Georgia may have ruined Florida State’s program with last year’s Orange Bowl demolition

After missing out on the final iteration of the four-team College Football Playoff, Florida State has done nothing but whine and lose, badly. Georgia was first up, dismantling a Seminoles team that was a shell of itself, not just without quarterback Jordan Travis, whose leg injury is the main reason FSU was left out of the party even as the ACC Champs, but with numerous opt-outs on both sides of the ball as well. 

For a team primarily constructed through the transfer portal, following Georgia’s 63-3 rout of the Noles, Mike Norvell nearly had to start from scratch in the portal, and this year’s haul wasn’t quite as impressive. Former five-star quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei has been a disaster through two games, and none of Norvell’s receivers have been able to replicate the production that Keon Coleman and Johnny Wilson gave his team in 2023. 

FSU fell to Georgia Tech in Week 0, 24-21 on a last-second field goal over in Dublin, Ireland. Then, back in the States for Week 1, the Noles put forth an even more embarrassing effort on Monday night at Doak Campbell Stadium, falling to Boston College 28-13. Now, it’s worth asking if Georgia is responsible. 

In the Orange Bowl, Kirby Smart made it clear to Norvell that his program was not nearly on the same level. Even after Carson Beck did his damage, Georgia’s backups and third-string players continued to dominate what was left of the Seminoles. Norvell knew he couldn’t hand the keys of his offense to Brock Glenn, who finished nine of 26 for 139 yards and two interceptions that day, and now he’s stuck with DJU. 

This isn’t the first time that Georgia’s high-profile demolition of a so-called national championship contender left lasting damage. Sonny Dykes had to feel his success at TCU was sustainable after beating Michigan to make the national title game in his very first season. 

However, Since Georgia’s 65-7 win, TCU’s best players fled the program for the NFL and the Horned Frogs are 6-7 and 3-6 in Big 12 play. When you run up against Kirby Smart in the postseason, he doesn’t just beat you that day, he dismantles your football program and we’ve seen it two years in a row.