Norvell: FSU still dealing with CFP exemption

• David Hale, ESPN Staff WriterDec 19, 2023, 01:55 PM ET

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  • ACC reporter.Joined ESPN in 2012. Graduate of the University of Delaware.”The most difficult couple weeks of training I’ve

ever had. “That’s how the past two weeks have opted for Florida State coach Mike Norvell since the Seminoles were left out of the College Football Playoff in spite of their 13-0 record.Norvell stated he talked to the group immediately after the College Football Playoff committee’s decision on Dec.

3 to move FSU from No. 4 to No. 5 in the last rankings– jumped by both Texas and Alabama– and followed that up with a number of text messages to players while he was on the roadway recruiting.Editor’s Picks 2 Related He said many Seminoles players are still struggling with the reality that an unbeaten season was not enough to sway the committee.”You had to discover how to overcome frustration, hurt, aggravation and anger– every bit of it– for 18-to-22-year-old kids and a 42-year-old coach, “Norvell said Tuesday.

“It’s hard. However at the end of the day, you manage things you can control. We did everything we needed to win 13 games this season.”Florida State was ranked in the CFP’s leading 4 for much of the season, but when quarterback Jordan Travis went down with a season-ending leg injury versus North Alabama in Week 13, the offense struggled to regroup, scoring simply 40 points in wins over Florida and Louisville to liquidate the season.The Seminoles’margin of triumph in those two games were still much better than that of Alabama or Washington, and its yardage differential better than Michigan’s in the same span. Still, the committee identified the battles in the passing game– FSU started No. 2 quarterback Tate Rodemaker versus Florida and No. 3 quarterback Brock Glenn in the ACC title game while Rodemaker remained in concussion procedure– was proof the Seminoles were not efficient in winning a championship. “As you take a look at who they are as a group, today, without Jordan Travis, without the offensive dynamic that he gives it, they are a different team,”committee chair Boo Corrigan said.Florida State began practice this week for its Dec. 30 date with No. 6 Georgia in the Capital One Orange Bowl(4 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN +and the ESPN App)–

a game that figures to be played without a host of leading players from both teams.Seminoles running back Trey Benson, receiver Johnny Wilson, defensive take on Fabien Lovett, tight end Jaheim Bell and defensive end Jared Verse have already announced they’re skipping the championship game to get ready for the NFL draft, while a variety of other contributors remain in the transfer website. The fate of defensive lineman Braden Fiske, receiver Keon Coleman and several other noteworthy draft potential customers remains uncertain, though Norvell stated Tuesday he’s”got a grasp “on who’ll play and who will not.Regardless, Norvell stated bowl prep is an opportunity for Florida State to make progress– both for an opportunity to end up the season without a loss and to get a dive start on the future, in spite of the playoff committee’s snub.”We get a chance to go get better,”Norvell stated.”You can’t simply be excellent when it sounds good. … This is our reality, so you push through it and go get better.”Norvell said the obstacles of being on the road recruiting in the instant after-effects showed particularly difficult, and he said players were confronted with a barrage of tips on social media.”They’ve had actually a lot thrown at them, “he said.Norvell stated he hoped the experience of the

past few weeks would supply a great lesson for his players that will permit them to better browse other obstacles down the road.Norvell didn’t specifically criticize the committee, stating”

I wasn’t because space, and it wasn’t my option,”however he included that he will not allow it to remove from what he thought was a championship-caliber season.”The sensations I have that we didn’t get a chance

are one thing, but I’m so pleased with who this group is and what we represented for 13 weeks of the season,” Norvell stated.”I’ll never forget the feelings I have, and I hope these guys don’t either. But it doesn’t eliminate from what these guys have accomplished throughout the course of the year. “