Florida State gets back into ACC play Saturday with a chance to reach .500 in the league for the first time since 2023, and the Seminoles will have the home field for it. Virginia comes to Doak Campbell Stadium for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff on ESPN2 as FSU opens a stretch of seven straight conference games.
The matchup carries familiar history. Florida State owns a 15-5 edge all-time against Virginia and has dominated the series in Tallahassee, going 9-1 at Doak Campbell Stadium.
The Cavaliers’ lone win in the rivalry came in 2011, when they knocked off the then-No. 23 Seminoles 14-13.
Virginia is also chasing momentum of its own, entering the game looking for a third straight victory and a fourth win in its last five meetings with Florida State.
FSU’s offense has been built around quarterback Ashton Daniels, who has wasted no time making an impact. He is 58-of-97 passing for 928 yards and six touchdowns, while also adding 142 rushing yards and four rushing scores.
Daniels has accounted for multiple touchdowns in every game so far. His biggest outburst came at No.
10 Alabama on September 19, when he went 17-of-29 for 377 yards and two touchdowns and ran 13 times for seven yards and two more scores. That performance made him the third Seminole in program history - joining Jordan Travis and EJ Manuel - with two rushing touchdowns and two receiving touchdowns in a game.
It also marked FSU’s highest passing total from a quarterback since 2022.
Daniels’ numbers at Alabama stood out even more for the company he keeps. He is the only player in FBS in 2026 with multiple rushing and passing touchdowns and a two-point conversion.
He is also one of only three players since 1995 to post those numbers in a road game against a Power 4 opponent. His 22.2 yards per completion against Alabama are the most the Crimson Tide have allowed to a player with at least seven completions since at least 1995, and Florida State’s 36 points were the most Alabama has given up in a non-conference game in Tuscaloosa since 2000.
The Seminoles have plenty of other playmakers showing up, too. Running back Ousmane Kromah ranks third in the ACC with 99.3 rushing yards per game and has scored five rushing touchdowns, with at least one in each of Florida State’s four games. That makes him the fifth Nole since 1995 to score a rushing touchdown in each of the first four games of a season.
At receiver, Duce Robinson and Jayvan Boggs both hit the 100-yard mark over the past two weeks. Robinson had six catches for 135 yards and a touchdown at Alabama, while Boggs posted career highs with six receptions, 122 yards and a score against Central Arkansas. Robinson now has five career 120-yard receiving games, the second-most among active players, trailing only Jeremiah Smith of Ohio State.
Florida State’s defense has also produced a game-changing performance this season, forcing four turnovers and finishing with a plus-3 margin against No. 19 SMU. That was the program’s best takeaway total since a 2022 win at Miami.
Special teams has been spotless, too. Kicker Gabe Panikowski is a perfect 20-for-20 on field goals in his NCAA career, including 5-for-5 this season.
He is the only active qualified kicker in any NCAA division with at least 15 attempts to go perfect for his career. Panikowski has also made all 15 of his PAT tries this year, and Florida State has connected on 177 straight extra points, with perfect seasons in each of the past four years.
Florida State is coming off non-conference play and now begins the long ACC grind with Virginia in town. The stage is set for 3:30 p.m. in Tallahassee.
In Other News...
Mike Norvell's Soft ACC Finish Feels Like A Defining FSU Stretch
Florida State still has six games left, and the schedule has turned the season into a late test of whether Mike Norvell can steer the program back to respectability in a conference that has offered little resistance. A winning record remains within reach, and for a team that entered the year needing proof more than promises, these final weeks carry real weight far beyond the standings.
The stakes extend well past the field, with university leadership weighing not just results but the financial and organizational ripple effects around the program. Norvells buyout, possible staff changes and a restless fan base are all part of the backdrop now, which means this stretch in a soft ACC could end up shaping more than a final record. [Read more 🡒]
Florida State's Miami Upset Hopes May Ride On One Breakthrough
Florida States trip to Miami arrives with the kind of built-in tension that usually makes rivalry weekends feel bigger than the records attached to them. The Hurricanes are unbeaten and bring one of the nations most productive offenses along with a rushing defense that has been stingy all season, so the Seminoles know they will need something unusual to tilt the field. For Florida State, that means getting the most out of its ground game and, more specifically, finding room for Ousmane Kromah to make an impact.
Kromah has become the runner Miami cannot ignore, leading the nation in forced missed tackles while also sitting near the top of the ACC in rushing. How well the Hurricanes handle him, with linebacker Mohamed Toure part of that front-line challenge, may say plenty about Florida States chances of hanging around in the fourth quarter. Mike Norvell and his staff will have to sort out a plan that keeps Miami from dictating the terms, because if Kromah can crack that defense early, the Seminoles have a real path to making this game uncomfortable. [Read more 🡒]
Florida State Cut Ties With A Freshman Defender Under Troubling Circumstances
Florida State moved quickly this week to part ways with freshman cornerback Chuck Kennon after his arrest on charges that included false imprisonment and aggravated fleeing to elude. Head coach Mike Norvell confirmed the dismissal, and the university said the decision was based on conduct detrimental to the team. Kennons exit comes just as a young defensive back was trying to settle into the program, only for the situation to veer sharply off course.
Kennon appeared in court, where bonds were set and restrictions were imposed, after the incident that led to his arrest. He was involved in a police pursuit and fled on foot before later turning himself in, leaving Florida State to move on without one of its freshmen defenders under circumstances that carry both immediate football implications and a much larger off-field concern. [Read more 🡒]