Nov 25, 2017; Gainesville, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles helmet lays on the field against the Florida Gators during the second half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-Imagn Images Kim Klement-Imagn Images

Could FSU football shock the nation? ESPN’s bold 2025 prediction says yes

Originally posted on Florida State Seminoles on SI
By Jackson Bakich | Last updated May 21, 2025 10:00 AM ET

Jimbo Fisher became the head coach of Florida State football following Bobby Bowden's retirement after the 2009 season. The success of Fisher's tenure proved to be an inverted "V" shape as the team slowly rose to prominence, peaked with a national championship in 2013, and ended poorly in 2017 as the team limped to 7-6.

Mike Norvell's time at FSU appeared to be on a similar progression as Jimbo's. An opening 3-6 COVID year followed by 5-7 and 10-3, and eventually 13-0 in 2023.

For Seminole fans, hopefully 2024 season is not the sign of history repeating itself (at an accelerated pace) as the team went 2-10.

However, ESPN's David Hale believes that in 2025, Norvell and the Seminole squad could chart their way forward and create their own history by flipping the script.

While no one expected FSU's win total to decrease by eight in 2024, Hale thinks the 'Noles could increase it by eight in 2025.

He wrote this in his article for ESPN:

"The roller-coaster ride in Tallahassee is enough to make any fan lose his lunch. In 2021, the team was dismal, still dealing with the ripple effects of Jimbo Fisher's departure and Willy Taggart's ill-fated hire. But by 2023, the Seminoles were on top of the world -- winners of 19 straight games and holders of a 13-0 record. Then they were snubbed from the playoff, got routed by Georgia in the Orange Bowl, then went 2-10 in 2024 in what was, perhaps, the most incredible year-over-year decline in modern college football history."David Hale, ESPN

He continued:

"But what goes down must go up again, right? A simple regression to the mean on some key luck-based metrics should get FSU back to a bowl game, but if the defense takes a step forward under new coordinator Tony White and the offense is energized by Tommy Castellanos at QB, it's not absurd to think the Noles regain much of the form they had in 202[2], when they finished 10-3 and looked like a genuine contender by year's end."David Hale, ESPN

Should Florida State return to a 10-win program, it would be one of the most miraculous stories in all of sports.