Now this No. 8 Florida State Seminoles looked just like last year’s 2-10 team, giving unranked Virginia Cavaliers fans the fastest seen field-rushing moment after an incredible double OT victory. Nothing could save Mike Norvell’s side, who even scored three consecutive touchdowns to grab control, only to cough it back up in gut-wrenching fashion. High time, and it will make people revisit that Alabama win and wonder aloud if it was all just smoke and mirrors. The locker room, to put it mildly, needs a wake-up call, and fast.

Norvell didn’t hold back when asked where things stand after this meltdown. “There’s some big steps that we need to take as a football team.” And if you were sitting in Doak or scrolling your phone in disbelief, you probably agree with him. Thomas Castellanos, the electric QB who lit up defenses the first three weeks, came back down to earth.

He finished 18-of-32 passing for 254 yards with one touchdown, and 78 yards on the ground with another TD, but the sting was in the 2 interceptions—the last of which opened the gates for the fans to almost crush #4 Squirrel White. Still, Norvell backed his guy: “I thought he responded throughout. He’s a competitor. He did what he needed to do to lead us from being down.” Florida State dug itself into a hole early, coughing up two turnovers to give Virginia a 14-0 lead in Q1. “They started fast, took advantage of some of the mistakes we had early,” Norvell said. The fighting spirit was there when they came back for a lead in the second quarter at 20-14.

The offense had its moments, but just as quickly, the Seminoles found themselves stumbling again with flags and giveaways that never allowed them to get comfortable. By the time overtime rolled around, it felt like whichever team avoided a back-breaking mistake would walk away smiling. That turned out to be Virginia. The Seminoles can point to plenty of missed chances when they hit the film room.

They forced Cavaliers QB1 Chandler Morris into three interceptions, yet still surrendered 440 total yards. That combination, forcing turnovers but leaking yards, summed up the night. The defense would deliver a big play one snap, then lose its shape the next. The final numbers sting even more because FSU actually outgained Virginia, only to watch the scoreboard tilt the wrong direction after a 46-38 finish in 2OT.

Mike Norvell didn’t sugarcoat things afterward. He knows this is the kind of loss that gnaws at a locker room because there were close to thirty plays that could have flipped the outcome. Still, the flip side is just as clear. The Seminoles are now 3-1 and already staring at an uphill climb in the ACC after opening league play with a loss. And there is no time to sulk. Next weekend brings Miami to Tallahassee, a rivalry game that already carries weight but now feels season-defining. Norvell’s challenge is to bottle the fire of that comeback spirit while cleaning up the errors.

How far will the Seminoles drop after this upset?

Florida State’s hot start had everyone buzzing. A 31-17 win over then-No. 8 Bama set the tone, followed by laughers against East Texas A&M and Kent State, where the ‘Noles piled up a combined 143-13 scoreline. That was enough to push them into the nation’s top 10 at No. 8, looking every bit the part of a playoff contender. Then came Saturday’s stumble.

This 2OT loss to Virginia, a team that didn’t even get a single vote in the most recent US LBM Coaches Poll, will change the entire conversation. The Seminoles won’t tumble completely out of the rankings, but the fall is going to hurt. Think of it as a long drop down the ladder rather than a total freefall. The final ranking prediction? No. 20.