After a flawless 2023 season capped by an ACC title, Florida State’s 2–10 record in 2024 has become one of college football’s most baffling downturns. Analyst Josh Pate called the Seminoles’ collapse unprecedented. With sweeping changes across the roster and coaching staff, the program is seeking a reset.
The upcoming season opener against Alabama will be pivotal—not only on the field but as the debut event in a revamped Doak Campbell Stadium, symbolizing the Seminoles’ bid to reclaim national relevance after a historic freefall.
Florida State’s 2024 Collapse Stuns Experts — Josh Pate Calls It Unprecedented
Florida State’s 2024 football season marked one of the sharpest declines in modern college football history, with the Seminoles plummeting from a 13-0 ACC title campaign in 2023 to a 2-10 finish.
The fall, which included just one win over an FBS opponent, left the program reeling and analysts struggling to make sense of what went wrong. Among those most vocal was college football analyst Josh Pate, who described the downturn as unlike anything previously seen at the Power Four level.
“There is no comparable data point in history to go to,” Pate said during a recent episode of his show. “It’s never happened at the power level. You can’t find me those other teams that won 11 fewer games in one season than they had the previous season.”
Pate visited Tallahassee during spring camp for a sit-down with head coach Mike Norvell as part of his speaker series. While acknowledging the closed-off media access compared to last year, he emphasized the level of trust required to be granted such access.
“When they give you that kind of access, it’s because they trust you, so you’ve got to be responsible with how you talk about it,” Pate said.
Norvell, who had led the Seminoles to a 23-4 record and an ACC championship across the 2022 and 2023 seasons, is now facing the aftermath of one of the program’s most dramatic reversals. Pate spoke highly of Norvell’s character:
“You’ll never hear me say a bad thing about the character of Mike Norvell. I’ve got immense respect for him.”
The roster overhaul has been significant. Florida State brought in new coordinators, including defensive coordinator Tony White from Nebraska, which Pate called “a huge get.” The addition of offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn was more surprising to him, noting,
“It came out of left field more so than anything.” Pate also questioned the foundation of the team’s rebuild, highlighting recruiting struggles: “They haven’t recruited at the level where you just blindly assume they’ll be right back in contention.”
With another transfer quarterback and portal-heavy lineup, Pate warned of high volatility and little certainty.
“There’s such a high variance, a high volatility, even in relying on that,” he said. Entering a season-opening matchup against Alabama as a double-digit underdog, Pate emphasized the pressure on the program.
“You have no equity, no benefit of doubt, no wiggle room,” he said. A blowout loss could revive last season’s toxicity. “That doubt starts to creep back in,” he added. “You remember how toxic the environment got around the program last year.”
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He noted that the only similar case was Ellis Johnson’s 0-12 collapse at Southern Miss, adding that what unfolded at Florida State was both rare and alarming.
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