Tag: FSU Football

LOOK: What is social media saying about Mike Norvell and Alabama?

Florida State head coach Mike Norvell is trending on social media… as a potential target for the Alabama job.

Alabama is on the hunt for a new head football coach. Read that sentence over again. Nick Saban has officially announced his retirement at the age of 72 after spending the last 17 years in Tuscaloosa. Now, his role must be filled.

Fans of programs all over the nation have long awaited a day when Saban is no longer dominating college football. However, some of those fans failed to realize it may be their team’s coach who is chosen to replace the G.O.A.T. as the head coach of the Crimson Tide.

One coach whose name has been popping up in rumors, reports and conversations is Mike Norvell, the head coach of the Florida State Seminoles.

Watch: FSU coach Mike Norvell’s speech after Orange Bowl defeat

Florida State head coach Mike Norvell made a moving speech after Florida State’s 60-point loss to Georgia in the Orange Bowl.

Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell made an emotional speech after the Seminoles lost 63-3 in the Orange Bowl to the Georgia Bulldogs. Florida State had many opt outs for the Orange Bowl after completing an undefeated season and winning the ACC championship. The Seminoles were understandably down on themselves a little bit after becoming the first undefeated Power Five team to miss the College Football Playoff.

Georgia’s dominant performance in the Orange Bowl showed how broken the bowl system is. The Bulldogs showed how deep their team is in an impressive victory.

Here’s Mike Norvell’s intense speech in the moments following Florida State’s ugly Orange Bowl defeat.

Florida State achieved a lot in 2023 and should not be exclusively judged for their final game of the season. Georgia deserves credit for coming out to play in a bowl game that far too many folks tab as meaningless.

LOOK: Fans of other teams cannot stop talking about Alabama

Alabama’s season ends with a CFP Rose Bowl loss and other teams’ fans can’t stop talking about the Tide online.

With a 27-20 overtime loss in the College Football Playoff Rose Bowl semifinal to Michigan, Alabama’s season has officially come to an end. While some Crimson Tide fans share happy memories from this past season, others are still sharing their frustrations with what happened in the final game.

What’s interesting, though, is how many fans outside of the Alabama base are talking about the Tide.

Many like to claim Nick Saban’s run at the top of college football is over, but is that really the case when the nation celebrates every time he loses?

Some fellow SEC foes shared their happiness over the Crimson Tide’s defeat. Other fans, such as Florida State, continued to preach their belief that the Seminoles deserved to be there instead of Alabama.

Michigan player explains team’s viral reaction to facing Alabama in CFP

A viral video showed Michigan looking somewhat concerned after finding out they’d play Alabama in the CFP. One Wolverine explains the backstory.

When the final College Football Playoff rankings were revealed, many were shocked to see which team was granted the fourth and final spot. Alabama, with one loss and an SEC championship, got the nod over undefeated ACC champion Florida State. Fans, players and coaches were caught off guard, but none more than the Seminoles… and Michigan.

The one-seeded Wolverines were all together watching the announcement, and the moment was captured on film. Once Alabama’s name was announced, there was a moment of silence where everyone looked around at each other before slowly clapping. There was no true sense of excitement from the room, as seen in the video below posted to social media by ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg.

Online, the video took off. Fans assumed Michigan’s reaction was out of shock and fear. However, one player now speaks out with an explanation.

“It’s funny that I keep hearing everybody say we’re scared because we got ‘Bama,” says Wolverines linebacker Michael Barrett. “It was more like the shock of not seeing an undefeated Power 5 team get picked. We kind of figured that all the undefeated teams were going to come & we were just debating on who would slip into that fourth spot. So not seeing Florida State in there, it was kind of a shock to everybody. It wasn’t really like fear, never that, of any team. It was just more that shock. We kind of just were already expecting, ‘okay, if they got (Texas) at 3, then they’ve got to be Florida State at 4.’ “

Barrett’s explanation makes sense, but many will choose to believe what they want, which is fair. The team was in shock not over who they would be playing and fear that they would lose, but that Florida State was left out of the top four after the season they had.

This explanation comes days before they meet the Crimson Tide in Pasadena for the College Football Playoff Rose Bowl semifinal, which goes to show how confident Michigan was then, and how the team feels now.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Alabama football as the team continues to prepare in the final days leading up to the highly-anticipated matchup.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow AJ Spurr on X @SpurrFM. 

How would Nick Saban react if Alabama was in Florida State’s position?

If Alabama went undefeated and missed the College Football Playoffs, how would Nick Saban react? A former Alabama WR chimes in.

In the final year of the College Football Playoff’s four-team era, there was some major controversy regarding which team deserved the fourth and final spot. Alabama, with one loss, ultimately got the nod over Florida State, which went undefeated in the 2023 season. The frustration and anger out of Tallahassee is understandable, but what would have happened if the roles were reversed?

The No. 4 Crimson Tide is now preparing to take on top-ranked Michigan in the Rose Bowl CFP semifinal while the No. 5 Seminoles have nearly all starters opting out of the non-CFP Orange Bowl game against No. 6 Georgia.

Former Alabama wide receiver Mac Hereford recently joined the Bring the Juice Podcast and shared his thoughts on how Nick Saban would have reacted if the Tide went undefeated, won the SEC championship and still got left out of the playoffs.

To start, Hereford makes it clear that Saban would have been absolutely livid. This is on par with what we’ve seen from Florida State head coach Mike Norvell, his team and Seminoles fans.

However, the biggest difference comes from how Hereford believes Saban would approach the bowl game.

“I think at the end of the day he would tell the guys, ‘Look, it is what it is. There’s not anything we could do about it, we got to prepare for the bowl game and got to make a statement in that bowl game, and go out there and kick the ass of the team we’re playing against and make a point.’ “

Despite having two losses in 2022, the Crimson Tide made a late-season push to the playoffs but was ranked No. 5 in the final College Football Playoff rankings, making them the first team out. The non-playoff bowl game Alabama was picked for was the Sugar Bowl against Kansas State, which was fresh off of a win over TCU in the Big 12 championship.

In that game, Alabama did not have many players opt out. Most notably, quarterback Bryce Young and linebacker Will Anderson Jr. chose to participate in the bowl game. Those two players ended up becoming the first and third overall picks in the 2023 NFL draft, respectively.

It’s no surprise to see the fifth-ranked team be upset about missing the playoffs, as it has become a common frustration in the College Football Playoff era. The committee hopes to alleviate those concerns beginning in 2024 when the playoff field expands to 12 teams.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Alabama football as the team prepares for the semifinal Rose Bowl matchup against Michigan.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow AJ Spurr on X @SpurrFM. 

Kirby Smart talks opt outs, more after arriving at Orange Bowl

Georgia football head coach Kirby Smart talks opt outs, updates status of Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey

Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart and the rest of the Georgia team arrived in Miami, Florida, ahead of the Orange Bowl. The Bulldogs (12-1) are scheduled to face the Florida State Seminoles (13-0) on Dec. 30 at 4 p.m. ET. The Orange Bowl will be televised on ESPN.

Georgia enters the Orange Bowl as a significant favorite over Florida State. The Seminoles are reeling after numerous key players opted out of the Orange Bowl.

The Orange Bowl will serve as a preview of the 2024 season for both Georgia and Florida State. The Bulldogs will return quarterback Carson Beck next season. Both teams have a bunch of players in the transfer portal that aren’t anticipated to play.

What did Kirby Smart have to say after arriving in Miami for the Orange Bowl?

Florida State’s opt outs for the Orange Bowl vs. Georgia

Florida State’s sack leader, three leading receivers, and leading rusher are among the FSU’s key opt outs for the Orange Bowl

The Florida State Seminoles were unfathomably left out of the College Football Playoff after finishing the year undefeated with an ACC championship victory. The Seminoles will be short-handed when playing against Georgia in the Orange Bowl on Dec. 30 at 4 p.m. ET.

Several Florida State players that are projected to be NFL draft picks have opted out of the Orange Bowl. No Georgia players have opted out as of Dec. 22.

Bowl games are different in the College Football Playoff era. Players are more likely to skip their respective bowl game if they are projected to be high NFL draft selections. Additionally, players in the transfer portal usually don’t play in their bowl game, so rosters are much thinner for games like the Orange Bowl.

Which Florida State players have opted out of the Orange Bowl?

Star Florida State WR declares for draft, missing Orange Bowl

Star Florida State receiver declares for the 2024 NFL draft, opts out of the Orange Bowl against UGA

Star Florida State wide receiver Johnny Wilson has opted out of the Orange Bowl on Dec. 30 against the Georgia Bulldogs. Wilson is declaring for the 2024 NFL draft.

Wilson announced his intentions via ESPN’s Pete Thamel. The 6-foot-7 wide receiver would have presented a challenge to the Georgia secondary.

Wilson is likely not the last player to opt out of the Orange Bowl. Key Florida State pass rusher Patrick Payton entered the transfer portal and will likely not play in the Orange Bowl. Payton had six sacks and 41 tackles this season.

Georgia has already seen a bunch of players enter the transfer portal after losing in the SEC championship to Alabama.

Alan Youngblood/Gainesville Sun

Wilson is Florida State’s second-leading receiver this season behind Keon Coleman, who also has an NFL draft decision to make. Wilson has 41 receptions for 617 receiving yards and two touchdowns this season.

 

UGA defensive backs coach not coaching vs. Florida State

Georgia football defensive backs coach won’t be on the sidelines against Florida State in the Orange Bowl

Georgia Bulldogs defensive backs coach Fran Brown, who accepted the head coach job at Syracuse, will not be coaching Georgia football in the Orange Bowl against Florida State.

Georgia is now looking for a new defensive backs coach. The Bulldogs can lean on Kirby Smart and Will Muschamp’s expertise (both are former Georgia defensive backs) against Florida State.

Fran Brown coached the Bulldogs in the SEC championship and likely would have done double duty if Georgia made the College Football Playoff. Brown explained why he would not coach in the Orange Bowl.

I won’t go back. I’m here to support my guys, I’m here to do everything possible. I hope he still gives me my check because we did help make the game. I’m completely here. I’m locked in here. We’re recruiting. We’re trying to have official visits coming up this weekend. We’re full tilt, man.

It is not a surprise that Brown will miss the Orange Bowl. Brown faces unique challenges at Syracuse and one of them is getting a talented roster.

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Syracuse and Fran Brown will try to retain its own roster, add transfers, and sign top recruits over the next few weeks.

LOOK: Social media goes wild over Alabama making CFP

Fans and experts took to social media to share their thoughts on Alabama making the College Football Playoff.

The final College Football Playoff rankings have been revealed and Alabama made the jump from No. 8 to No. 4 after defeating Georgia in the SEC Championship and will play Michigan in the Rose Bowl for a chance to play for a national championship.

Fans were split on whether it should be Alabama or Florida State for the final available spot, as the other three teams were considered locks for their respective spots, with a slight exception to Texas in the eyes of a few.

Alabama fans are certainly happy over this decision, but there are many college football enthusiasts that either disagree or are confused by the decision.

Here are some of the top posts on social media reacting to the news of the Crimson Tide making the playoffs.