Florida State

3-5

Program prestige

Zeitgeist staturePower Program II
▼ Florida State's standing fell 0.76 points (-2.14 sd — the 3rd-largest drop of 138 teams) after losing 24-36 to Clemson: the 3rd-costliest loss of the 56 teams that lost.
#10 all-time– holding

Stature and coaches, 1954–2026

The program’s standing over time, with every coach’s tenure beneath it — read down to see who was there for each rise and fall.

Florida State is Power Program today. Never reached Dynasty tier; Blue Blood is its high, most recently in 2019.

1954: Regional Program1955: Regional Program1956: Regional Program1957: Regional Program1958: Regional Program1959: Regional Program1960: Regional Program1961: Regional Program1962: Regional Program1963: Regional Program1964: National Program1965: National Program1966: National Program1967: National Program1968: Power Program1969: Power Program1970: National Program1971: National Program1972: National Program1973: National Program1974: National Program1975: National Program1976: National Program1977: National Program1978: National Program1979: National Program1980: Power Program1981: Power Program1982: Power Program1983: Power Program1984: Power Program1985: Power Program1986: Power Program1987: Power Program1988: Power Program1989: Power Program1990: Power Program1991: Power Program1992: Power Program1993: Blue Blood1994: Blue Blood1995: Blue Blood1996: Blue Blood1997: Blue Blood1998: Blue Blood1999: Blue Blood2000: Blue Blood2001: Blue Blood2002: Blue Blood2003: Blue Blood2004: Blue Blood2005: Blue Blood2006: Blue Blood2007: Blue Blood2008: Blue Blood2009: Blue Blood2010: Blue Blood2011: Power Program2012: Power Program2013: Blue Blood2014: Blue Blood2015: Blue Blood2016: Blue Blood2017: Blue Blood2018: Blue Blood2019: Blue Blood2020: Power Program2021: Power Program2022: Power Program2023: Power Program2024: Power Program2025: Power Program2026: Power Program1960198020002020
DynastyBlue BloodPower ProgramNational ProgramRegional Program
FBS medianbest: 1999program stature (★ = Dynasty-tier season)logosLogo, 1976–19891976Logo, 1990–20131990Today's logo, since 2014since 2014Ed Williamson · 1947Don Veller · 1948–1952VellerThomas Nugent · 1953–1958NugentPerry Moss · 1959Bill Peterson · 1960–1970PetersonLarry Jones · 1971–1973Darrell Mudra · 1974–1975Bobby Bowden · 1976–2009BowdenJimbo Fisher · 2010–2017FisherOdell Haggins · 2017Willie Taggart · 2018–2019Odell Haggins · 2019Mike Norvell · 2020–nowNorvell1960198020002020

Run↔pass identity, by season

No play-by-play coverage before 2004more passmore run200420062008201020122014201620182020202220242026

Every coach, tenure by tenure, on the coaching page →

Florida State × Florida

Sunshine Showdown

70 meetings since 1904 See the whole history →
All-time 29-39-2 since 1904 · .414 win rate
Streak L2 Florida holds the last 2
Trophy The rivalry itself No trophy — the season is the argument
Next 2026 season date set by conference

No fan reading for this rivalry yet this week. The heat trend and each side’s mood appear when fans start talking about it.

The last 5 · year-by-year

  1. L 2025 Loss 21-40
  2. L 2024 Loss 11-31
  3. W 2023 Win 24-15
  4. W 2022 Win 45-38
  5. L 2021 Loss 21-24

Program outlook

Program outlook

Florida State went 13-0 in 2023, won the ACC, and didn't make the Playoff. The committee chose one-loss Alabama and Texas instead — the only undefeated Power Five champion in history left out of the bracket. The Playoff expanded to 12 teams the very next season. The bracket that would have included Florida State came one year too late.

Read the full essay — 4 more paragraphs

The fourteen-year top-five streak is real. From 1987 to 2000, Bobby Bowden's program finished in the AP top five every single year — a run no program in the sport has matched before or since. The war chant, the spear at midfield, Deion Sanders, Charlie Ward, Jameis Winston: Florida State has a real dynasty in its past and a real blueprint for what the program looks like at full power.

The wound from 2023 cut deeper than a loss. It cut deep because there was no loss. Florida State was 13-0, the ACC champion, and the committee voted them out anyway — then watched the Seminoles gut the roster in protest, opt out of the Orange Bowl (a 63-3 loss), and crater to 2-10 in 2024. The recovery in 2025 was uneven: an opening upset of Alabama 31-17 that pushed FSU to No. 7, then a 5-7 collapse that missed a bowl. Mike Norvell was retained after what the program called a comprehensive assessment, his seat genuinely warm, his record sitting at 36-30 in six seasons.

The 2026 question in Tallahassee is the hardest one the program has faced since the Bowden succession: is Mike Norvell the coach who builds the next Florida State dynasty, or is the 2023 team the last one he has in him? The roster is recovering. The recruiting footprint is intact. The internal fracture — between the faction that credits Norvell for building 2023 and the faction that watched 2024-2025 and wants a new name on the contract — is the most honest argument in the ACC right now.

Update (Nov. 2, 2026): Florida State fired Mike Norvell on Nov. 1, the day after the 36-24 loss to Clemson, and director of scouting Rick Stockstill is the interim head coach. The reported buyout is $50.3 million. The Seminoles are 3-5. They have beaten New Mexico State, Central Arkansas and Virginia, and lost to SMU (27-24), Alabama, Louisville, Miami (43-35 on Oct. 17) and Clemson (36-24 on Oct. 31). Four games remain: Boston College, Pittsburgh, NC State and Florida.

On the field

Florida State football at its ceiling is speed, swagger, and the spear — the Deion Sanders cool grafted onto a program that hits. The 2026 scheme, built under Norvell until his firing on Nov. 1, is pro-style with tempo elements, reliant on Tallahassee's recruiting pipeline producing NFL-caliber athletes at the skill positions. Doak Campbell Stadium holds ~79,560; the war chant and Osceola planting the flaming spear at midfield before kickoff are among the sport's most recognizable traditions. The brand promise is still 'Unconquered' — the gap between that word and the recent record is the program's entire story.

Program outlook · as of Nov 2, 2026

Florida State has won 3 national titles since 1936

19931999201319401960198020002020

1993, 1999, 2013

How titles are counted

The final AP poll from 1936 and the Coaches poll from 1950 through 2005, then the winner of the BCS and College Football Playoff title games. A program may claim others, named by selectors we do not count.

  • 1993: AP poll and Coaches poll
  • 1999: AP poll and Coaches poll
  • 2013: BCS title game

Florida State has won 65% of its games since 1903 — 74% at home, 54% on the road.

569-291-16 all-time · 78 seasons · 1903–2026

Home 335-110-9
Away 197-160-5
Neutral 37-21-2
3 g 1900s
49% 1950s
53% 1960s
53% 1970s
73% 1980s
89% 1990s
66% 2000s
72% 2010s
51% 2020s
The era · 2014 through 2026

The CFP era

13 seasons inside the CFP era, no bids yet — the era the program is still trying to break into.

Era record 92-66 13 seasons
Best season 13-1 2023
Top-10 finishes 5 AP polled only
Trajectory · quality-score line · AP rank dotted · CFP bids marked · coach regimes ribboned
Program quality AP rank (inverted) CFP appearance
'14'16'18'20'22'24Now

Swipe left for earlier seasons

Chapters · 13 seasons · tap to open the archive
'14 13-1 '15 10-3 '16 10-3 '17 7-6 '18 5-7 '19 6-7 '20 3-6 '21 5-7 '22 10-3 '23 13-1 '24 2-10 '25 5-7 '26 3-5

Florida State’s 2014–2026 record is 92-66.

Era win %
.582
Ranked seasons (AP)
9/13
Best AP finish
#2

Mike Norvell

Mike Norvell has held the program for 7 seasons — the era is established.

Era Mike Norvell · 2020–presentPrev: Odell Haggins (2019)OC: Tim Harris Jr.Prev OC: Gus Malzahn (2025)DC: Tony WhitePrev DC: Adam Fuller / Randy Shannon (co) (2022–2024)
The full CFP-era story →The full coaching lineage →
7 years · era

Florida State and Florida, meeting by meeting

Florida leads the series 39-29-2 (since 1904); in the last 10 meetings, Florida State is 5-5

evenFlorida State aheadFlorida ahead192019401960198020002020

2025: Florida won 40-21. After this game, Florida led 39-29-2.

Last 25 meetings: ▲ Florida State won, ▼ Florida won, by how much

2000: Florida State won 30-72001: Florida won 37-132002: Florida State won 31-142003: Florida State won 38-342004: Florida won 20-132005: Florida won 34-72006: Florida won 21-142007: Florida won 45-122008: Florida won 45-152009: Florida won 37-102010: Florida State won 31-72011: Florida State won 21-72012: Florida won 37-262013: Florida State won 37-72014: Florida State won 24-192015: Florida State won 27-22016: Florida State won 31-132017: Florida State won 38-222018: Florida won 41-142019: Florida won 40-172021: Florida won 24-212022: Florida State won 45-382023: Florida State won 24-152024: Florida won 31-112025: Florida won 40-212007: by 3320002025

Each step is one meeting: up when Florida State wins, down when Florida wins, flat for a tie. Counts every game in our records since 1904. Tap the line for any season.

Biggest stories

The stories fans talked about most for Florida State.

All Florida State stories

Florida State in History

Moments in Florida State history

What this program never forgets

Most weeks vanish. These didn’t.

1991

Wide Right I

A missed field goal hands Miami the game — the recurring heartbreak that defined the rivalry before the titles came

Heartbreak

1993

First national title

Bowden's breakthrough — the dynasty's coronation after years of near-misses

The 1999 title

Bobby Bowden's 12-0 team went unbeaten and took the 1999 championship

The 2013 title

Jimbo Fisher's 14-0 team won the 2013 national title

2023

The 13-0 snub

An undefeated ACC champion left out of the four-team Playoff — the program's modern grievance

Wound

Moment of the year · 2026

Lost 36-50 at Alabama

Week 3 of 2026. The single game that defined the season's arc.

Decisive marginvs Top-10 (#10)
2022–2026

Florida State has sent 15 players to the NFL Draft since 2022 — 2 of them in the first round.

Strong. 2 first-round picks. Recruits with NFL ambitions notice.

15 picks · 2 in round 1
#19 Jared Verse Defensive Edge · 2024 · Los Angeles Rams · #44/418 final season
#26 Jermaine Johnson II Defensive End · 2022 · New York Jets · #258/370 final season
#33 Keon Coleman Wide Receiver · 2024 · Buffalo Bills · #106/497 final season
#11 all-time · 47 first-round picksthe talent factory →

More in this tab

Program factsStadium, mascot, and the vitals that don't change season to season.
Program résumé
1CFP apps
Ladder finishHow far up the ladder this season got.

Season standing · 2026 · 3-5

Florida State is 3-5 — below .500 in FBS.

Below .500 in FBS play. The rebuild bar.

Sub-FBSBuildingBowlRankedContenderPlayoff
ConferenceWhere this team sits in this season's conference standings.

ACC standing · 2026

16th in the ACC

Florida State is 16th of 17 in the ACC at 1-4. The path to the title is steep — the focus is on bowl access and rivalry wins.

#ProgramRecord
1Miami6-0
2Wake Forest5-1
3Louisville4-2
4SMU4-2
5Clemson3-2
6Duke3-2
7Virginia Tech3-2
8Pittsburgh3-3
9Boston College2-3
10NC State2-3
11North Carolina2-3
12California2-4
13Stanford2-4
14Syracuse2-4
15Virginia2-4
16Florida State1-4
17Georgia Tech1-4
Coaching historyCurrent head coach Mike Norvell, hired 2020

Coaching history

  • Hired Mike Norvell2020
  • Willie Taggart departs9-12, 2 seasons
  • Odell Haggins departs2-2, 1 season
  • Hired Odell Haggins2019
  • Hired Willie Taggart2018
  • Hired Odell Haggins2017
  • Jimbo Fisher departs83-23, 8 seasons
  • Odell Haggins departs2-0, 1 season
Coordinator lineageOffense and defense under each coordinator.

Florida State’s offense and defense, by coordinator

FBS-relative efficiency percentile per season (2014–2026), same population as the Coordinator Mirror board. Dashed vertical lines mark a coordinator change.

Offense2014–2026
2014201620182020202220242026
2014–2017 · Randy Sanders (co) / Lawrence Dawsey (co)2018 · Walt Bell2019 · Kendal Briles2020–2021 · Kenny Dillingham2022–2024 · Alex Atkins2025 · Gus Malzahn2026 · Tim Harris Jr.
Defense2014–2026
2014201620182020202220242026
2014–2017 · Charles Kelly2018–2019 · Harlon Barnett2020–2021 · Adam Fuller2022–2024 · Adam Fuller / Randy Shannon (co)2025–2026 · Tony White
Elite (≥70th pct)AveragePoor (≤30th pct)
Gameday customsThe gameday customs unique to this program.

Rituals

The rituals that anchor a Saturday in this program's world.

Chief Osceola and Renegade

since 1978

more

A student rider, dressed as Seminole Chief Osceola, gallops onto Doak Campbell Stadium atop Renegade, an Appaloosa, planting a flaming spear at midfield. Sanctioned by the Seminole Tribe of Florida — one of the few college mascot performances explicitly endorsed by the represented Indigenous nation.

War Chant

since 1984

more

Tomahawk arm motion + the distinctive war-chant melody (the Marching Chiefs band leads it). Has been adopted, sometimes appropriated, by Atlanta Braves fans and others. FSU's version is the original and the one the Seminole Tribe sanctions.

Doak Campbell Sea of Garnet

since 1990s

more

Doak Campbell Stadium under lights, 79,000 in garnet and gold. The brick exterior is the most-photographed CFB stadium facade. The acoustics under the south end zone amplify the crowd into a tuned roar that visiting QBs cite as the harshest pre-snap environment in the ACC.

Cultural identityWhat college football loses if this program didn't exist.
Canon appearancesMoments that made college football's permanent record.

Featured in The Canon

#15
Jameis Winston
The 100 Best Players of the CFP Era
#31
Cam Akers
The 100 Best Players of the CFP Era
#43
Brian Burns
The 100 Best Players of the CFP Era
Browse The Canon →
BowlsLast 5 bowls 3-2, 29-14 since 1971

Recent postseason (1971-2023): 29-14

Most recent: 2023 Orange Bowl — loss 3-63. Last 5 postseason: 3-2.

2023 L2022 W2019 L2017 W2016 W
Reddit blowupsThe plays that blew up on r/CFB.

r/CFB moments

8.5k
[Postgame Thread] Florida State Defeats LSU 24-23
Sep 2022 · r/CFB
3.5k
[Postgame Thread] Florida State Defeats LSU 45-24
Sep 2023 · r/CFB
3.2k
[Postgame Thread] SMU Defeats Florida State 27-24
Sep 2026 · r/CFB

All-time top community posts

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