Mike Norvell says Florida State plans to play on Labor Day in 2024
The focus remains on a highly-anticipated 2023 season but Florida State is already starting to fill out its slate for 2024.
On Tuesday, the Seminoles held a press conference in the Champions Club to announce the season-opener in Ireland against Georgia Tech as part of the Aer Lingus College Football Classic. The game is scheduled for Saturday, August 24, and will be held in week zero which gives the program some flexibility regarding its schedule in 2024.
While speaking during a Q&A portion of the press conference, head coach Mike Norvell noted that Florida State is planning to a play a game on Labor Day - Monday, September 2 - in 2024. He didn't name an opponent but regardless, the Seminoles will have nine days between their first and second game to re-adjust from the time spent overseas.
"We have a game that we'll be playing here the following week," Norvell stated. "It's actually the Labor Day weekend game, we're going to be playing on that Monday, which allows us a little bit of flexibility.
"You talk about the experience, you talk about the opportunity, in all due respect, I didn't want to just go to Ireland just to play the game," Norvell continued. "As it's been said, it's so much more than just the game. We wanted the experience and because of how the schedule lays out, we're going to be able to stay an extra day there so that the players, after the game, will have an opportunity to see Ireland. To go and be able to experience some of the culture there in Dublin and just what that's going to be about. That's what made it really work for us."
That means the opening weeks of the season will feature Florida State in two nationally televised contests. Norvell has done his research on the venture, going into detail about how the team will stay an extra day in Ireland to experience some of what the country has to offer. He also mentioned that he spoke with Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald, who participated in the classic last year.
As of now, it looks like week two of the 2024 season will feature a BYE week. The Seminoles currently have an open date on that Saturday which is sandwiched between the Labor Day contest and a home contest against Memphis that is scheduled for Saturday, September 14.
Florida State has played on Labor Day weekend in each of the past two years. The Seminoles are also scheuled to match up with LSU on the holiday weekend in 2023 - Sunday, September 3, 2023.
Other dates that are known on Florida State's schedule include a road game against Notre Dame on November 9 before the team wraps up its regular-season with back to back contests against Charleston Southern on November 23 and Florida on November 30.
The Seminoles already know their conference schedule but have yet to learn the respective dates for each game outside of the international tilt against Georgia Tech. FSU will also play ACC home games against Boston College, Clemson, North Carolina, and NC State. The Seminoles will travel to Miami, Syracuse, and Virginia.
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