Stanford Could Have an Impact on the Future of FSU Football This Weekend

There are many important college football games this weekend, but one of the most underrated ones could be a late start in Silicon Valley, where the Stanford Cardinal take on the Florida State Seminoles.

Coming into the contest, Stanford has had a poor start to their 2025 campaign, going just 2-4, while Florida State sits at 3-3. But this game may have huge ramifications on the directions of both programs.

The Cardinal have had their typical start, with wins against Boston College and San José State, just hoping to get past the 3-9 mark that has plagued them for four straight seasons.

But Florida State is in a completely different boat. Last season, despite being a college football powerhouse, the Seminoles became the laughing stock of the sport, going just 2-10 in their worst season in school history.

Why Norvell is on the Hot Seat

Oct 4, 2025; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell during the second half against the Miami Hurricanes at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Myers-Imagn Images | Robert Myers-Imagn Images

This season though, many thought the Noles were back, following a week one victory over powerhouse and No. 8 ranked Alabama. Florida State started 3-0, winning convincingly, but it all went downhill just immediately after.

The Seminoles have lost three straight, to Virginia, Miami, and just last week, Pitt. Losing to the Cavaliers and Hurricanes doesn’t seem terrible, but losing to Pitt, at home, playing a backup quarterback truly expresses the falloff that Florida State has had.

Head coach Mike Norvell has been on the hot seat after the abomination that 2024 was, but it started to cool down after the week one victory and the following pair of victories. But now, coming off of three straight losses, Norvell could be playing for his job on Saturday.

This week, a shocking move in the college football world was established as Penn State fired James Franklin after losing just three games, one of which being to national contender Oregon, which is understandable. The following two against UCLA and Northwestern weren't.

The Nittany Lions paid a massive $50 million buyout to make it happen. The one big caveat here is that Norvell has a similar buyout on his deal, but FSU doesn't have the same resources as Penn State, so they could also keep him on board for a little while longer.

Norvell began his career at Memphis, where he spent four years leading the Tigers to success, before taking the job at Florida State. To an extent, he rebuilt the program, but also tore it down, and now there is a chorus of Florida State fans calling for his job.

While the outcome of Saturday's game may not have a direct impact on Norvell's tenure with Florida State, the Cardinal could definitely play a role with a win if FSU decides to part ways with their coach in the near future.