In the post-COVID era, being a Florida State fan has been one difficult test. Coach Mike Norvell faces Wake Forest, having lost 11 of the last 12 conference games, and on a four-game skid for the season overall. Maybe even a 3-3 record to start 2025 was excusable, but Week 7 was a nail in the coffin, and the sighs of disappointment aren’t behind closed doors anymore.

On November 1st, a Florida State insider and Editor-in-Chief for NolesGame hopped onto X with pre-game footage– HC Norvell and QB Tommy Castellanos were on the screen as the introductions rolled out. However, contrary to the excitement of a home game, neither of them was met with loud enough cheers. The moment was only worsened by a visibly empty stadium.

Truth be told, it’s a valid reaction considering how disappointing the season has been.

The campaign started on a triumphant note with a big upset win over No. 8 Alabama, giving fans hope for a comeback year after going 2-10 last season. For a minute, the Seminoles were rolling. They were 3-0 and top 7 in the AP Poll at one point this season. However, the success was short-lived.

After their third straight loss of the season to Pitt in Week 6, FSU dropped a winnable game against Stanford in a 20-13 road loss, despite being the second-best offense in the country. It was a defeat that had even former FSU players in disbelief. Marvin Jones, Freddie Stevenson, and Danny Kanell– none could hold it in. Needless to say, it was a tipping point after a rough five-year-long stretch.

Entering this weekend, Norvell was 20-24 in the ACC and 36-31 in Tallahassee. The coach has struggled to get going, and it has been evident not only in the win-loss records. Despite being ranked the 19th-most talented roster on 24/7sports.com, the Seminoles are running on a losing record.

Communication breaks, shaky play-calling, and a mental edge that falters with loss and injuries have continued to hurt the team. Castellanos, on the other hand, hasn’t put up a strong running game, being forced into intermediate-level throws.

However, the Seminoles still can make a bowl game if they win against Wake Forest.

In fact, FSU was feeling good at halftime, leading with a 14-0 score. The game was still up in the air, but that two-score lead by Tommy Castellonas and Samuel Singleton Jr. was a solid step in the right direction. Fans in Doak Campbell Stadium are praying that this could finally be the night their team snapped that brutal four-game losing streak.

Florida State Locker-room split?

Florida State’s 4-game losing streak left the team’s morale in a poor state. Reports say a ‘broken’ locker room, with players losing faith in head coach Mike Norvell. There were a couple of moments where you could really tell something was up. After that Stanford game, Norvell tried to be all “don’t worry, the bosses got our back,” but it was crickets in the room, pretty clear no one was buying it.

Then, during the Pittsburgh game, cameras caught Norvell in a super-heated chat with his defensive line coach on the sideline, which just showed how tense things were. And get this: they even took down their old team motto, ‘The Climb,’ from social media because, well, things weren’t exactly climbing. Even with all this going on, some of the coaches were trying to keep spirits up, saying they weren’t throwing in the towel. The athletic director, Michael Alford, publicly backed Norvell for the rest of the season as well.

So yeah, the locker room was definitely in a tough spot, and no one really knew what was going to happen with the coaches or the team’s future. Total question mark time for the Seminoles. All they can do is take one at a time.