No. 4 Florida State can clinch spot in ACC title game with win over struggling Pitt
Florida State quarterback Jordan Travis (13) looks to pass against Wake Forest during the second half of an NCAA college football game in Winston-Salem, N.C., Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Patrick Payton remembers one of the first questions after arriving in Tallahassee in 2021. The answer, even more so.
“They asked me ‘What do you want to win at Florida State?'” the redshirt sophomore defensive lineman said. “And I said, ‘Just trying to be part of bringing Florida State back.'”
The fourth-ranked Seminoles are nearly there.
Florida State (8-0, 6-0 ACC) can earn a spot in the ACC championship game for the first time in nine years with a win over struggling Pittsburgh (2-6, 1-3) on Saturday. The Seminoles were also fourth in the initial College Football Playoff rankings, though Payton is paying little mind to that part of the equation.
“It (doesn’t) matter who is ranked what right now, because whoever is ranked … right now could lose,” Payton said.
That’s something Florida State hasn’t done in over a year. The Seminoles have 14 straight victories since a three-game skid in the middle of the 2022 season briefly blunted the momentum coach Mike Norvell has been building since he arrived in December 2019.
Florida State is rolling now and seemingly improving as the weeks go by. After early scares from Boston College and Clemson, the Seminoles have found their groove. Each of their last four wins have come by at least 18 points, including a clinical 41-16 dismantling of Wake Forest last week.
“Our guys, they do a great job in taking ownership (of) the mistakes that are made (early in the year),” Norvell said. “That’s something that we’ve held true to over the years, and when you get to November, that’s where you want to be playing your best ball.”
If Florida State can do it, the Seminoles will be position to make the CFP for the first time since getting blown out by Oregon in the semifinals of the first CFP in 2014.
One of college football’s unquestioned superpowers had fallen on hard times, including four consecutive losing seasons from 2018-21. But those days appear to be over. Behind senior quarterback Jordan Travis and a defense that seems to be hitting its stride, the swagger has returned at Florida State under Norvell.
“That’s why I came,” said redshirt junior offensive tackle Jeremiah Byers, who transferred in from UTEP last winter. “I knew that this team was special from last year and I just wanted to come be a part of something that is family-oriented, that cares about the kids and wants to go win.”
Pitt finds itself on the other end of the spectrum just two years removed from an ACC title. The Panthers are off to their worst start since coach Pat Narduzzi arrived in December 2014 and fell apart in the second half of a 58-7 loss to No. 12 Notre Dame last week.
Narduzzi drew criticism from both inside and outside the program for questioning the talent level of the roster after the game. He apologized to his players the following day, stressing to the kids he recruited that he still had their back and that “my guys are my guys.”
How the Panthers come out against the Seminoles could be an indicator of whether Narduzzi still has the attention of the room. Last week aside, Pitt has made it a habit of playing ranked opponents tough during Narduzzi’s tenure, including an upset of Louisville on Oct. 14.
Now comes the Panthers’ toughest test in more ways than one.
AIR JORDAN
Travis enters Saturday two touchdown passes shy of tying Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston for second on the school’s all-time list. Winston threw 65 touchdowns for the Seminoles in 2013-14. Travis has 63 over the course of his lengthy career and has accounted for multiple touchdowns in 15 straight games.
“The guy doesn’t make mistakes,” Narduzzi said of Travis. “And he’s confident. The guy plays with swagger, too. He gets a run, he looks like he’s a linebacker, just the emotion. He plays with emotion and passion.”
STICKING WITH VEILLEUX
While Travis has been a fixture in Tallahassee, Pitt has seen a revolving door of sorts at quarterback since Kenny Pickett’s breakthrough season in 2021.
Kedon Slovis gave way to Nick Patti gave way to Phil Jurkovec gave way to Christian Veilleux. A sophomore transfer from Penn State, Veilleux will make his fourth straight start after taking over for an ineffective Jurkovec. Veilleux threw four interceptions against the Irish last Saturday, part of what has become a steep learning curve.
“He’s a tremendous leader and puts a lot of time and effort into his preparation,” Pitt offensive coordinator Cignetti said. “When he chose to come here in January, it was about the journey. He knew he had three years of eligibility, and it’s not about where he was in January but where he wanted to go within those three years.”
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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football