Hot seat Mike Norvell will keep getting booed, until FSU fires him | Opinion

Hot seat Mike Norvell will keep getting booed, until FSU fires him Opinion Another close loss for FSU and Mike Norvell.

Key points

• Mike Norvell, Luke Fickell and Lincoln Riley lead the list of coaches facing pressure entering the 2026 college football season.
• After a three and out, the "War Chant" turned into boos again, and when the clock hit triple zeros, Doak Campbell Stadium just went quiet, minutes afterwards.
• Toppmeyer: Power went out at Florida State, then MIke Norvell's seat obtained hotter.
• What could be remarked concerning a 27-24 loss filled with shoulda, woulda, couldas?
• Daniels, Norvell's third transfer stop-gap quarterback previously three seasons, threw for just 125 yards.

FSU fans alternate between "War Chant" and boos for embattled coach Mike Norvell. Sloppy SMU helps keep Seminoles in game.

Florida State had a chance to win this one in fourth quarter. It blew it.

TALLAHASSEE, FL – Their right arms chopped in unison in the stands, and they bellowed the "War Chant" the way Florida State fans do when they sense the game hangs in the balance.

Minutes earlier, they were booing the home team, but after Ashlynd Barker intercepted SMU, the Seminoles seized an opportunity to steal a win against a ranked opponent on a night when No. 20 SMU gained almost 600 yards.

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What could be remarked concerning a 27-24 loss filled with shoulda, woulda, couldas? It's another near-miss that had to feel so dreadfully familiar to Seminoles fans who watched a season full of similar results last season. "We're devastated, " quarterback Ashton Daniels remarked afterward.

He was talking regarding the locker room, but he could've been speaking for all of Tomahawk Nation.

Florida State doesn't look fixed, no more than SMU looked the part of an ACC frontrunner. The Mustangs won a sloppy one.

All night, FSU teased the possibility of an upset win that would've bailed a few gallons of water out of coach Mike Norvell's sinking tenure. When the Seminoles had a chance to quit teasing and deliver after Barker's interception, FSU's offense reversed eight yards, then punted, but. The boos rained down. Mike Norvell's hot seat is boiling.

Norvell remarked all the predictable lines embattled coaches offer after games such as these. We had our opportunities. It comes down to a play. It's just the consistency that has to improve. All true, but don't expect any of those lines to land.

"I don't think one game reflects anything about this team or about this season, " Daniels remarked.

Maybe one game shouldn't, but this was another chapter in what's become a familiar tale of come-close-but-lose. SMU created this closer than it needed to be vs FSU. Florida State's defense couldn't obtain off the field on third down.

Kevin Jennings turned a third down into a 79-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter. After FSU tied the score, Jennings completed a deep shot on 3rd-and-10 to set up a game-winning field goal, afterwards. In the first quarter, Jennings exploited a busted coverage for a 50-yard touchdown toss.

Is it really any surprise this concluded in another Florida State loss? When SMU wasn't turning the ball over, it was gutting the Seminoles. The Mustangs outgained FSU, 585-324. A grounded Seminoles pass game stretched into another season, too.

Daniels, Norvell's third transfer stop-gap quarterback previously three seasons, threw for just 125 yards. SMU sacked him three times.

FSU's ground game looked formidable, but Norvell still hasn't solved the quarterback position. He's out of chances. With Alabama on deck and games against three of the ACC's best (Virginia, Louisville and Miami) in October, Norvell's runway to save his job has shrunk to the size of a postage stamp.

SMU's barrage of blunders, including four turnovers, supported keep the score close. Florida State cashing in just seven points off those takeaways supported ensure it concluded how it did.

FSU fans waited throughout a pregame power outage on a steamy night. Kickoff obtained delayed by more than 100 minutes. Fans passed the time by hitting beach balls in the stands, and dozens of fans took off their shirts and waved them in the air, with the lights off.

After all that waiting, and after all those losses the past two seasons, they were ready to chop and chant.

By halftime, with Florida State trailing by just a touchdown, they were booing Norvell. They kept booing, in between chopping and chanting, even with the score tied in the fourth quarter.

Considering the opponent (SMU is billed as an ACC frontrunner) and the close score (the Mustangs never led by more than one possession), the barrage of boos might've seemed odd, if only you hadn't watched Florida State squander so plenty of opportunities like this one the past two years, and if you didn't understand the boiling temperature surrounding Norvell's embattled tenure.

'Noles fans are ready for a change. Instead, they obtained served more of the same. So, they booed when they weren't chopping.

"It's tough to hear, " Daniels remarked of the boo birds, but the Florida State quarterback additionally expressed gratitude that so plenty of fans stuck it out 'til the end of a game that didn't conclude until after 12: 30 a.m. Local time.

Florida State remains stuck in the conference it tried to escape, and it's not anywhere near the top of the ACC's pecking order, with 14 conference losses since the start of the 2024 season. Plenty of of them, close losses, like this one.

This fed-up fan base doesn't celebrate close losses, not after years' worth of devastation. It boos them. They'll keep booing, too, until they obtain one of the two results they crave: a barrage of victories, or a coaching search.

Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network's senior national college football columnist. Listen to his podcast, "College Football Unfiltered." Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X @btoppmeyer. SMS Facebook Twitter Email. Share your feedback to support improve our site! Share your feedback to support improve our site!

For now, hot seat Mike Norvell will keep getting booed, until FSU fires him remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.