On Monday, January 26, the ACC will officially finalize schedules for its 17 members. FSU has known who it will be facing off against next season since December, when the ACC confirmed that the Seminoles will be one of several teams only playing eight conference games in 2026 (the first year of its push for […]
On Monday, January 26, the ACC will officially finalize schedules for its 17 members.
FSU has known who it will be facing off against next season since December, when the ACC confirmed that the Seminoles will be one of several teams only playing eight conference games in 2026 (the first year of its push for members to play at least 10 Power 4 games per season) and Florida State secured a Week 0 game vs. New Mexico State to replace its canceled matchup with Notre Dame.
When FSU is playing its conference games, though, will be revealed on Monday, and how it’s laid out could determine a make-or-break for Mike Norvell in year seven of his tenure in Tallahassee — could a rough start for the Seminoles signal the end of the Norvell era before September? What if the Noles get a favorable draw to end the year?
Below are three questions about the FSU football schedule before its release — feel free to share your own guesses on what the slate could look like or any other things on your mind in the comments.
No. 1: What will Florida State’s weeks one and two look like?
With weeks zero, three (Alabama) and four (Central Arkansas) spoken for, Florida State is guaranteed to begin conference play early this season. If the Seminoles don’t get an early bye, then they’ll be facing off against a conference opponent in weeks one and two.
This puts immense pressure on Norvell to start the conference schedule with a win after going 0-4 to begin ACC play in 2025 and 0-2 in 2024 (overall, in ACC games prior to Week 4, Norvell is 2-4). FSU and Clemson haven’t played in the first three weeks of the season since 2007, so it’ll be Virginia, NC State and/or SMU coming to Tallahassee early, and Florida State has lost the most recent meetings to each respective school. The bye week is the biggest x-factor — if the Seminoles get a rough draw and fail to rise to the occasion, they could be 2-3 heading into October without much opportunity for Norvell to cool his seat down in the weeks following.
No. 2: When are the rivalry games?
Miami has been a November matchup in seven of the last 15 seasons and a Week 6 (Oct. 10 this year) game five times over that period. Florida State will be looking to prevent a three-game losing streak in the series vs. the Hurricanes, and depending on when it happens on the schedule and how the season shakes out, the outcome might have echoes of what forced the administration’s hand in 2019 with Willie Taggart.
Where will Clemson be slotted? Only six times in the last 15 years has the game been played outside of October, so a midseason matchup makes sense after the norm was broken last season.
And while not quite rivalry matchups, a handful of FSU’s transfers went to other ACC schools, adding additional intrigue to in-conference matchups. Tight end Randy Pittman Jr. (SMU) will return to Doak, while wide receiver Lawayne McCoy (Louisville), defensive tackle KJ Sampson (Boston College) and kicker Jake Weinberg (Miami) will get the chance to face off against FSU in their new home stadiums.
No. 3: How will the schedule shake out to end the year?
One game is set in stone — FSU’s Nov. 28 matchup vs. Florida in Tallahassee. Outside of that, the last few games are up for grabs. Just like 2025, there’s no breather against a cupcake this year to soften the blow, so the Seminoles will go straight from conference play to its game vs. the Gators.
There’s a shot that Miami is one of FSU’s final four opponents. Since it’s also likely the Noles to get a road game the weekend before UF to avoid back-to-back away games to end conference play — something that has happened just twice in the last 15 years — that means that a road trip to Louisville, Pitt or Boston College could serve as the penultimate game of the season.
How to watch the ACC schedule release:
The ACC will reveal its 2026 schedule at 9 p.m. on Monday, January 26, on ACC Network.
Florida State football: 2026 schedule
- Aug. 29: New Mexico State (Home)
- Sept. 19: Alabama (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
- Sept. 26: Central Arkansas (Home)
- Nov. 28: Florida (Home)
- TBD: Clemson (Home)
- TBD: NC State (Home)
- TBD: SMU (Home)
- TBD: Virginia (Home)
- TBD: Boston College (Chestnut Hill, Mass.)
- TBD: Louisville (Louisville, Ky.)
- TBD: Miami (Miami Gardens, Fla.)
- TBD: Pitt (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
Category: General Sports
