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Florida State has experienced one of the most unexpected descents in college football history. From being a serious contender for the College Football Playoffs last year, to not even being able to win a game just a few months later, Florida State has experienced a substantial degradation in various aspects. So, what went wrong, and will Florida State ever recover?
During the 2023 season, Florida State was considered one of the most elite teams in all of college football. With several victories against top twenty-five ranked teams such as #5 LSU, #16 Duke, and #14 Louisville, it seemed as though Florida State was one of the most unstoppable teams in the 2023 season.
With an undefeated record of 13-0 and a Heisman candidate in quarterback Jordan Travis, the Florida State team appeared to be a sure candidate to make the College Football Playoffs (CFP). In addition, the Florida State team had a deep roster consisting of many athletes who would become first-round picks in the 2024 NFL Draft. However, despite this success, and a seemingly extraordinary team, the CFP committee decided to choose against Florida State in the College Football Playoffs.
The CFP committee largely attributed this decision to the health of FSU’s star quarterback, Jordan Travis. Travis was one of the best quarterbacks in college football during his 2023 run, and even finished 5th in the 2023 Heisman Trophy voting, an accolade not easily attained or earned. However, during Week 12 of the 2023 college football season, he went down with a season-ending lower leg injury, which severely impacted Florida State’s Playoff odds.
“The protocol requires the Committee to take into consideration the unavailability of key players that may affect a team’s performance during the post-season,” said Bill Hancock, the executive director of the College Football Playoffs committee. “Florida State is not the same team without its star quarterback.”
While this was a fair criticism of the Florida State team, this explanation did not seem to be satisfactory as the team had won the rest of their schedule against respectable teams, including previously mentioned #14 Louisville, withstanding Jordan Travis’s injury. However, this was ignored and Florida State’s postseason dreams were over.
Shortly following the CFP committee’s announcement, several Florida State players decided to opt out of the 2023 Orange Bowl against #6 Georgia. FSU head coach Mike Norvell primarily attributed these decisions to Florida State’s exclusion from the College Football Playoffs.
Moreover, with over twenty players like wide receiver Keon Coleman and defensive lineman Jared Verse deciding to participate in the match, Florida State’s prospects of winning the Orange Bowl did not look well. Florida State lost that game 3-63, allowing Georgia to acquire the prestigious title of winning a bowl game by the largest margin in College Football history.
Colton Hooper ‘28, who was at the 2023 Orange Bowl, shares that he had “left early because it was a total blowout” and that “if Florida State was allowed to enter the playoffs then our players would have played.”
The ladder is a sentiment shared by many, however, the game would eventually become a landmark in what would become a series of changes in FSU’s trajectory. Shortly following the Orange Bowl defeat, many Florida State players entered the NFL draft leaving Florida State with an emptier roster.
Despite Florida State’s defeat against Georgia as well as several declarations to the NFL draft, there was still a lot of hope for them entering the 2024 season. Florida State added to its roster by acquiring promising players such as DJ Uiagalelei, Malik Benson, and many others through the transfer portal. With these efforts, Florida State’s transfer class was ranked #7 in the nation, a heartening development. Additionally, Florida State was ranked as the tenth-best college football team during the 2024 preseason. It seemed as though Florida State would have a wonderful 2024 season.
Unfortunately, that optimism did not last very long. As of today, Florida State has one win and four losses. So, this begs the question, with all the promising talent and coaching FSU has to offer, what is causing them these detriments? C
Charlie Siegel ‘25, an avid sports enthusiast and athlete himself, accredits these defeats to a lack of team chemistry.
“The offense and defense have not been together; they have not been playing together,” Siegel said.
Another senior, Yash Gupta ’25, a football enthusiast, said that “FSU is just not as good as it was last season. Their quarterback is just not as good.”
So, with all of this said, it’s clear that the FSU football team has a good deal of work ahead but let’s understand the tremendous efforts and sacrifices of the student-athletes who give it their all.
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