In a critical season for Mike Norvell at FSU, a fast start will again be crucial | Weiler

We knew the who for Mike Norvell's third season atop the Florida State football program.

We now know the when.

The Seminoles' 2022 schedule was released Monday night, beginning a countdown which is unfortunately still over 200 days away to the start of the next FSU football season.

The 2022 campaign will be a critical one for Norvell and his coaching staff. People have been patient, sitting through eight total wins over his first two seasons, but the expectations continue to grow as the roster is more and more shaped in his desired image.

Now, the expectations must remain realistic. Eight wins could happen for FSU in 2022, but that shouldn't be the baseline and won't be the expectation from Las Vegas when the win total betting line is unveiled.

But at least six wins feels both incredibly doable with this slate of games and quite critical for Norvell's long-term future in Tallahassee.

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There are quite a few things to like about FSU's 2022 schedule. For one, their Week 0 game vs. Duquesne on Aug. 27 means the Seminoles get two bye weeks.

They get one of their byes two games into the season and then another five games later, splitting the season up into three tolerable segments. FSU won't play more than five weekends in a row.

That's a luxury most teams don't get.

Early game vs. LSU a chance for FSU to get off to fast start

For the second straight year, FSU has the path for a potential fast start. A game vs. LSU in New Orleans on Sept. 4 will be a challenge, but the Tigers have a new coach, quite a few new players and will be playing their first game while FSU will be playing its second.

The LSU game, while not a must-win, is a chance for Norvell to show some proof of concept.

FSU was also done a favor by the ACC by not being thrown into the deep end of conference play. The only potential Week 2 ACC opponent FSU could have played that week was the Clemson Tigers in Tallahassee.

Instead, FSU gets a bye week and nearly two full weeks to prepare for its first road game of the season at Louisville. The Cardinals, meanwhile, will play at UCF six days before hosting FSU.

A surefire win? Absolutely not. The Cardinals have won two straight over FSU and return quarterback Malik Cunningham. But it's an early chance for FSU to show the strides it has made two years after getting blown out in that very stadium.

After that, a return home to welcome in Boston College on Sept. 24 and a chance to close out the month on a strong note.

A 4-0 start is not likely a given during that stretch, but it also doesn't feel impossible. Even a 3-1 start would go a long way toward getting the Seminoles the head start they may need with the brutal stretch ahead that begins on Oct. 1.

October shapes up to be a difficult one for the Seminoles

Once that calendar turns to the second full month of the season, things really ramp up for the Seminoles. A road trip to NC State sandwiched between home games against Wake Forest and Clemson means the Seminoles are facing the top three teams in the ACC Atlantic standings this past year in consecutive weeks.

Norvell hasn't beaten any of these three teams during his first two seasons at FSU and needs to start changing that narrative -- especially on Wake Forest and NC State -- if he's going to lead the Seminoles to their first winning record in ACC play since 2016.

FSU could very well be an underdog in each of those three games. Unless it starts the season 4-0, it's entirely possible the Seminoles have a sub .500 record seven games into the season.

Thankfully, FSU is rewarded with a bye after that home matchup vs. Clemson on Oct. 15. This gives the Seminoles a chance to recuperate before the closing stretch, which will determine exactly how hot Norvell's seat will be entering the offseason.

It begins with a chance at revenge for the Seminoles. While Georgia Tech shocked FSU at Doak Campbell Stadium in Norvell's first game back in 2020, the Yellow Jackets haven't progressed under head coach Geoff Collins, giving FSU a prime chance to avenge its loss two years later.

Should FSU have at least four wins entering its final four games, its easiest path to six wins would be at Syracuse (Nov. 12) and home vs. Louisiana (Nov. 19). Both will be games where FSU should be favored and are definitely the type of games that FSU should win in Norvell's third season.

Those two games are sandwiched between games where FSU and Norvell have a chance to gain some style points and in-state momentum at Miami (Nov. 5) and at home vs. Florida (Nov. 25).

FSU hasn't beaten the Gators since 2017. It snapped a four-game losing streak to the Hurricanes this past season. A win against either -- or both, which FSU hasn't done since 2016 -- would be a major boost to Norvell's resume.

Both these rivalries coming so late in the season is definitely a bit of a double-edged sword. While it gives Norvell more time to build his team up and introduce new players, it also gives new Miami coach Mario Cristobal and new Florida coach Billy Napier more time to integrate their beliefs and concepts into their programs.

Looking at the schedule as a whole, it's hard to see any changes that would make things better for FSU.

The LSU game is a tough addition on top of a challenging conference slate. Louisiana is no cake walk in terms of a Group of Five opponent.

But it lines up about as well as it could for the Seminoles.

In what will be a critical season for Norvell, the schedule won't be a viable excuse.

2022 Florida State football schedule

April 9: Garnet & Gold Spring Game (5 p.m. EST)

Aug. 27: vs. Duquesne

Sept. 4: vs. LSU (New Orleans)

Sept. 10: OFF

Sept. 16: at Louisville

Sept. 24: vs. Boston College

Oct. 1: vs. Wake Forest

Oct. 8: at NC State

Oct. 15: vs. Clemson

Oct. 22: OFF

Oct. 29: vs. Georgia Tech

Nov. 5: at Miami

Nov. 12: at Syracuse

Nov. 19: vs. Louisiana

Nov. 25: vs. Florida

Reach Curt Weiler at cweiler@tallahassee.com or follow him on Twitter @CurtMWeiler.

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU Seminoles' 2022 football schedule about as favorable as possible