"FSU's not going to Final Four this year": Josh Pate raises eyebrows with bold prediction for Mike Norvell's Seminoles

Mike Norvell led the Florida State Seminoles to an ACC championship in the 2023 season, leading to high hopes last year. Unfortunately, things took a different turn for Norvell and his team. After a successful double-digit campaign, the Seminoles ended their 2024 season with a disastrous 2-10 record.

It was the team's worst record since 1974. On Thursday, college football insider Josh Pate shared his predictions about the Seminoles' 2025 campaign under Mike Norvell.

On Thursday's episode of his eponymous show, Josh Pate offered his prediction on the Florida State Seminoles making it to the ACC championship game and the final four of the playoffs. He expressed doubts over the team's chances of being a playoff contender during the 2025 season under Mike Norvell.

"FSU went -11 wins from 23 to 24. They won 11 fewer games from one year to the next. That's the second biggest drop of all time," Pate said. "They're not going to turn it around that drastically."

"Florida State's not going to the Final Four this year. ... Although, I do expect them to improve." (TS- 0:45 onwards)

Josh Pate justified his take by talking about the changes the Seminoles underwent in both the coaching staff and roster this offseason. He also highlighted how the team has Boston State transfer Thomas Castellanos on the QB depth chart after he was benched by the Eagles last season.

Castellanos is competing for the QB1 job alongside Brock Glenn and Trevor Jackson. In an interview with Warchant.com, Norvell opened up about his expectations for Castellanos.

"He's putting himself in position. You talk about being the starting quarterback, but our expectations for him is to be one of the best quarterbacks in the country," Norvell said.

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Mike Norvell views disastrous 2024 campaign as a learning experience

The Seminoles coach doesn't want to forget the failures of their 2024 campaign. On Wednesday, in an interview with News4AX, he opened up about how the team is focused on utilizing these failures as a stepping stone to success.

Mike Norvell believes this outlook will help them improve their performance on the field and enjoy the same level of success they did during the 2023 season.

"You never just dismiss something that might not go the way you want it to. You look back, evaluate, you try to learn the lessons of where you can be better," Norvell said.

"But it's always about that constant push for improvement....I don't want to waste, even though there wasn't anything good about the experience we went through, I don't want to waste those experiences that absolutely can push us and help us grow to be all that we can for this season." (TS-5:30 onwards)

The Seminoles begin their 2025 campaign with a tough game against the Alabama Crimson Tide. It's scheduled to be played on Aug. 30 at Doak Campbell Stadium, the home field of Florida State.