Around CFB: Florida State slumps to a not-so-surprising 0-2 start

Florida State is the early leader for the title of “most disappointing team in college football.”

Frankly, the Seminoles figure to go wire-to-wire with that distinction.

They opened the season ranked No. 10 in the nation. Back-to-back losses to Georgia Tech and Boston College — traditional Atlantic Coast Conference also-rans — has coach Mike Norvell begging for forgiveness.

“I apologize to our fans. I apologize to everybody associated with the program,” Norvell said following a 28-13 home-opening loss to Boston College on Monday night. “That was extremely disappointing that we’re not better.”

It is disappointing.

Upon closer inspection, though, it may not be that surprising.

Yes, the Seminoles went undefeated in the regular season en route to an ACC championship last season.

But 10 players off that team were selected in the NFL Draft. That included defensive end Jared Verse, a first-round pick, and defensive tackle Braden Fiske, a second-round pick.

Also included was quarterback Jordan Travis, a former Heiman candidate taken in the fifth round, and star receivers Keon Coleman and Johnny Wilson.

Those guys are missed. Badly.

Travis has been replaced by transfer portal addition DJ Uiagalelei, who last year “found” himself at Oregon State after two years of struggling at Clemson.

Perhaps, though, Uiagalelei’s success at Oregon State — he passed for 2,638 yards — was just a byproduct of playing in the defenseless old Pac-12, where virtually every team’s quarterback put up gaudy statistics.

Seriously, half the quarterback in the Pac-12 passed for more yardage than Uiagalelei.

Thus far at Florida State, Uiagalelei has completed 58 percent of his attempts with one touchdown and one interception. To be fair, he was victimized by multiple drops while completing just 21-of-42 passes in the loss to Boston College.

Even more alarming, however, has been the Seminole defense.

Curiously, Florida State’s defensive line was projected to be among the nation’s best despite the departures of Verse and Fiske.

Instead, the Seminoles have offered little resistance to opponents’ running games. Georgia Tech rushed for 190 yards and three touchdowns. Boston College rolled up 263 rushing yards and two scores.

Maybe the Garnet & Gold faithful can find solace in the fact that none of the remaining 10 opponents have overwhelmingly strong running games.

The only future opponent ranked among the nation’s top 40 in rushing is No. 32 SMU, which only rushed for 100 yards in the season-opening win over Nevada. The Mustangs then boosted their stats by rushing for 369 yards last week against Houston Christian.

But Florida State could be the opponent that other teams use to pad their stats.

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DJ Uiagalelei has completed 40 of his 69 attempts for 465 yards to go along with one touchdown and one interception. He has also been sacked four times.

That’s hard to believe. It’s also hard to believe Florida State is 0-2.

“I wholeheartedly believed that we would come out and play better. There was definitely enough mistakes that we made that kept us from that there in the first half,” Norvell said following the BC loss. “And then, obviously, I thought there were some things in the second half when we started to press and just obviously did not play very well.”

They’d better start playing better fast, or Norvell could find himself on the hot seat.

That may seem drastic, considering Norvell was 31-19 entering his fifth season in Tallahassee.

But road trips to SMU, Duke, Miami and Notre Dame remain. The Seminoles also face Clemson and North Carolina as well as arch rival Florida, which has its own problems.

Suddenly, a third losing season in five years under Norvell doesn’t seem unlikely.

Remember, Auburn fired Gene Chizik two years after a national championship. LSU did the same to Ed Orgeron. Florida fired Dan Mullen two years after an 11-2 season.

Typically, successful programs don’t cope well with disappointment.

Florida State is one of them.

Heisman Watch (If my ballot was due today)

1. Miller Moss, USC, QB: LSU’s pass defense is supposedly improved, but it wasn’t against Moss. The Trojans’ junior completed 5-of-6 passes for 49 yards in leading on a game-winning drive in the final minute of the 27-20 victory. Overall, he completed 27-of-36 passes for 378 yards and a touchdown. LSU only allowed more passing yardage in two games last season.

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Miami is Cam Ward’s third school in four years. After he started his collegiate career at Incarnate Word in 2021, he spent the last two seasons at Washington State.

2. Cam Ward, Miami, QB: He shined against an opponent that at least had a pulse, albeit a faint one. Ward completed 26-of-35 passes for 385 yards and three touchdowns in leading the Hurricanes past Florida, 41-17.

3. Carson Beck, Georgia, QB: The stats weren’t outstanding, but Beck led the Bulldogs to a 34-3 victory over Clemson. He completed 23-of-33 passes for 278 yards and threw two touchdown passes. By the way, Clemson was ranked eighth in the nation in passing defense last season.

4. Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt, QB: The transfer from New Mexico State starred in the Commdores’ 34-27 overtime victory over Virginia Tech. Pavia passed for 190 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 104 yards, including a game-winning 4-yard touchdown.

5. Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss, QB: My preseason favorite did what a Heisman candidate is supposed to do against an overmatched opponent. Dart padded his stats. He completed 22-of-27 passes for 418 yards and five touchdowns in a 76-0 blowout of Furman. He also ran for a touchdown. A six-pack of touchdowns is a great way to start a Heisman campaign, even if it’s against a weak defense.

Games to Watch

No. 3 Texas at No. 10 Michigan: The Longhorns look to prove their worth in “The Big House” against the defending national champions. The Wolverines aren’t as good last year, but their defensive line can cause problems.

No. 14 Tennessee at No. 24 NC State: Volunteer quarterback Nico Iamaleava played like a Heisman candidate against Chattanooga. Do it against the Wolfpack, and he may really be one.

Colorado at Nebraska: Renewal of a once-bitter rivalry. Nebraska looked significantly improved last week. Colorado did not.

Boise State at No. 7 Oregon: The visiting Broncos historically have been a thorn in Oregon’s side. Boise State is 3-0 against the Ducks. Oregon’s defense must contain running back Ashton Jeanty, who rushed for 267 yards and six touchdowns in an opening win over Georgia Southern.

Appalachian State at No. 25 Clemson: Although favored, Clemson cannot afford a hangover from last week’s opening loss to Georgia. Appalachian State has a history of pulling off upsets. But then, you already knew that.