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...
NC State Must Adjust Fast For Vanderbilts New-Look Quarterback
Vanderbilt is bringing a different look into its matchup with NC State, and it starts at quarterback. Curtis, one of the nations highly regarded 2026 prospects, is expected to get the nod after stepping in for the starter in recent games and settling in quickly enough to change the feel of the offense. For a Wolfpack defense that is still sorting out its own early-season answers, that means prep time matters, because the Commodores are no longer operating with the same script they began the year with.
The quarterback change is only part of what makes Vanderbilt tricky right now. Graduate linebacker Nick Rinaldi has helped anchor the defense, defensive lineman Ouattara has been part of the push up front and transfer defensive back Jones has added stability on the back end, all of it feeding into the teams strong start. NC State has to account for that broader picture while adjusting to a new signal-caller, and the balance between containing Curtis and handling the Commodores other playmakers may decide how quickly the Wolfpack can settle in. [Read more 🡒]
NC State Turned To A Former Soccer Standout In A Kicking Emergency
When NC State needed help in the kicking game, the answer came from an unlikely place. Drew Lovelace, a former Wolfpack mens soccer player, could no longer continue in soccer this season after becoming ineligible, so he shifted over to the football team and tried out as a kickoff specialist after an injury created an opening.
The move happened fast, but Lovelace adapted quickly enough to earn a debut in front of nearly 60,000 fans and deliver a kickoff touchback. Coaches have pointed to the ease of his transition and the work ethic that helped him get there, a useful reminder of how quickly college rosters can change when one emergency leads to another. [Read more 🡒]
NC State Gets A Key O-Line Boost Before Tough Vanderbilt Test
Dave Doeren gave NC State some encouraging news as the Wolfpack turns the page toward Vanderbilt, saying starting center Spike Sowells Jr. is expected to be ready to go. Sowells left the previous game early because of an injury, but the early read from the coaching staff is that there is no major concern about his recovery.
For a line that has leaned on Sowells as a stabilizing presence, the timing matters. He was a Freshman All-American last season and has continued to stand out in pass protection, so getting him back in the middle of the offense would be a welcome boost before a tough test against Vanderbilt. [Read more 🡒]