Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell pats a player on the back after a play. Seminole fans watched as the Florida State football team hosted the FSU Garnet and Gold Spring Showcase on Saturday, April 15, 2023. Fsu Spring Game708 Alicia Devine/Tallahassee Democrat / USA TODAY NETWORK

FSU football projected to face 4-time National Champion in postseason

Originally posted on Florida State Seminoles on SI
By Tommy Mire | Last updated May 8, 2025 3:53 PM ET

The Florida State Seminoles are two years removed from winning the 2023 ACC Championship in a 16-6 win over Louisville. While most of those players are gone from that roster and the 'Noles are trying to figure out what happened after last year's 2-10 season, there is some optimism brewing around Tallahassee, Florida and in the national media.

Florida State will be trying to retool both sides of the ball with new offensive and defensive coordinators Gus Malzahn and Tony White. The team added multiple talented transfers and recruits to help bounce back from missing a bowl game last year.

The big questions circling FSU fans' minds in 2025 are where the Noles will end up in January and what the team will look like when it is all said and done. While it won't be for the ACC Championship, CBS Sports has the 'Noles lining up in Charlotte in the Duke's Mayo Bowl in an ACC-SEC matchup against the Tennessee Vols, who are coming off a 10-3 season, which tied for second in the conference.

After reaching their first-ever College Football Playoff and eventually losing to National Champion Ohio State, the Vols will turn to a transfer quarterback under center. Nico Iamaleava, their former starter, transferred to UCLA in the spring. Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel brought in UCLA transfer Joey Aguilar to compete for the starting job, and FSU head coach Mike Norvell added Boston College transfer Tommy Castellanos to replace DJ Uiagalelei, whose college eligibility ran out in 2024.

A potential clash would serve as a tiebreaker if the two teams do end up in Charlotte, North Carolina, in January. FSU and UT have only met twice and would enter the matchup tied at 1-1. Florida State shut out the Vols 10-0 in 1958, while Tennessee claimed the most recent win with a 23-16 victory in the 1999 Fiesta Bowl.