Column: Syracuse’s Last Trip to Tallahassee was the Start of a Turnaround

As Syracuse gets set to arrive in Tallahassee for Saturday’s noon ET contest, things seem pretty good for Florida State. Ranked No. 4 in the country, the Seminoles are 5-0 for the first time since 2015 with solid wins away from home over LSU and Clemson.

A 3-score favorite for Saturday’s contest, FSU is the betting favorite to win the ACC and holds the third-shortest odds to win the national championship, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. When Syracuse last traveled to Tallahassee, however, FSU was at one of its lowest points as a program in decades.

0-4 for the first time since 1974 — two years prior to the legendary Bobby Bowden taking over as head coach — patience in Tallahassee was dwindling. FSU had opened the year with a respectable hard-fought overtime loss to Notre Dame before suffering embarrassing defeats to FCS Jacksonville State and then at Wake Forest by three touchdowns. Fresh off a 31-23 home loss to Louisville, then second-year head coach Mike Norvell was just 3-10 during his time with the Seminoles.

Facing 3-1 Syracuse for a midafternoon kickoff on Oct. 2, 2021, the contest wasn’t pretty, but it was pretty good. Syracuse’s Garrett Shrader and FSU quarterback Jordan Travis each had more impressive days with their legs than their arms, but it was Travis who would get the ball last.

With the help of a missed holding call, Travis came through with scrambles of 33 and 25 yards to put the Seminoles in field goal range. As time expired, Ryan Fitzgerald knocked through a 34-yard field goal to give FSU a thrilling 33-30 victory.

Since then, FSU has slowly transformed into a program with realistic championship aspirations again. Fitzgerald’s kick spurred a turnaround that saw FSU win five of its final eight games in 2021. That included a 35-25 road victory over North Carolina as a 3-score underdog and a thrilling 31-28 win over rival Miami to snap a 4-game losing streak to the Hurricanes.

Although a 24-21 loss to rival Florida in the season finale kept FSU from playing in a bowl game, the Seminoles responded with a commendable 2022 season. After a 4-0 start, FSU was able to shake off a 3-game midseason slide to win its final six contests for its first 10-win season in six years and a top-10 national ranking in the AFCA Coaches Poll. Included in that late-season winning streak were rivalry victories over Miami and Florida and a hard-fought 35-32 win in the Cheez-It Bowl over an Oklahoma team that hasn’t lost since.

Now winners of 11 straight dating back to last season, FSU is selling out Doak Campbell Stadium on a weekly basis, recruiting at an elite level and drawing TV viewership from across the country. After four straight losing seasons from 2018 to 2021, the Seminoles can be bowl-eligible just six games in with a win over the Orange on Saturday.

Entering the home contest against Syracuse more than two years ago, FSU had gone a dismal 9-17 in its previous 26 games. In the 26 games since, the Seminoles are 20-6. With 11 victories in a row dating back to last October, only Georgia and Washington currently own a longer winning streak than FSU.

It’s hard to accurately quantify just how big the home victory over a Syracuse team that finished 5-7 two years ago really was, but one could argue that it was the moment that Norvell’s team started to believe. It’s been more than two years since, but the Seminoles have picked up many of new believers along the way.

- Mike Ferguson is the lead writer for Double Fries No Slaw. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson. For all of his work, “Like” or “Follow” Mike on Facebook.