Sep 5, 2021; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell during the game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images Melina Myers-Imagn Images

FSU rivalry game called out as key matchup by Fox Sports analyst

Originally posted on Florida State Seminoles on SI
By Jackson Bakich | Last updated Jun 17, 2025 12:00 PM ET

Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt recently shared his opinion on Florida State football and the program's outlook, particularly regarding its place in the ever-changing hierarchy of the Sunshine State.

The Seminoles were flying high in 2023 as they went 13-1 while their two biggest rivals, UF and Miami, went 5-7 and 7-6, respectively.

However, high school recruiting and development didn't pan out, transfers didn't pan out, and the 'Noles found themselves going from near perfection and undisputed state champions to 2-10 and 0-2 against their in-state rivals in 2024.

The Gators showed significant improvement as the season went on, and the Hurricanes won 10 games and sent the No. 1 pick to the NFL.

With this in mind, Klatt believes the next installment of the FSU-Miami rivalry (Oct. 4, in Tallahassee) could be the tipping point for Mike Norvell and his squad in 2025.

“I think that the game, October 4th against Miami, is a really big one for them. FSU fans are going to want to make sure that last year was a one-season anomaly," Klatt began on the Miami game. "They were blown out by Miami last year. Can’t happen again. If they lose, they need to show that the gap isn’t widening between those two programs."

Klatt added that the FSU-Miami-UF winning and losing dynamic plays a major role in program momentum and recruiting abilities that are so coveted in the Sunshine State.

"Here’s the other part. It’s like, I talked about the hierarchy within the conference for OU and Tennessee. But how about the hierarchy within the state for Florida State and Miami? I think that’s a big issue here, and maybe even Florida ... Miami has got some juice in this state right now. And they’ve (FSU) got to prove that they can play at that level or even beat Miami because, if it goes the way that it did last year, that’s when it’s going to get, like, ratcheted up to 1,000. I don’t think they can go out there and get blown out by Miami. I don’t think that they will, but that’s the one,” said Klatt.

The Fox Sports analyst also added that even if FSU improves mightily to an 8-4 record, but loses big to Miami, it simply cannot happen due to the thrashing that occurred last season in Coral Gables.