Who could have imagined that a team playing the Orange Bowl last year would start at 1-4 this season? Well, no one! That’s the shocking thing about the Florida State Seminoles’ current record. It went haywire against Georgia Tech in the season opener with a 21-24 loss. And then came their next bunch of disappointments with two consecutive setbacks against Boston College—a staggering 13-28—and Memphis (12-20). The team’s only relief came on September 21 when they triumphed over California with a 14-9 scoreline, before reverting back to a loss yet again (SMU, 16-42).

Even though this was supposed to be a rebuilding year, things have gone off the rails for Mike Norvell’s boys, except for spurts of success. To say this is surprising would be an understatement, especially after the coach was full of optimism ahead of the team’s season opener at Aviva Stadium. “Trust in their training. I believe in how we train…There’s going to be jitters, but you want a confident football team that steps on the field. I think confidence comes through work and I know these guys can work. That’s one of the reasons I am excited,” he had said on August 23.

And now, the Seminoles boys have another task coming up—they will be hosting the No. 14 Clemson Tigers on October 5, which many deem will be another day of heartbreak, except for football analyst Josh Pate.

Even though the Tigers are favorites going into their Week 6 game, Pate stated on the College Football Show, “Clemson is favored by a little over two touchdowns… but I’ve got a little concern here. It’s a seven, which is a little bit higher than a two-touchdown spread would normally indicate. I’m a little bit concerned about the potential for an upset here. I don’t think Florida State is just dead, buried, and gone. There’s going to be some little blip on the radar screen at some point this year.”

However, the analyst also laid a clear picture for both the teams. “This is a total last resort moment. You’re looking to restart your season if you’re Florida State,” Pate stated, before adding, “Clemson is surging, but is Clemson surging? Maybe. They’ve beaten App State, NC State, and Stanford, but where have the true road games come from? The answer is, they haven’t.” For the unversed, the Clemson Tigers lost their season opener against Georgia (3-34), before picking three 66-20, 59-35 and 40-14 wins against App State, NC State and Stanford, respectively.

So yes, Josh Pate isn’t giving up on FSU just yet: “Crazier things have happened. And the other thing that I just want to remind you of is every year about this time, there are teams that you’ve given up on. I do it just as well. And then you come December, look back and you say, ‘You know had I known that this team had some kind of second life about itself and I would have blindly just started betting them in October. I would be a rich man.'”

Maybe we can really expect that “blip” from the Seminoles. Well, truth be told, it does help that they are at home. On the contrary, the team will be missing one key member—their starting quarterback, DJ Uiagalelei, who sustained an injury in his throwing hand in the fourth quarter against SMU on September 29, and is expected to miss the next couple of weeks.

Instead, redshirt freshman Brock Glenn, who has had only two career starts, will take over. His last start? An embarrassing thumping by the Bulldogs (63-3) in the Orange Bowl.

But yet, Pates’ confidence knew no bounds as he even announced that he was “betting Florida State plus 14 a half over at FanDuel”. “I am adding them as a Ramen Noodle Express best bet because somehow, someway Brock Glenn is going to find a way. Somehow, someway, Clemson is going to be just subpar enough on the road, and somehow, someway, this is going to be a fight in the fourth quarter to where we can profit off of it Florida State,” he further added.

While the Seminoles have given away points, the main challenge has been the offense. They are accumulating less than 300 yards per game on offense. Rushing yards are even worse at only 65.2 per game. In the five games so far, there has been a sheer absence of big plays. Norvell’s boys are averaging 4.7 yards per play. That has to change if they are looking to cause an upset, but the Head Coach knows well the challenge they are facing.

Mike Norvell on the challenge of facing Clemson Tigers

FSU’s defensive line will be crucial if they hope to slow down a high-powered Clemson offense led by quarterback Cade Klubnik. Klubnik has played some great football this season and had five touchdowns in the game against Stanford. Not always accurate, he’s displayed enough improvisation ability to be a threat and capable of taking advantage of Clemson’s talented wide receivers. Clemson will rely on the initial rush with Phil Mafah in addition to the deep pass play. To shut out Klubnik, FSU will need to rattle the quarterback, which might be accomplished in part by putting pressure on the Clemson offense via their defensive front.

However, Mike Norvell is also focusing on Clemson’s D-line. “I mean, they’re talented. They’re talented at all levels,” Norvell said in his remarks this week. “I mean, I think the defensive line, the forcing unit… they’ve got Barrett Carter, one of the best linebackers in the country. He does a really good job sideline-to-sideline, blitzing. Their defensive front is very impactful. They’ve got some really good players there.”

It’s nobody’s guess that the Tigers’ defense are looking to have fun with the new face in the QB position for the Seminoles. How do you tackle that? As per Norvell. “You’ve got to be on point and you’ve got to be efficient in operation. And when you get your one-on-ones, you’ve got to go fight to go win the one-on-one.”

Well, Norvell’s certainly optimistic. Are you?