Florida State football will begin the 2026 season outside the traditional Top 25, but CBS Sports still sees the Seminoles as a top-40 team nationally entering Mike Norvell’s seventh season in Tallahassee.
The Seminoles checked in at No. 38 in the preseason CBS Sports 138 released Wednesday. The rankings, published by CBS Sports’ Chip Patterson, are determined by ballots submitted by college football experts from CBS Sports and 247Sports and rank all 138 FBS programs.
Florida State is the seventh-highest ACC team in the preseason ranking. The Miami Hurricanes lead the conference contingent at No. 7, followed by the SMU Mustangs at No. 20, Louisville Cardinals at No. 25, Clemson Tigers at No. 27, Pitt Panthers at No. 35 and Virginia Cavaliers at No. 37.
The Seminoles sit immediately ahead of the Virginia Tech Hokies, which opens at No. 39.
Ohio State holds the top spot overall, followed by Oregon, Notre Dame, Texas and Georgia. Patterson noted that Ohio State, Oregon, Notre Dame, Texas and Miami all received at least one first-place vote during CBS Sports’ preseason balloting, illustrating the lack of a clear consensus at the top entering the season.
Florida State’s placement comes after the Seminoles finished 5-7 overall and 2-6 in ACC play in 2025. FSU opened last season with a 31-17 victory over Alabama but ultimately missed bowl eligibility after dropping seven of its final nine games.
The CBS Sports rankings also provide an early indication of the difficulty awaiting Florida State. FSU will face No. 20 SMU in its ACC opener on Labor Day before traveling to No. 13 Alabama on Sept. 19. Later matchups include No. 25 Louisville, No. 7 Miami, No. 27 Clemson, No. 35 Pitt and No. 22 Florida.
The Seminoles will have an opportunity to begin changing their national perception when they open the season against New Mexico State on Aug. 29 at Doak Campbell Stadium. Florida State then hosts SMU on Sept. 7 before its first road test at Alabama.
At No. 38, FSU enters the year with ground to make up nationally and within its own conference, leaving the Seminoles an opportunity to climb quickly if they can capitalize on a schedule loaded with teams currently ranked ahead of them.
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This article originally appeared on FSU Wire: Florida State opens outside the Top 25 in preseason ranking
