I don't know that I can ever recall going into a season opener like this.

I've been following Florida State football for four decades, and I'm not sure I can rememeber a game in which I was so unsure of what exactly I was about to watch.

There's a chance the Seminoles upset No. 9 Notre Dame tonight (7:30, ABC). There's a chance they lose by three or four touchdowns. I really have no idea how this will turn out.

But here's what I do know: Don't put TOO much stock in what happens tonight.

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If the Seminoles pull off the upset, which is a distinct possibility, don't assume the dynasty has returned. Be excited, sure. But understand there's still a lot more left to prove. Let's not fall victim to what they did in Austin a few years ago when, "Texas is back!" was screamed on national television as the Longhorns beat the Fighting Irish in overtime to open the season.

It's one game.

On the flip side of the coin, don't assume the Norvell Era is going to be forever mired in mediocrity if the Seminoles happen to lose tonight. Notre Dame is good. Florida State hasn't been for a while now.

Mike Norvell has got a rather large project ahead of himself, and one game -- even a disappointing loss -- won't mean that the Seminoles are unsalvageable. Or that his tenure is destined to fail.

*ALSO SEE: Florida State Football Matchup Analysis & Prediction: FSU vs Notre Dame

It's one game. In Year 2 (or Year 1.5 depending on how you view COVID-2020).

Going from awful, which FSU was for most of last year, to beating Notre Dame in just one season is a pretty big ask. It's not impossible, of course. Notre Dame isn't THAT good, and I don't think FSU is THAT bad. The Seminoles can do this. I truly believe they can.

But whatever happens, it would be foolish to view it as a referendum on the Norvell Era.

I personally think he has a chance to be a great coach here. I think he can turn it around and sustain success. And no matter what happens tonight, I'm not going to be shaken from that belief.

Season openers are always goofy and unreliable predictors of what kind of year you're going to have. It's a long season. Things change. Players get better. Quarterbacks get more confident. Defenses force punts. These things happen over the course of a season!

So even if FSU loses convincingly, the sun hasn't set forever on Florida State football. This guy is recruiting like his job depends on it -- because, you know, it does. And he's instilling a mindset, a hard-working attitude, that really could prove to be beneficial as the season wears on. Norvell knows what he wants. And he makes sure everyone in his program understands what he wants.

The problem, for tonight, might just be that he doesn't have the requisite talent to beat a team like Notre Dame. That doesn't mean in a year or two he won't. And for all we know, by that time, he might have the roster to beat everyone on the schedule. But for now, he's not working with an immense amount of raw material. Certainly not by Florida State standards.

And that's what this is all about, right? Getting back to Florida State standards. Getting back to where you go into every game -- Notre Dame, Clemson, Jacksonville State, Wake Forest, whoever -- expecting to win.

You go into every season expecting to compete for a championship.

Mike Norvell is in Year 2 of a massive rebuild. And, because FSU always likes to start the season with the toughest opponent it can find, he gets to play Notre Dame in Week 1. That's not exactly a recipe for early success.

So, we'll see how it goes.

I think the Seminoles have a good shot. I wouldn't be stunned at all if they pulled off the upset. I also wouldn't be stunned if you left the game before the fourth quarter was over.

I really have no idea what to make of this team.

I do have an idea what to make of this head coach. I like him. I think he has a chance to be the guy that turns this thing around. He's recruiting his tail off, he's a no-nonsense, my-way-or-go-somewhere-else type of coach, and he's proven he can maintain a winning program.

He has principles and values that he believes in. And, from what we've seen, his players seem to believe in them, too. His next step is getting a roster full of great players. For now, he's working with what he's got.

Maybe that's enough to beat Notre Dame tonight.

Maybe it isn't. The folks in Vegas seem to think it isn't -- although that line has dropped from 10 or 10.5 down to 7 at last check.

But no matter what happens, judging Norvell on this game -- win or lose -- is a fool's errand. There have been a lot of teams that have won that first game, against a name opponent, and then fallen off a cliff later in the season.

There have also been plenty of teams that lost that first game and wound up having a good or great season.

Personally, I don't foresee the Seminoles having a great year even if they win this game tonight. There are just too many holes on this roster to be a championship contender or vie for a New Year's Six bowl.

But I do think they might have themselves a really good coach, who is in the midst of building the program back into what it used to be.

And I'm not sure there's anything I could see tonight that would make me change my mind.

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Talk about this story with other Florida State football fans in the Tribal Council