Jordan Travis says players 'owed' Florida State to play in bowl

Jordan Travis and his Seminole teammates have rightfully been proud of their accomplishment of making the Cheez-It Bowl. However, he said it’s in honor of something that’s bigger than them.

During his media availability on Tuesday, Travis dedicated the achievement to Florida State as the school that has given them all the opportunity to play football. He said that purpose, paired with the bond they have forged this season, made several of their decisions very simple when it came to potentially opting out.

“I think we owed it to this university. Florida State gives us everything. We’re blessed every single day we get to wake up a Seminole. I think we all know that,” said Travis. “And knowing how far we’ve come as a football team? The offseason and how hard we worked together? Nobody wants to leave anybody behind.”

Mike Norvell has been fortunate to be one of the few coaches in the nation who is still preparing for a bowl game with no significant opt-outs to worry about within his game plan. That speaks volumes to the commitment his players have to his program and, in turn, him as their coach.

Travis went on to say as much later on by acknowledging the love that Norvell shows his roster. It made everything, including their individual decisions to be down in Orlando this week, that much easier.

“I think just what Coach Norvell does for us too. That’s a coach that loves us really hard. He coaches us really hard and means a lot to us,” Travis said. “I think it was an easy decision for a lot of guys to just be here and support.”

There’s no guarantee that Florida State wins its first bowl game since 2017 tonight. With that said, having the school’s name included in the postseason at all for the first time since 2019 and making Norvell’s first bowl game as head coach there is the true accomplishment for the Seminole players. Now, if they knock off Oklahoma tonight for their 10th overall win, it’ll just be icing on their cake.