There have been a lot of things to like about what Mike Norvell has done at Florida State this season and over the course of his time as head coach of the program.

The Seminoles are an improved team after bottoming out during the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season. There is a general feeling that Norvell has Florida State heading in the right direction and that has shown up on the field this year for the most part.

That being said, Florida State still doesn’t feel close to competing for an ACC title, a top-10 finish or a playoff spot. It won’t happen this year and it might not happen next year or the following year unless Norvell and his staff can recruit more young playmakers on both sides of the ball who can be immediate contributors. Often I’ve been told by FSU fans that when the wins come, the recruits will come.

Well starting this week, and for the next 5 weeks, the Seminoles (4-3, 2-2 ACC) will have a golden opportunity to make the wins come and put the top recruits in the state and the region on notice. The 2nd half of Florida State’s schedule looked daunting during August, but now it appears to be very manageable as the season has taken form.

So no more excuses for Norvell and this group of Seminoles. The clock on developing and establishing a winning culture is ticking. Eventually the only way to establish a winning culture is to win. He needs to put his foot on the gas and challenge the Seminoles to be great. Florida State football needs to use these 5 weeks to remind fans of what they used to be and what they can be again. Norvell has said the right things during the press conferences and everyone seems to be impressed with the foundation he’s trying to build. But the proof of his plan will be in the success of the product.

“There’s been a lot of lessons that we’ve learned throughout the course of the year as we go into this back stretch of games,” Norvell said this week. “It’s really about the consistency of our application, going out there and playing a 60-minute game to the best of our ability.”

If the Seminoles can play to the best of their ability, there’s no reason we shouldn’t be talking about a 9-3 team that’s likely ranked among the top 20 when the regular season ends.

Florida State currently 20th in the FPI rankings, the only remaining opponent the Seminoles have that is ranked higher is Syracuse at 18th. The numbers would suggest that FSU is going to favored against its other 4 opponents. And it should be.

Georgia Tech (FPI ranking: 89) is a wounded animal coming into Saturday afternoon’s game. Quarterback Jeff Sims is questionable and if he can’t play, the Yellow Jackets are not going to be able to get much done offensively.

It felt like Miami (FPI ranking: 57) gave up during its 45-21 home loss to Duke. The Mario Cristobal era might turn out to be very good at some point, but it’s off to a horrible start and the Seminoles will have a chance to send their rivals from Dade County into a complete freefall.

Syracuse (FPI ranking: 18) is going to be the toughest game during this stretch, but the Orange (6-1, 3-1) is far from unbeatable even at home. Dino Babers’ squad also is improved, but in its biggest test of the season the Orange gave up 293 rushing yards to 5th-ranked Clemson. The Seminoles’ group of running backs should be able to challenge that run defense.

Louisiana (FPI ranking: 77) will be at a complete disadvantage with talent and speed. The Seminoles will be double-digit favorites in their tune-up for Florida.

As for the Gators (FPI ranking: 41), they have little depth on defense and it has been getting exposed during the 2nd half of games most of the season. It’s no surprise that Florida has the worst 3rd-down defense in the country (Yes, the Gators are tied for 126th in 3rd-down conversions allowed). Anthony Richardson is capable of magic and the Florida offensive line will be a real challenge. But if Norvell and the Seminoles want to be taken seriously, this is a game they have to win.

There’s a belief by some that Norvell has a ceiling at FSU and he won’t be able to challenge the top programs for the recruits needed to turn a good team into a great one. The Seminoles have 5 weeks to validate his process and prove the doubters wrong.