordinator Steve Belichick has been on medical leave.
A report that independent investigators looking into the program’s culture were asking questions about drug use and impermissible sex could turn this into a much larger scandal, one that makes the on-field results almost beside the point. Clemson awaits Saturday, with the Tigers listed as 3.5-point favorites, though perhaps they shouldn’t be.
The broader college football scoring picture still hasn’t matched the NFL’s early-season fireworks. In 26 meetings between power-conference teams, only one has finished with a total above 70 points: Mississippi-Louisville, which was 79. Eight power-conference teams have scored more than 40 points against a Power 4 opponent, with five from the SEC - Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Alabama, Tennessee and LSU - plus UCLA from the Big Ten, Miami from the ACC and Notre Dame.
Six games have finished with totals under 30: North Carolina-TCU, Iowa-Iowa State, Pittsburgh-UCF, Colorado-Georgia Tech, Auburn-Baylor and Michigan-Oklahoma.
There has been at least one bright spot in the FBS debut of North Dakota State. The Bison are 3-0 and just picked up their first Mountain West win, on the road at Air Force. They led by 22 going into the fourth quarter at Falcon Stadium and held on for a 38-32 victory.
Bret Bielema spent the summer talking plenty of SEC noise, but Illinois is already 0-1 against the ACC after a home loss to Duke. The Illini also had their hands full for much of the opener against UAB. Their run defense is a real issue, too, with Illinois allowing 182 rushing yards per game, worst in the Big Ten.
And if you happen to be thirsty and looking for a place to watch football on Sixth Street in Austin, The Dash points you toward Little Woodrow’s. They’ll put the game on and pour you a beer. If you want to try a Twisted X McConauhaze IPA, that’s your call.
In Other News...
Baylor Suddenly Has A Defensive Line Question Slug Mitchell Could Answer
Baylors defensive front has a new wrinkle after fifth-year lineman Traevon Mitchell, better known as Slug, was granted a temporary injunction by Judge Alan Bennett that makes him eligible to play for at least the rest of the regular season. With the next trial date still estimated to be about 90 days away, the Bears suddenly have a veteran body back in the conversation at a position group that can use all the help it can get.
Dave Aranda has already been asked about what Mitchell could mean after a season-ending injury thinned out the rotation, and the timing makes the situation especially relevant for Baylors defense. For a team trying to stabilize its line depth in the middle of the season, Mitchells availability adds another layer of intrigue, even if the legal process around his status is still far from finished. [Read more 🡒]
Baylor Heads Into La Tech With One Big Problem Up Front
Baylor is trying to steady itself up front as it heads into Louisiana Tech with one of its most important pieces suddenly gone for the year. Fifth-year senior Devonte Tezinos season-ending lower body injury leaves a hole on the defensive line, but there is at least one bit of relief in the room: fellow fifth-year senior Traevon Mitchell was granted a temporary injunction that allows him to play the rest of the season. With Kyler Jordan and others now expected to absorb more of the workload, the Bears will have to find answers quickly on the line of scrimmage.
There is better news on the other side of the ball, where starting center Koltin Sieracki is expected back after missing a game with an injury. Baylors larger focus, though, remains on cleaning up the mistakes that have slowed it down, especially penalties, as it tries to look sharper heading into the Louisiana Tech game. The Bears have enough talent to get by, but the way they handle these issues up front could go a long way toward deciding whether the next stretch feels like damage control or a reset. [Read more 🡒]
Baylor Has A Week 3 Problem It Needs To Fix Fast
Baylor heads into its Week 3 matchup at McLane Stadium tied at 1-1 with Louisiana Tech, and the early-season tone around the Bears is clear enough: there are fixable issues, but they need fixing quickly. The cleanest path to a win runs through the basics, with turnover margin, time of possession and penalty control all sitting near the top of the list as Baylor tries to sharpen up before the schedule starts demanding more from it.
The Bears have already stressed the need for discipline and consistent effort on both sides of the ball, and that emphasis is no accident after the first two games. Against a Louisiana Tech team that will be looking for the same kind of early momentum, Baylor cannot afford sloppy stretches or self-inflicted setbacks if it wants to leave Saturday with the kind of performance that steadies things rather than complicates them. [Read more 🡒]