Mike Norvell describes how hard it was to prepare for Orange Bowl

With multiple opt-outs after Florida State was snubbed by the College Football Playoff committee, the Seminoles certainly had their work cut out for them against two-time defending national champion Georgia in the the Orange Bowl.

Head coach Mike Norvell was left dejected following the 63-3 loss and explained how tough it was to even play in the game after their apparent snub from the postseason.

“I told them [on the morning of the bowl game] — and it’s been throughout this journey — that it’s hard. It was hard to practice. It was hard to do everything in this last month,” Norvell said postgame. “But when you’re willing to say yes and you’re willing to stand up, you’re willing to push forward — I still had an ultimate belief that we would find ways to be able to make the plays, and there were some missed opportunities.

“There was a play, things that we had to have happen right there early, and we knew. We knew that it was a tall task. I said that before, but I believe in the way I coach. There are a lot of things I wish I could have done better to help this team and put them in a better position.”

Norvell said that he was not only disappointed in the outcome but was more disappointed when plays happened in the game that the ‘Noles specifically planned for. The FSU headman said that he didn’t do a good enough job in having his team ready to perform better than what the final product showed.

Regardless of the Orange Bowl’s outcome, Norvell and everyone else inside the ‘Nole program will tell you that fine 60-point loss to the Bulldogs is not indicative of how their 2023 campaign went.

Losing star quarterback Jordan Travis to a leg injury in November spelled disaster for the Seminoles regardless of if they won out of not. ACC Champion, undefeated season — none of it mattered because the College Football Playoff committee didn’t view FSU as one of the four best teams in the country without Travis.

That is not a knock on Florida State, either. Any team that lost their star QB that late in the season would more than likely struggle for the rest of the season. FSU struggled, but they did so while defeating Florida and Louisville to round out an undefeated regular season and an ACC Championship, respectively.

Putting the end of last season behind them and following Mike Norvell’s commitment to coaching Florida State in 2024, he and transfer quarterback DJ Uiagalelei are expected to be a contender to repeat as conference champions.