Florida State made the long-needed decision to fire head coach Mike Norvell on Sunday, which has dominated headlines all week. That's to be expected.
Still, Florida State has four more games left to play, starting with Saturday's matchup at Boston College.
The road losing streak for the Seminoles dates back to November 25, 2023. FSU beat Florida in the Swamp, 24-15, and then hasn't won a road game since.
Saturday's game will make it 1,078 days since then. If FSU doesn't win this week, they'll have one last chance at Pittsburgh on Friday the 13th, which will be 1,084 days. If the 'Noles can't win either of those games, you'll be looking at 1,300+ days in the streak, as it will stretch to some point next season.
Even if Pitt has been dealing with quarterback injuries, they're coached better than Boston College is. This has to be FSU's best chance.
There are a lot of moving pieces for this game, so let's go over a few things to keep an eye on.
Oct 3, 2026; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles wide receiver Duce Robinson (0) warms up before the game against the Virginia Cavaliers at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
On top of everything else, it was announced that star wide receiver Duce Robinson had torn his ACL and would miss the remainder of the year. That leaves Florida State without three of its four best playmakers, as Samuel Singleton and Ousmane Kromah are likely out for the year, too. Tre Wisner hasn't been the healthiest player in his career, either, so that will be something to monitor.
They still have Micahi Danzy, but he'll get a lot more attention on the outside with Robinson out. That will leave Jayvan Boggs, Jasen Lopez, and potentially players like Teriq Mallory, Tae'Shaun Gelsey, or Devin Carter to get more involved. Maybe the tight ends like Desirrio Riles and Landen Thomas can actually produce, too.
Freshman running back Amari Thomas will have to be more involved, too. Even if Tre Wisner is good to go, he's going to need a reprieve in what could be a sloppy, rainy game.
Mike Norvell was the offensive play-caller. Those duties will now be passed on to Tim Harris Jr., who was promoted to offensive coordinator after Gus Malzahn retired. He called plays at UCF for about half a season, and that was a heavy-run team. It'll be hard to be that run-focused with FSU's injuries in the backfield.
Tony White had been the defensive coordinator and play-caller, and I would've been curious to see what he could've done without Mike Norvell hovering over him. His safeties coach, Evan Cooper, is also gone. That will leave former FSU linebacker Ernie Sims as the defensive play-caller, which will be his second time as the interim defensive coordinator, after he stepped in to do it for USF in 2022.
That was a bad team all year, going just 1-11, and the defense allowed an average of 45 PPG under Sims. This will be an interesting second chance for him.
Hopefully, we've seen the last of rolling Ashton Daniels to the left because he just cannot see the field when he's rolling that way. I'd like to see a lot more quick game with him if they're going to continue rolling with him as quarterback.
Boston College's offense is not good. Neither is Florida State's defense. That alone could make things interesting.
They're only averaging 21.2 PPG, and a lot of that is propped up by somehow scoring 47 against Georgia Tech, a game in which they compiled 399 rushing yards. That's the only game this season in which they had more than 28 points and more than 190 rushing yards.
Quarterback Mason McKenzie leads the team with 638 rushing yards. No one else on the team has more than 300. Granted, 170 of those came against the Yellow Jackets. For FSU to have success, it will come down to keeping him contained on the ground.
Oct 24, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Boston College Eagles quarterback Mason McKenzie (10) runs against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Maybe it's just me being optimistic for the first time in two years now that Mike Norvell is gone. Maybe it's remembering that the last time FSU fired its head coach in November, they went on the road to beat Boston College the next game. Maybe I'm an idiot.
I just have a weird feeling FSU will win this game to finally break the road losing streak. I don't really have a rhyme or reason behind it. Boston College is usually a pesky team, but they're really lacking talent. FSU has lost a lot of talent because of injuries, but there is still some here and there.
Give me the 'Noles in a weird one, I guess.
Florida State23, Boston College18
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/fsu as Will FSU Football Beat Boston College to Break Road Losing Streak With Norvell Fired? .
