Kirk Herbstreit anxious to see FSU vs. LSU on Sunday before making 'back' claim

Many are championing the Florida State Seminoles before Week 1, but Kirk Herbstreit has to see it to believe it.

After some not so great seasons, Mike Norvell has the Seminoles firmly entrenched in the College Football Playoff hunt in 2023. However, the ESPN College GameDay analyst wants to see Florida State hit the field before proclaiming they’re “back” among the top teams in the sport.

“I think what’s interesting in that game is both teams are trying to be, as you say, ‘back.’ Because LSU, with Brian Kelly in his second year, showed some signs. They beat Alabama, they showed with Jayden Daniels who they can be. And with Florida State, they lost three in a row last year in the middle of the year, it was like, ‘Oh well. Here we go again with Florida State.’ And then, they ended up finishing strong and won six in a row and ended up with 10 wins, including a bowl win. That’s why there’s momentum and that’s why people are saying here comes Florida State,” explained Herbstreit, via SportsCenter. “It wasn’t long ago that Mike Norvell was dealing with Twitter and dealing with, ‘Deion Sanders needs to be the coach. What do we do in here with this guy?’ And now, he’s got some momentum and the big thing I think he has is a quarterback.

“Jordan Travis, I think maybe doesn’t have the fanfare of Jayden Daniels and some of the others, but is really a dynamic guy that I think has given them some stability, consistent decision-making. It’s not up, down, up, down. It’s more of just steady, and then he’ll mix in some plays that make you go wow. But I think that’s why we’re really excited to see it. Let’s face it. Mike’s done a really good job of bringing in some transfer portals to fill some holes. They have some athletic ability, as a group, that they haven’t had in the last couple years. So I’m anxious to see, especially how this game went a year ago, to see these two big Goliaths go head to head on Sunday night.”

If Florida State can secure another victory over LSU, it’ll be tough to argue with the sentiment regarding their return to being a top team in college football. As it stands, the Seminoles control their own narrative, and the play on the field will determine whether they’re truly back or not.