Florida State will not take the field today.
The Seminoles are in their second bye week of the 2026 season, giving Mike Norvell’s team a breather after a gut-punch loss to Miami last week. FSU pushed the rival Hurricanes all the way to overtime, and the game turned on a stunning 75-yard touchdown from Duce Robinson right after Miami had taken the lead.
Ashton Daniels then hit Robinson again in the first overtime, giving the quarterback his second game this season with five total touchdowns. Florida State also had two more potential scores wiped out by questionable officiating before falling 43-35.
That result left the Noles at 3-4 overall and 1-3 in the ACC, and it came with another tough blow: running back Ousmane Kromah is out for the season. Still, the performance showed enough fight to keep FSU from spiraling completely. Norvell has also gotten strong offensive showings in marquee games against Miami and Alabama, even while the Seminoles have now dropped 12 straight road games and passed up short field-goal chances that could have changed the outcome.
There was already a close call before the bye, too. Florida State nearly pulled off an upset against SMU, and that stretch has given Norvell at least some evidence that the locker room is still with him. The final five games now give the Seminoles a route to bowl eligibility, something that felt far less plausible not long ago.
FSU returns in Week 9 with a Halloween matchup at home against Clemson. The Tigers are 4-2 overall and 2-1 in the ACC entering their game with Virginia Tech, and their season has been uneven. Clemson has been blown out by LSU and Miami, while its wins have come in tighter games against Georgia Southern, North Carolina and Cal, plus a 37-0 rout of Charleston Southern in Week 7.
After that, the schedule turns to November and brings Boston College and North Carolina State, both 3-3 and 1-2 in ACC play entering this week. Florida State also has a road trip to Pittsburgh, where the Panthers have lost two straight since quarterback Mason Heintschel tore his ACL. If the Seminoles can go 3-1 in that stretch, they may not need to beat Florida on Black Friday to get to their first bowl game in three years.
In Other News...
FSU Is Turning Clemson Night Into A Doak Campbell Showcase
Florida State is dressing up its Oct. 31 meeting with Clemson at Doak Campbell Stadium as more than just another ACC marquee game. The school unveiled Operation Garnet Storm, a Halloween-flavored game-day plan that blends campus pageantry with military appreciation, aiming to make the night feel like a full-scale event long before kickoff.
Peter Warrick will be honored in the first quarter for his College Football Hall of Fame induction, adding a familiar Seminole touch to a night built for spectacle. The rest of the evening is set to feature a parachute jump by USSOCOM Para-Commandos and a halftime drone show, giving FSU a chance to turn Clemson night into one of the most distinctive atmospheres on its home schedule. [Read more 🡒]
Auburns Florida State Loss Suddenly Looks More Complicated
A preseason exhibition can be an unreliable snapshot, but Florida State found plenty to like in its meeting with Auburn, especially from the frontcourt. Freshman center Marcis Ponder was everywhere in 25 minutes, piling up rebounds, scoring, and rim protection as the Seminoles used a second-half comeback to turn the game their way.
The bigger takeaway may be what the matchup suggested about Florida States depth near the basket, particularly with forward Alex Steen back in the mix after becoming eligible to play through a temporary injunction. It is still only an exhibition, and those games do not always carry over cleanly once the regular season starts, but the Seminoles suddenly have a much clearer reason to feel better about the shape of their front line. [Read more 🡒]
Florida State Has One Last Chance To Sort Out Its Rotation
Florida States preseason tune-up against LSU comes at a useful time for a roster still getting sorted out, even after a win over Auburn gave Luke Loucks and his staff a first real look at how the pieces fit. The Seminoles have been using these exhibitions to judge roles, build chemistry and get a clearer sense of what the rotation might look like when the games start to count.
Alex Steen adds another layer to that evaluation after being granted a fifth year of eligibility and rejoining the team. Loucks confirmed Steen will participate in the LSU game, giving Florida State another chance to see how he fits into the mix as the staff keeps weighing who can handle the biggest minutes and responsibilities. [Read more 🡒]