Paul Finebaum: Mike Norvell is 'on a very slippery slope' at Florida State

It’s been a tale of two seasons for Florida State. There was the Seminoles team that upset Alabama and started 3-0. Then, there’s the team that’s lost four straight ACC games this season and hasn’t beaten an ACC team since September of 2024. Now, head coach Mike Norvell is looking to get Florida State back on track.
Not everyone is convinced, though. In particular, as Paul Finebaum shared on The Matt Barrie Show, the Seminoles and Norvell are on a slippery slope that they may not be able to bounce back from.
“I wrestle with Mike Norvell,” Paul Finebaum said. “Because at the core I still believe that he’s capable of a lot, but you can’t argue with those results. I think it’s — who would’ve thought after the Alabama win that Mike Norvell might be on a hotter hot seat than Billy Napier down the street? It’s truly remarkable to think about what has happened to him and this program.”
Mike Norvell first got to Florida State in 2020 and immediately had to deal with the pandemic and a rebuild. That ended up being a bit methodical, but by 2023, he had the Seminoles 13-0 and ACC Champions before getting snubbed for the College Football Playoff. That may have been the outlier, though, because Florida State is 5-14 in the 2024 and 2025 seasons combined.
In their ACC games this season, Florida State has lost four one-score games. That included an overtime loss at Virginia, a home loss to Miami, a home loss to Pitt, and now the road loss to Stanford. A couple of breaks, and it could be a completely different season for the Seminoles. However, they haven’t gotten those breaks and are now below .500 at 3-4 and looking for answers.
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“There was so much buy in too,” Finebaum said. “I mean, they turned it around and he’s ultimately responsible. So, I would think he’s on a very slippery slope this morning.”
All of this has led to the hot seat heating up amid concerns about Norvell’s future. On Sunday morning, On3’s Pete Nakos reported that Florida State is having “informal phone calls” to discuss the future of the head coaching job. The major challenge standing in the way of a move remains Norvell’s buyout, which is north of $54.4 million.
Norvell and Florida State are heading into a bye week now, looking to hit the reset button. When they get back to action, it will be November 1st and they’ll be back home in Tallahassee to host Wake Forest.