Florida State’s 2024 season was nothing short of a disaster, and now the program stands at a major crossroads. After last year’s dramatic collapse, no one really knows what to expect from head coach Mike Norvell. Some fans think the team needs another year to rebuild. Others say anything less than competing for the ACC title is a failure.
So, how do you measure success for a team that fell from 11 wins to just 2 in one season? Josh Pate recently explored this question. He asked whether FSU fans should be patient and accept a slow rebuild or push for immediate results.
Analyst Josh Pate Breaks Down Mike Norvell’s Uphill Battle At Florida State
Florida State football is heading into a make-or-break season, and the pressure is on head coach Mike Norvell. Josh Pate isn’t convinced fans should lower their expectations after last year’s historic collapse. On a recent episode of “Flo Factory,” Pate explored what success should look like for FSU and whether another rebuilding year is truly acceptable.
“Normally, if you triple your win total from the previous season, that’s incredible. You got to triple your win total to go to a bowl game. So what’s acceptable?” Pate questioned.
Florida State’s 2024 season ended with a disastrous 2-10 overall record, going 1-7 in ACC play, marking its worst season since 1974. The fall was especially shocking because FSU started the season ranked in the Top 10, only to suffer one of the worst year-over-year declines in college football history.
They became the first team ever to go from double-digit wins to double-digit losses in consecutive seasons.
Despite the struggles, Norvell remains focused on turning things around, but Pate argues that coaches at major programs don’t get unlimited time to “figure things out”—especially when their salary suggests they were hired to win immediately.
He said, “You don’t get to get paid the amount he gets paid and say, all right, we’re going to hit the reset button and work on some stuff.”
Pate believes FSU fans have every right to expect more, especially given the school’s rich history. Just one bad season shouldn’t lower the bar. “If you have established that you can win the ACC, nothing less than competing for the conference crown is acceptable,” Pate added.
“Just because you won two games last year doesn’t mean if I’m a fan, I’m going to lower the bar of what’s acceptable here and say, all right, well, in a former life, I would have wanted you to compete for the league title.”
The CFB analyst added, “But since you won two games last year, I’m going be happy with six or seven. I wouldn’t feel that way, so I can’t blame them if they don’t feel that way.”
With Alabama scheduled as Florida State’s Week 1 opponent, Pate warns that a blowout loss could kill momentum early, referencing how Miami’s dominant win over Florida last year left Florida deflated. They simply can’t have a repeat of last season, where losing streaks piled up and sucked the energy out of the team.
Pate explained, “Every week, it was a dead team. And if you lose a couple early on, that’s the question that comes right back to being asked—Is it a dead team? Because you can’t have that two seasons in a row.”
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Norvell’s 2025 campaign will determine whether he can restore Florida State’s competitive edge or if doubts about his coaching future will only grow.
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