r/CFB • u/CFB_Referee /r/CFB • Sep 08 '26

Postgame Thread [Postgame Thread] SMU Defeats Florida State 27-24

Box Score provided by ESPN

Team 1 2 3 4 T
SMU 7 10 0 10 27
Florida State 7 3 7 7 24
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111

u/CoachSlime Nebraska • Colorado State Sep 08 '26

Norvell Buyout:

Fired during 2026 season ~$51m

Fired after 2026 season: ~$42.5m

111

u/Aedanwolfe Oklahoma Sooners Sep 08 '26

Its not thaaat much savings relatively

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u/xmjm424 Florida Gators • Team Meteor Sep 08 '26

There’s also not that much benefit to firing him midseason when who ever replaces him isn’t available until after the season anyways. Unless they’re AD is an idiot (and he might be), he’ll work through back channels regardless.

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u/kill-devil-films Ohio State Buckeyes Sep 08 '26

Yeah but its a signal to donors at least.

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u/WorkerMotor9174 California Golden Bears Sep 08 '26

The major donors are probably the ones putting up at least some of the money for a buyout. Then again they were prepared to can him last year if they could have gotten Kiffin.

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u/kill-devil-films Ohio State Buckeyes Sep 08 '26

Yeah, Im just looking at the timeline with recruiting battles in Nov/Dec that will need NIL funds for.

3

u/Substantial_Good9669 Sep 08 '26

Idk, for VT getting in early let us get our first pick of candidates, we hired Franklin before our season even ended

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u/Volleyball45 Penn State • Appalachian State Sep 08 '26

I wonder how long before Franklin’s name starts popping up in coaching rumors. It was an open secret that at Penn State that he wanted his name out there and he never did much to shut down the rumors. FSU was always a job that was rumored to be very attractive to him and that he’d consider leaving PSU.

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u/Big_Watch4135 Penn State Nittany Lions Sep 08 '26

Frumors

I will say- we are lucky with his buyout that he is a good coach - just time ran out here.

Does anyone realistically want Norvell? They may be stuck with the full buyout.

1

u/Substantial_Good9669 Sep 08 '26

I mean if he does well enough at vt we will have rumors after one year. He was pretty highly sought after when he was fired and if he shows those 2 losses were flukes I imagine he'll be a top target every cycle. 

We will still be a way better program for it, his contract was structured knowing this was a possibility.  Its back loaded with a modest buyout for a school seeking to poach him, so financially we'd be ahead and he's already totally modernized our administrative pracrices. And presumably it'd mean he won 9 ish games a year

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u/max_power1000 Navy Midshipmen • Michigan Wolverines Sep 08 '26

That was kind of a perfect storm where you had an ideal candidate come available early in the cycle too though.

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u/Substantial_Good9669 Sep 08 '26

Sure but assuming it wasn't Franklin, we'd have still been postured to get in early on guys like Chesney or Sumrall. I'm not saying it's a guarantee but I think if you do know you're moving on, the process feels way better if you get to officially start your search in November rather than in December. 

Also the team just flat out was better after the firing. We got to properly evaluate some guys who we ended up paying to stay

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u/Distance_Runner Florida State • Wake Forest Sep 08 '26

The AD was the same guy who was goated into signing Norvell to his insane contract to begin with. Yea he might be an idiot

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u/Icedcoffeeisgreat Florida State Seminoles • LSU Tigers Sep 08 '26

Oh he is an idiot

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u/ItsFreakinHarry2 UCF Knights • Florida Gators Sep 08 '26

Man I wish I could consider $8.5m “not that much”

Obviously it’s different when it’s an entire athletic department but sometimes I think we forget this is real money that is getting spent and not just numbers on a spreadsheet

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u/guinness_blaine Princeton Tigers • Texas Longhorns Sep 08 '26

In the current landscape, they could put some of that saved 8.5M towards rebuilding the roster. I think it’s relevant.

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u/TrixieLurker Notre Dame • Northwestern Sep 08 '26

Giving how cheap they are about maintaining the lights at Doak Campbell Stadium...

45

u/NanoBuc Florida Gators • Team Chaos Sep 08 '26

How terrible was the extension he signed?? Feels like they've been whittling away at that number for years and it'll only be down to 42.5 mil after this season. Jesus, they may never actually be rid of this guy.

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u/Magnus77 Nebraska • Concordia (NE) Sep 08 '26

Its unfortunately becoming a bit of a norm, instead of direct pay bumps its extra years 80-90% guaranteed.

I know Rhule's buyout basically locks him in at Nebraska at least through next season barring something crazy happening.

I'm not on the fire Rhule brigade by any means, but I don't love how much money is tied up in buyouts. It'd be after 2028 before his buyout is below Brian Kelly's 51mil, if I remember the numbers right.

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u/PlateForeign8738 Sep 08 '26

I guess thats one extension I didn't understand. Giving Rhule that extension after going 19-19 ....

Like why? Where was he going?

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u/Magnus77 Nebraska • Concordia (NE) Sep 08 '26 edited Sep 08 '26

Penn St., his alma mater, was open and we were sitting at 6-2, bowling for two consecutive seasons for the first time in a decade.

It is what it is. I don't love the terms, but I understand why they are what they are, and why it was given. I understand why people get upset about it as well, but I'm not the one paying for it, so I'll just see how it plays out.

edit: Thinking on it, its sort of like the NFL where a lot of teams overpay QB's. Yes, the contract probably isn't worth it, but it might be, and the alternative is worse.

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u/PlateForeign8738 Sep 08 '26

If you are paying a coach because their record over the 1st 8 games and not the 2nd half collapse every season, that's just bad business.

1

u/TheStinkyStains Auburn Tigers • Alabama Crimson Tide Sep 08 '26

That's how I felt about Malzahn. After he got an extension for going 7-6, I didn't want him anymore. His 10 win seasons after that didn't change my feelings.

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u/ThaCarter Miami Hurricanes • Indiana Hoosiers Sep 08 '26

What does "after 2026" mean here, like February after the portal closes?