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...
FSUs Linebacker Depth Just Became A Serious Alabama Concern
Florida States linebacker room took a hit at a bad time, with the Seminoles announcing that freshmen Izayia Williams and Daylen Green will miss the rest of the season because of injuries. The loss of both newcomers, combined with veteran Blake Nichelson being sidelined indefinitely, leaves the position thinner just as Florida State turns its attention to Alabama and the kind of physical matchup that can expose any cracks in the two-deep.
For a defense that will need steady communication and reliable tackling, the burden now shifts to the remaining veteran linebackers to set the tone and keep things organized. It also opens the door for younger players to see more meaningful snaps sooner than expected, which makes the next stretch of practice and preparation especially important as the Seminoles try to sort out who can help them hold up in the middle of the field. [Read more 🡒]
FSU Week 4 Has An Unusual Mike Norvell Twist
Florida States Week 4 matchup comes with a rare bit of personal history attached, even before the ball is kicked. The Seminoles are set to meet Central Arkansas on Sept. 26, 2026, at Doak Campbell Stadium in the first-ever meeting between the programs, and the game carries an unusual connection for Mike Norvell, who once played for the Bears and is now in their Hall of Fame.
Central Arkansas will bring Nathan Browns team to Tallahassee for a game that has a little more texture than a typical nonconference date. For Norvell, it is another chance to line up against a program that helped shape his path, while Florida State gets a fresh opponent on the schedule and a home matchup that should carry some added intrigue because of the ties on both sidelines. [Read more 🡒]
Florida State Heads To Alabama With One Big Reason For Hope
Florida State heads into a bye week carrying a little bit of everything from its first two games, which is often the most honest kind of early-season snapshot. The Seminoles have shown up in some of the national efficiency rankings on both sides of the ball, with the offense and defense each flashing in different areas, but not in a way that has yet produced the kind of momentum this program wants after an ACC-opening loss.
Now comes the trip to No. 10 Alabama, and that is the kind of stage that can either sharpen a team or expose it. The numbers have been mixed enough to leave room for concern, but also just encouraging enough to suggest Florida State is not walking into this one empty-handed, which is why the bye week feels especially important before the Seminoles try to turn those early trends into something more meaningful. [Read more 🡒]