FSU football projected to return to a bowl game in 2026

The Florida State Seminoles are heading to New York, at least according to one of college football's most respected prognosticators. On3's Brett McMurphy released his 2026 post-spring college football bowl projections on Wednesday, slotting the Seminoles into the Pinstripe Bowl in the Bronx, New York, against the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

The projection carries significant optimism for a Florida State program that has missed bowl eligibility in back-to-back seasons. The Seminoles finished 5-7 in 2025 after going 2-10 in 2024, the program's worst record since 1974, meaning McMurphy's Pinstripe Bowl projection requires FSU to win at least six games in 2026, snapping what would be a two-year bowl drought.

The Pinstripe Bowl, played annually at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, has historically served as an ACC vs. Big Ten matchup. For Florida State, the road to bowl eligibility runs through one of the program's most consequential off-seasons in recent memory.

Mike Norvell enters his seventh season at the helm, having made sweeping changes to the roster and coaching staff, with new quarterback Ashton Daniels — a transfer from Auburn — inheriting an offense that returns just six starters and an entirely rebuilt offensive line. The strength of the schedule, the development of Daniels, and the defense will determine whether McMurphy's projection proves prophetic or optimistic.

The Seminoles last appeared in a bowl game following the 2023 season, when they finished 13-0 in the regular season before a highly controversial College Football Playoff snub. A Pinstripe Bowl berth in December would represent a program starting to get back on track, and the first step in what Norvell and his staff hope is a longer climb back toward ACC relevance.

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