“I think they’ve got to improve to be mediocre right now.” – Josh Pate<\/p>\n
PublishedApril 17, 2026 5:20 PM EDT\u2022UpdatedApril 17, 2026 5:20 PM EDT<\/p>\n
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I have spent a fair amount of time recently discussing the Florida State Seminoles<\/a> and, more specifically, just how grim things are looking in Tallahassee right now.<\/p>\n You could argue part of that is because I am a fan of a rival team, but I do think even to the objective, unbiased viewer, the outlook isn’t exactly rosy for Noles fans in 2026.<\/p>\n One of those “objective, unbiased viewers” is none other than Josh Pate, and he discussed the murky future for the Seminoles on the latest episode of Josh Pate’s College Football Show.<\/p>\n READ: Two Rivals Failing To Hold Up Their End Of The Bargain Doomed ACC To Irrelevance<\/a><\/p>\n “I think they’ve got to improve to be mediocre right now,” Pate said.<\/p>\n “Everyone hates on average. Average is not the worst thing in the world, bad is the worst thing in the world.”<\/p>\n Pate went on to discuss the mirage of Florida State’s Vegas win total, stating that while 6.5 wins looks like an improvement on the surface, when given a different, more difficult schedule, it paints a different picture and knocks the Noles down two full projected wins.<\/p>\n READ: Sunshine State Recruiting Is About To Be Fun Again<\/a><\/p>\n “If we changed nothing about Florida State’s team, but we give them Florida’s schedule this year,” Pate said, “their over\/under win total would be 4.5\u2026 which would be second-lowest in the SEC behind only Arkansas.”<\/p>\n Brutal.<\/p>\n So why does Florida State have so far to climb still?<\/p>\n Mike Norvell.<\/p>\n As I had often opined in the past, Pate agrees that FSU’s aggressive overreliance on the transfer portal following striking (fool’s) gold in 2022 and 2023 may have doomed the rest of Norvell’s tenure in the state’s capitol.<\/p>\n For everyone who points to guys like Curt Cignietti<\/a> and, to a lesser extent, Lane Kiffin, as shining examples of how to build a championship roster through the transfer portal, Mike Norvell is the example on the other end of the spectrum.<\/p>\n