Florida State having high expectations is 'new territory' for Mike Norvell

Florida State finished 2022 with a six-game win streak that saw them claim victories over the likes of Miami, Oklahoma and Florida. They were one of the hottest teams in the country down the stretch, which has bred high expectations for head coach Mike Norvell and his Seminoles.

On3’s JD PicKell questioned whether or not FSU has the ability perform under the pressure that has put on them — or if they’re not who we thought they were.

“How does [Florida State] handle the bright lights? I don’t have a ton of questions about personnel with them. They have the No. 1 returning production in the country,” PicKell said. “They bring back 90+ percent of the production of a defense that only allowed 21, 22 points per game. They’re going to be really good defensively.

“You bring back the quarterback in Jordan Travis. He was awesome last year. The offense scored 35 points per game. But how do they handle a full offseason with people talking about them, picking them to be in the College Football Playoff — this is new territory for this team.”

Last year, Travis threw for 3,214 yards, 24 touchdowns, five interceptions and a 64% completion percentage while also contributing 417 rushing yards and seven more touchdowns on the ground. As a team, 2022 also saw the Seminoles compile 10 wins in a single season for the first time since 2016. 

With Travis’ experience and confidence, Florida State’s potential for the 2023 season is through the roof. Plus, when it comes to winning the Heisman Trophy — Travis will probably tell you his ultimate goal is and has always been to lead the Seminoles to a national championship.

Still, having this type of conversation about Florida State is new for Mike Norvell. FSU had always seemed to be a few steps away, but that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore.

“Nobody’s going to be surprised if Florida State comes out and wins double-digit games. That’s the expectation,” PicKell said. “I’m curious to see how they handle that from a psyche perspective. I believe in Mike Norvell, I believe he’s the absolute man — but that’s going to be the key for Florida State.”

Florida State is scheduled to begin its season on Sept. 3 inside Camping World Stadium in Orlando against LSU. Kick-off has already been announced for 7:30 p.m. ET., though the broadcast parter has yet to be announced as of this report.