Mike Norvell enters the 2026 college football season on as hot of a seat as anyone in the sport.
On Labor Day, the Florida State coach will get the first true opportunity to show whether this will be the Seminoles team that gets the program's fortunes turned around — and allows Norvell to hang on to his job.
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Florida State will play its first ACC game of the season against one of the best teams on its schedule when it hosts No. 20 SMU on Monday, Sept. 7 at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida.
The Mustangs have had little, if any, trouble in their adjustment to Power Four football, going 20-7 in two seasons in the ACC, including a 14-2 mark in conference play and a College Football Playoff
appearance in 2024. This season, coach Rhett Lashlee's team brings back arguably the most important figure from both of those squads in quarterback Kevin Jennings, who has accounted for 7,294 total yards and 58 touchdowns the past two seasons.
SMU's path back to the ACC championship game begins against the Seminoles, who have gone 8-17 since an undefeated 2023 regular season that ended with them controversially getting left out of what was then the four-team College Football Playoff. They got their 2026 season off to an underwhelming start in Week 0 with a 34-17 win against New Mexico State, a game in which they led by only a touchdown late in the third quarter.
Get real-time updates, scoring plays, turning points and expert analysis throughout as Florida State takes on SMU. Follow along as USA TODAY Sports provides live updates, highlights, injury news, key plays and instant breakdown from the Mustangs-Seminoles showdown.
Florida State vs SMU live score
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Florida State vs SMU live updates, analysis
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Florida State vs SMU time today
05:22 PM ET, September 7 2026, Craig Meyer- Date: Monday, Sept. 7
- Start time: 7:30 p.m. ET | 6:30 p.m. CT
- Location: Doak Campbell Stadium (Tallahassee, Florida)
SMU and Florida State are scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff on Sept. 7 from Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee.
What TV channel is Florida State vs SMU on today?
05:22 PM ET, September 7 2026, Craig Meyer- TV channel: ESPN
- Streaming: ESPN app | Fubo (free trial)
Florida State and SMU football's Week 1 game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN. Dave Pasch (play-by-play) and Dusty Dvoracek (analyst) will be on the call while Taylor McGregor will serve as sideline reporters.
Streaming options for the game include the ESPN app, which requires a valid cable login to access, and Fubo, which offers a free trial to potential subscribers.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Florida State vs SMU football live updates: Start time, TV, predictions for Week 1 game
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