Florida State Had College Football Playoff Hopes Just A Month Ago, Now They’re Just Looking To Win A Game

At what point did we know things were heading in the wrong direction for Florida State on Monday night against Boston College? The minute fans started chanting ‘We Want Brock’, as in backup quarterback Brock Glenn, in the third quarter of an ugly loss that drastically changed the outlook on the 2024 season. 

A few plays after DJ Uiagalelei threw his second interception of the game, Florida State fans in attendance were showering the field with boo's, along with airing their grievances with this Mike Norvell offense. 

What once looked like a promising season, two weeks ago before the Seminoles took the field in Ireland against Georgia Tech, has now turned into a disaster for a team ranked 10th the first poll of the season. In all honesty, nobody expected to see these types of performances from Florida State, as they were manhandled in the trenches for the second straight week. 

As Boston College head coach Bill O'Brien continued to dial-up plays for QB Thomas Castellanos that seemed to have confused the Seminoles on a consistent basis, Florida State supporters started to realize just how bad things were in Tallahassee. While Mike Norvell stared into oblivion along the Seminoles sideline, the rest of the college football community were left wondering how it had gotten this bad, in only two weeks.

DJ Uiagalelei With Another Tough Outing, Offense Is Abysmal 

While quarterback DJ Uiagalelei certainly doesn't look like the answer for Florida State, the defense was abysmal once again, giving up over 260 rushing yards to Boston College. Making matters worse, the Seminoles only rushed for 21 yards, which is an eye-opening stat. 

Let Me Know What You Thought About The Weekend Of College Football, And Send Any Questions You Have My Way For the CFB Mailbag. We Are Headed To Lincoln, Nebraska, Next Week for the Colorado vs. Nebraska Game, So I'll Need Some Recommendations On Places to Visit. Email Me At Trey.Wallace@OutKick.Com

Sure, we can talk about the amount of players lost to the NFL, but the Seminoles had done a good job through the transfer portal to make enough noise in 2024, at least that's what we thought. Maybe they should've put up more of a fight when it came to the NIL battle for quarterback Cam Ward, who looked tremendous in his first game for Miami this past weekend against Florida, but decided to go with DJ Uiagalelei, who was on his third school in four years. 

Make no mistake about it, many expected Florida State to fight for a spot in the new 12-team college football playoff, and battle for an ACC championship. Now, two weeks into the season, the Seminoles look like a team who will struggle to win six games this year. 

For all the talk this past off-season about how this would be a ‘revenge tour’ for FSU, they might have a hard time selling tickets for some of the remaining home games. There were no words for the fans inside Doak Campbell Stadium, as they were already showing the dreaded ‘surrender cobra’. 

It had gotten so bad over the past two weeks, that Florida State fans erupted in cheers when their team scored on a DJ Uiagalelei pass, which was the first touchdown through the air in nineteen quarters of action. Yes, the first passing TD since last season's North Alabama game. 

When Mike Norvell decided to go for it on fourth down, on their side of the field with eleven-minutes remaining, it wreaked of desperation. Just ten minutes later, Boston College rumbled into the end-zone for a touchdown that made it 28-13, even with FSU having twelve players on the field. 

Simply put, this was an embarrassing night for the Seminoles, making Boston College look like a juggernaut in the rushing department. 

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 02: DJ Uiagalelei #4 of the Florida State Seminoles throws a pass during the first half of a game against the Boston College Eagles at Doak Campbell Stadium on September 02, 2024 in Tallahassee, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

Let Me Know What You Thought About The Weekend Of College Football, And Send Any Questions You Have My Way For the CFB Mailbag. We're Headed To Lincoln Next Week for the Colorado vs. Nebraska Game, So I'll Need Some Recommendations On Places to Visit. Email Me At Trey.Wallace@OutKick.Com

That's A Wrap On Florida State's Playoff Shot, Unless It Wins ACC Title

It's going to be a long season for Seminole fans if this is what they can expect for the remaining ten games of 2024, outside of a bowl game or ACC championship appearance. Even saying that last part out loud is demoralizing for a program that was hellbent on proving the naysayers wrong, after the ‘snub’ of 2023. 

But this is where we stand after two weeks of eating humble-pie. The only way Mike Norvell will have a shot at redemption for last season is winning the ACC, and that doesn’t look like something Florida State fans can realistically hope for after sitting through these past few weeks. 

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA - SEPTEMBER 02: Thomas Castellanos #1 of the Boston College Eagles celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the first half of a game against the Florida State Seminoles at Doak Campbell Stadium on September 02, 2024 in Tallahassee, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

It's one thing to travel overseas for a game against Georgia Tech and come up short. The trip home could’ve been a wake-up call for the staff, but it looked like the Seminoles mentally never returned from their trip to Ireland. 

Now, it's all about figuring out how to stop the bleeding, and the schedule doesn't get any easier. The Mephis Tigers will head to Tallahassee next week, in what could easily be another loss, with Cal, SMU and Clemson coming up in the next month. 

Florida State had College Football Playoff aspirations just a few weeks ago, but now they're just trying to win a football game. This could be a long season for the Seminoles, if the past two weeks are any indication.