Mike Normanll’s address mentioned pulling undefeated Florida State out of the playoffs.
“There has never been an undefeated Power 5 team that was denied the chance to play for a national championship over a one-loss team since the BCS was created and this history.”
With a 16-6 victory over the No. 15 Louisville Cardinals, No. 4 Florida State, in its fourth season under head coach Mike Norvell, won the ACC Championship and a 13-0 record.
With the victory, the Seminoles defeated two current Top 25 teams (No. 13 LSU and No. 22 Clemson) for the third time. FSU is currently ranked third in ESPN’s Strength of Record rankings, which indicate the likelihood that an average Top 25 team would have the team’s record or better given the schedule. Overall, FSU has the most wins (eight) over bowl-eligible Power 5 teams.
The storyline surrounding Alabama’s upset of Georgia in the SEC Championship has reached an all-time high. This is made more difficult by the fact that Texas, the team that defeated them, is a one-loss team and won the Big 12 championship on Saturday.
According to DraftKings, Florida State has the best odds to make the playoff out of the three — the Seminoles sit at -400 odds, Texas at -300 and Alabama at +100.
After the win, Norvell addressed the emerging debate in a fairly unbothered manner.
The work they put in, the journey we’ve been on, the ups, the downs, the adversity that we’ve faced, tonight starting a true freshman quarterback in the ACC Championship game, not necessarily how we envisioned it, as we’ve been going through these last 13 games, but it was a football team that responded together, and that’s what we have. We have a real team, no matter how you’ve got to do it, no matter what it needs to look like, we find ways to win games.
This is a real team. It’s one that finds a way to win games. Whatever it needs to look like.
There’s plenty of teams that have talent. There’s plenty of teams that you could sit there and point to a moment here or a moment there, but it’s about getting the win. It’s about making sure that you show up and you do the things necessary to achieve in each situation, and we’ve done that on the road. We’ve done it at home. We’ve done it with a backup quarterback, and now we’ve done it with a true freshman quarterback. This team continues to find ways to make it happen.
You sit back and you look, since the BCS was created and the history of this, there’s never been an undefeated Power 5 team that was denied an opportunity to play for a national championship over a one-loss team.
There is a rationale. since it’s something you have to earn on the field. How talented you are is irrelevant to me. What it appears like in a moment or on a game doesn’t matter to me. You must complete it; if you are capable of doing so, then go ahead and do so. This group has performed just that. This team has put in a lot of work and has consistently shown up each week.
There have been a few one-play games. They have had to respond in some difficult situations, and that is what distinguishes a champion. These men are winners.
You know what, if we get our opportunity, which I fully expect to get, this is going to be a team that’s going to continue to do all things necessary to put themselves in a position to go take the next step.
I have faith in this football squad. It’s amusing that some people are able to disregard us. Travis Jordan went down. That player was unique. He is vital to our initiative. Even after his fall, we continued on our journey, and our formidable opponent saw an opportunity to overcome it and emerge victorious.
Tonight, same thing. Adversity shows up, challenges set in, this team is built for it. I believe in them. I don’t care where, who, when. I’ve had 13 straight games this season, and the final six last season, and you know, we beat a lot of teams from all these different conferences that presumed are at this other — we show up and play and find a way to win, and that’s what this team has done.
I believe in this team 100 percent. I don’t care who, where, when we play. This team is going to show up and they’re going to battle. You can take any stat line. And we told our guys, tonight whatever it takes, if it’s offense, if it’s defense, we’ve got to help and we’ve got to respond and we’ve got to have each other’s back in situations.
Tonight, we scored 16 points. How would something look like if someone told you that you scored sixteen points? It appeared like a victory tonight. Something that is going to stick in our memories. It’s evident that our football team followed the correct course of action in order to succeed.
Since that’s ultimately what matters. Even with the greatest talent, winning games ultimately comes down to doing the right things, which is exactly what this team does time and time again.
It’s entertainment in some things to be able to have the conversation [of leaving FSU out], but I don’t think there is a conversation. We’re at Florida State. We open up a season with LSU on the road, maybe a Heisman Trophy candidate, maybe winner in their quarterback that — you know, we showed what we were about then defensively, special teams-wise, offense, the talent that we have.
The way that we’ve won games. To go on the road at Clemson. Nobody else was able to accomplish that. Some ranked teams went in there, but we were the only team that was able to beat them on the road, and it was tough.
We’ve been down in games. We’ve been down 10 points I think in three or four different games, and we responded. It’s not just like we came back — we came back and finished games. We came back and were able to do the things necessary to achieve victory.
I don’t think there is a conversation. This is a team that is well deserving. This is a team that has earned it. This is a team that has showed up consistently and proven that they have what it takes to win, and we’ve done it against more Power Five bowl eligible teams than anybody else out there.
So I don’t want to hear about the schedule. Actually we schedule a tough non-conference. We put ourselves out there, and then you embrace it in how you go about your business. This team, they’ve earned it.
Like I said, each week it changes what’s the hot team or the most talented team, but then
We just beat a top-15 team with a true freshman quarterback. Like that doesn’t matter. I don’t care perspective what people think. We win. We win. You know what, if we get the opportunity to go play in the national semifinal, it’s going to be a challenge. I believe in this team. I believe in what they can do. I believe in who they are. You know what, they showed up every single week and done it.
So I don’t really care about what everybody else’s opinions are. I know who I coach, and I know we get the opportunity, they’re going to go fight for everything they get because they’ve been doing it the last four years, and whatever the next opportunity is, I promise you they’re going to show up.
