Mike Norvell details how FSU is approaching early tests vs. LSU, Clemson

There is a lot of hype surrounding Florida State heading into the 2023 college football season as Mike Norvell has put together a loaded roster in Tallahassee. We will find out just how good the Seminoles are early on in the season as they have a pair of top 10 matchups in September.

Florida State opens the season with No. 5 LSU on Sunday, Sept. 3, before traveling to face No. 9 Clemson on Sept. 23.

Norvell recently spoke about how he and the Seminoles are approaching the early top 10 tests.

“Each game is critically important for us. We start off with LSU, the defending SEC West champs. I mean that’s a team that’s a top 10 team,” Norvell said. “That’s our attention, that’s our focus, of being the best we can be when we get to that moment.”

Sandwiched in between the two top 10 matchups is two games Florida State should be heavily favored in.

Still, Norvell isn’t taking anything for granted when it comes to Week 3 and Week 4.

“And then from [LSU], we’ve got a home game against Southern Miss. Then we go on the road to Boston College,” Norvell said. “Then I know we go to Clemson there in Week 4.”

The Clemson game is one of the biggest of the year in college football, and the winner will be in a good spot to reach the College Football Playoff this season. Florida State and Clemson have combined to run the ACC for the better part of the past three decades, but it’s Clemson that has owned the rivalry as of late, with seven straight wins over the Seminoles.

Norvell and his team would love to change that.

“It’s easy to point to it and talk about it. Our objective and our goal is to be in the best position that we can be to go showcase who we are and what we’re all about,” Norvell said. “We know that Clemson has been the standard recently in the ACC, and we’re pushing to get to that point. That’s going to be a great team, a very talented team that they have coming back. But we’ve got a lot of steps that are necessary before we put ourselves in that position.”

Florida State is very talented, too, with Jordan Travis back at quarterback, Johnny Wilson returning at receiver, Trey Benson ready to lead the running game and an impressive group of transfers who joined the program this offseason. Still, it’s clear the Seminoles aren’t thinking too big picture yet and are instead taking it one day at a time as they prepare for their season opener against LSU.