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Adam Rittenberg
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ESPN Senior Writer
- College football reporter.
- Joined ESPN.com in 2008.
- Graduate of Northwestern University.
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Tom VanHaaren
College football teams are turning the page to the 2020 season. For several of the sport’s historic programs, the urgency to improve is greater than ever. We are examining four teams that have fallen on hard times and diagnosing what each needs to do to get back on track this fall.
After breaking down USC and Nebraska, we put Florida State under the microscope. The Seminoles won the final BCS championship in 2013, but they’ve backslid during the CFP era, while ACC rival Clemson is on a historic streak. Florida State is 18-20 in the past three seasons, and Willie Taggart lasted only 21 games on the sideline before a cash-strapped athletic department fired him in November.
There’s genuine optimism in Tallahassee with new coach Mike Norvell in town, but Florida State has to improve its roster and its recruiting efforts to avoid falling further behind Clemson. Here’s a look at the Seminoles and what it will take for them to get back to the championship stage under Norvell.