FSU Football Surprisingly Returns to Top 25 in Latest Preseason Ranking

Preseason top 25 rankings are already making the rounds, offering a glimpse of how programs are viewed shortly after spring ball has settled. These projections often say more about perception than certainty, and in some cases, more about what teams have been rather than what they currently are.

Two years ago, Florida State entered post-spring as a top program. A year later, it was nowhere to be found in most preseason rankings. Now, the Seminoles are back, just not in a way that suggests full confidence has returned.

Florida State Returns to Top 25, But Questions Remain

Syracuse Orange defensive back Aman Greenwood (26) grabs the face mask on Florida State Seminoles running back Treshaun Ward's (8) helmet. The Florida State Seminoles defeated the Syracuse Orange 33-30 to get their first win of the season Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021. Fsu V Syracuse2142 | Alicia Devine/Tallahassee Democrat / USA TODAY NETWORK

Ranked at No. 22, the Seminoles find themselves in a familiar position. A new quarterback, multiple shifts within the coaching structure, and a roster loaded with both proven production and emerging potential.

USA Today pointed to a Florida State program still working through key questions, particularly along a new-look offensive line and how a retooled unit will come together around Auburn transfer quarterback Ashton Daniels and a budding defense. While Daniels emerged from spring as the starter, his presence answers one question while opening another: has FSU found stability, or simply made things more manageable in 2026?

A Ranking That Doesn’t Match the Metrics

Sep 14, 2024; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell looks on during the first half against the Memphis Tigers at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images | Melina Myers-Imagn Images

The answer likely sits somewhere in between. Daniels brings experience and a level of control that Florida State lacked at times over the past two seasons, but his track record suggests more steadiness than game-changing upside.

Proven playmakers on both sides of the ball return in Duce Robinson, Micahi Danzy, and Mandrell and Darryll Desir, alongside a double-edged influx of transfers. Most sportsbooks have the Seminoles at 6.5 wins in 2026, a projection that contradicts a top-25 ranking and underscores how difficult preseason expectations have become in a transfer-driven era of roster turnover.

Add back-to-back losing seasons, and the point gets a little stronger.

There is enough returning talent and structure to imply improvement, but enough uncertainty to keep expectations in check. That range of outcomes makes No. 22 feel less like a statement and more like a fragile projection that could go either way.

A quick look at Florida State under Mike Norvell shows how those jumps typically happen. The Seminoles went from 5–7 in 2021 to 10–3 in 2022 and 13–0 in 2023, powered by elite quarterback play from Jordan Travis and a defense featuring impact players like Jared Verse, Tatum Bethune, Braden Fiske, and Kalen DeLoach.

Florida State enters 2026 with pieces in place, yet still searching for the proven quarterback play and defensive difference-makers that defined its most recent rise.

The blueprint could be in place for 2026, but is the team?

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