Florida State's 2025 campaign highlighted by season-defining November stretch

The Seminoles will play three of their final four games of the regular season on the road.
Oct 5, 2024; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell looks on during the second half against the Clemson Tigers at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images
Oct 5, 2024; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell looks on during the second half against the Clemson Tigers at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-Imagn Images / Melina Myers-Imagn Images

Florida State's 2025 schedule is officially set after the final dates were unveiled on Monday night. The Seminoles have seven home games and five road games to work with.

Outside of the Week 1 matchup against Alabama, the opening month of the schedule is quite favorable for the Seminoles. They'll get to face off with an FCS (East Texas A&M) and G5 (Kent State) team before jumping into the conference slate with a road test against a Virginia squad that went 5-7 in 2024.

It's certainly a manageable start for a Florida State squad that needs to rebuild its confidence following a 2-10 finish last fall. In an ideal world, the Seminoles will surpass their 2024 win total by the conclusion of September. Again, in an ideal world.

Things ramp up greatly in the back half of the season. November will be a doozy for the Seminoles with five total games, including three of the final four contests falling outside of Tallahassee. It's a challenge that will ultimately define whether the changes that head coach Mike Norvell were a success or failure.

READ MORE: FSU Football's full 2025 schedule announced

That four-game tilt to conclude the regular season is without a doubt the toughest stretch on Florida State's schedule. It's a daunting task, especially considering some of the recent history against a few of the programs that stand in the way.

The Seminoles travel to Clemson on November 8, the time of year when the Tigers will probably be playing their best football as the likely favorite to win the ACC. It'll be the second of two straight home games for Clemson as they host Duke the weekend prior to FSU. Longtime head coach Dabo Swinney has veteran quarterback Cade Klubnik returning to Death Valley for another year.

Florida State walked out of Clemson with a victory in 2023, its first victory on the road in the series since 2013. The Seminoles have only defeated the Tigers two times in their last ten matchups, including a 29-13 defeat last season.

Clemson went 10-4 in 2024, winning the ACC Championship and advancing to the College Football Playoff before falling to Texas.

Following the game against the Tigers, Florida State is back in Doak Campbell Stadium for senior day and its home finale versus Virginia Tech on November 15. The Hokies have quarterback Kyron Drones back in the fold for another season. The Seminoles defeated VT during their most recent meeting in 2023.

Virginia Tech compiled a 6-7 record in 2024, losing to Minnesota in the Duke's Mayo Bowl. Head coach Brent Pry is entering his fourth season with the program. They'll have a week off before traveling to Florida State.

That leads the Seminoles into a brutal road trip at North Carolina State (November 22) and Florida (November 29). This will be the first time that FSU has played its final two regular season games away from home since 2021, and just the second time in 20 years. To put it simply, this is something that doesn't happen very often.

Carter-Finley Stadium is obviously a house of horror for the Seminoles. Florida State has dropped five of its last seven games on the road against North Carolina State. That includes two road losses since Norvell arrived in town (2020, 2022). Overall, FSU has lost the last three games in the series.

North Carolina State finished 6-7 in 2024 with a loss to East Carolina in the Military Bowl. Head coach Dave Doeren is 6-5 against the Seminoles since taking over the Wolfpack in 2013. The program will only have six days to recover for the Friday night game after a road game against Miami.

The Florida Gators snapped a two-game losing streak to Florida State with a blowout victory in Doak Campbell Stadium. Head coach Billy Napier secured his status in Gainesville and is looking to continue building around rising star quarterback DJ Lagway.

The Sunshine Showdown remains a critical battle to determine the pecking order in the state. It's a game that the fans donning garnet and gold want to win every single year. This one won't be easy considering the raucous environment in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. It will be the second straight home game for the Gators, who host Ole Miss before taking on the Seminoles.

Florida State has lost four of its last six games in the rivalry against the Gators, including dropping two of the three previous meetings on the road. It's worth noting that the Seminoles did take down Florida in The Swamp with a backup quarterback in 2023.

Florida navigated one of the most difficult schedules in the country to an 8-5 finish in 2024. The Gators won four straight games to conclude the campaign, including a victory against Tulane in the Gasparilla Bowl.

2025 Florida State Football Schedule:

Week 0: BYE week

Week 1: Saturday, August 30 - vs. Alabma (home-opener)

Week 2: Saturday, September 6 - vs. East Texas A&M

Week 3: BYE week

Week 4: Saturday, September 20 - vs. Kent State

Week 5: Friday, September 26 - at Virginia

Week 6: Saturday, October 4 - vs. Miami

Week 7: Saturday, October 11 - vs. Pitt

Week 8: Saturday, October 18 - at Stanford

Week 9: BYE week

Week 10: Saturday, November 1 - vs. Wake Forest

Week 11: Saturday, November 8 - at Clemson

Week 12: Saturday, November 15 - vs. Virginia Tech (home finale)

Week 13: Friday, November 21 - at North Carolina State

Week 14: Saturday, November 29 - at Florida (regular-season finale)


READ MORE: four-star 6-foot-9 offensive tackle Chastan Brown commits to Florida State

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Dustin Lewis
DUSTIN LEWIS

Lewis joined NoleGameday in 2016 and is currently in the role of Editor-In-Chief. A graduate of Florida State, Lewis contributes to football, recruiting, and basketball coverage. Connect with Dustin on Twitter at @DustinLewisNG.