You don’t have to imagine what it would be like to be a member of Florida State’s football program right now. Head coach Mike Norvell came right out and said it in a recent news conference.
“[It’s been] the most challenging couple weeks of coaching I’ve ever had,” Norvell explained, per ESPN.
You expect to hear of challenges in the middle of a tough season, but FSU is coming off a perfect 13-0 season in which the program beat No. 5 LSU and No. 16 Duke before beating No. 14 Louisville for the ACC Championship.
That would otherwise be a perfect season, but No. 5 Florida State found itself on the outside looking in at the College Football Playoff thanks to the CFP committee’s decision to punish the Seminoles for the fact that Heisman-contending quarterback Jordan Travis went down with a season-ending leg injury in Week 13.
“As you look at who they are as a team, right now, without Jordan Travis, without the offensive dynamic that he brings to it, they are a different team,” committee chair Boo Corrigan had said.
And for Norvell and his team…that’s a hard reality to sit with.
“You had to learn how to work through disappointment, hurt, frustration and anger — every bit of it — for 18-to-22-year-old kids and a 42-year-old coach,” Norvell explained. “It’s hard. But at the end of the day, you control things you can control. We did everything we needed to to win 13 games this season.”
FSU does have the opportunity to make a statement with a win against No. 6 Georgia in the Orange Bowl. The Bulldogs have won the past two national championships, after all, so a win over UGA would certainly go down as a huge win for the Seminoles.
It won’t be the CFP or the opportunity to win a championship, but for Norvell, it’s still a big moment for his team.
“We get an opportunity to go get better,” Norvell said. “You can’t just be good when it sounds good. … This is our reality, so you push through it and go get better.”
