Kirk Herbstreit praises how far Florida State program has come in the past few years

The Florida State football program had a breakthrough season in 2022 under head coach Mike Norvell. They capped off their regular season with a thrilling 45-38 win over their archrivals, the Florida Gators, before a spectacular atmosphere in Doak Campbell Stadium. The Seminoles finished their regular season with a 9-3 overall record, the most wins the program has seen since 2016. It’s been a long time coming, but Florida State is starting to take steps in the right direction, and they are getting closer to their once dominant form. The Seminoles’ success this season has caught the attention of many college football analysts across the country, including ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit. In the Las Vegas Bowl television broadcast on Saturday evening, Herbstreit made sure everybody knows he appreciates just how far the ‘Noles have come in the past few years.

Herbstreit is impressed with how far Florida State has come

“I think Florida State, right down the road in Tallahassee. Mike Norvell. Really good example of what they were facing on the back end of Jimbo Fisher. I’m sure their fans wanted a quick fix, but it’s taken some time [to find] a Jordan Travis–to find the right pieces. Now, all of a sudden, they’ve become a great story,” Herbstreit said. “They’d be a team you would not want to play right now if we had a 12-team playoff.”

What a difference a year makes for the Seminoles. On Sept. 11, 2011, the Seminoles were stunned by Zerrick Cooper and the lowly Jacksonville State Gamecocks in a 20-17 loss. This season, Florida State was playing like one of the most impressive teams in college football with a variety of weapons at numerous positions. Seminoles’ quarterback Jordan Travis completed 63.2 percent of his passes for 2,796 passing yards, while tossing in 22 touchdowns and just four interceptions. Running back Trey Benson was simply electrifying for much of the year, racking up 965 rushing yards and nine touchdowns on the ground.

The No. 13 ranked Seminoles will face off against the Oklahoma Sooners in the Cheez-It Bowl. The game will be held at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida on Friday, December 29th at 5:30 PM EST. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN.