Florida State has five games left, including two against rivals, but the opportunities are there to turn the season around.

The Seminoles (3-4) will face four straight unranked teams before finishing with No. 17 Florida. And with three games at Doak Campbell Stadium, FSU has a chance to build off some of the positives while knocking off a rival and securing a spot in a bowl game.

“I want to see growth,” FSU coach Mike Norvell said. “That's our focus is that each week we step on the field, are you growing to maximize your potential? Are you growing to be the best that you can be? And that's my focus.

“At the end of the day, as I've said, I believe in what this team can do. I believe in the guys that we have, I think we've got some really talented young players that are growing into who they can be, who they are.”

Through a difficult season, one that followed a 2-10 season and a 5-7 year, Norvell has discussed his conviction in what the Seminoles can accomplish. They have been among the most inconsistent teams in the ACC, routing Virginia one week only to be drilled at Louisville the next. FSU has lost to a pair of current top 10 teams in Miami and Alabama on the road as well as a narrow home loss to No. 19 SMU.

The Seminoles have a chance to redeem themselves on Saturday at 7 p.m. (ACC Network) when they host Clemson (4-3), which has also struggled to find its footing in lopsided defeats to LSU and Miami and also lost in a home game to Virginia Tech on Saturday.

Neither FSU nor Clemson is ranked for the second straight season in the matchup between the programs. It’s an oddity in a rivalry that once decided who would represent the Atlantic Division in the ACC title game.

Neither team is all that high in the ACC standings. Clemson is tied for sixth at 2-2 in league play, while FSU is among four teams with just one win. One of those teams, NC State, fired coach Dave Doeren on Saturday.

But a rivalry win would be significant for Norvell, who is on a hot seat and is just 41-38 in the middle of his seventh season.

"The results and the record are not where we want it to be. We've had close games, we've had opportunities, but we've got to go take a step as a football team, and this team, I think, is poised and ready to go do that. It's time to see that applied."

Injury report

Norvell wasn't specific on the availability of players but he sounded encouraged about linebacker Blake Nichelson, who is "progressing" but is unlikely to play this week. When asked specifically about the linebackers, including Omar Graham Jr., Norvell said: "I do feel that we'll be able to have most of those guys there at the linebacker room back."

He also thinks freshman defensive back Jordan Crutchfield is "trending well" to return to the field. Freshman receiver Devin Carter is also close to a return to the field. FSU coaches will release an availability report later in the week.

Norvell said he and the coaches had some hard practices in the bye week but also gave the players the weekend to rest up and prepare for Clemson.

"At the end of the day, you get bumps and bruises," Norvell said. "Your depth will always be tested. Some positions are really thin."

Upon further review

Norvell didn't go into depth about follow-up conversations with the ACC office over the double-overtime calls at the end of FSU's loss to Miami. He did broadly discuss conversations with the ACC's head of football officials, Gary Patterson.

"Nobody's happy with what happened. I think Gary handled it in a respectful manner for how he's evaluating the calls that are made, there's going to be good calls, there's gonna be bad calls," Norvell said. "We had a good conversation there last week. Kind of gave me his feedback. Each week you send in plays that you have questions about, because it's still about growing and getting better. If there's things that are done a certain way, if there's a foul called, you want to make sure that you could teach your players, and then there's sometimes that there's just misses."

It' notable that Norvell was far less fiery than he had been a week ago. But he also chose his words carefully, indicating respect for the officials but also critiquing them.

"That's where he's able to teach his officials on things that they see or what they think they see," Norvell said. "In some of those moments, they can be game-changers. They can be life-changers."

Peter Warrick to be honored

FSU legend Peter Warrick will be honored during a break in FSU's game against Clemson. Warrick will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame later this year.

"Peter Warrick was one of those players who could change a game every time he touched the ball,” NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell said. “He was a tremendous talent and a big reason Florida State enjoyed such an incredible run in the late 1990s, capped by the 1999 national championship. We’re thrilled to welcome him into the College Football Hall of Fame and honor him in front of the Seminole faithful.”

He will also make an appearance at Madison Social on Friday from 4-6 p.m.

Warrick becomes the 10th Seminoles player inducted into the Hall, joining Fred Biletnikoff (1962-64), Ron Sellers (1966-68), Ron Simmons (1977-80), Deion Sanders (1985-88), Terrell Buckley (1989-91), Charlie Ward (1989, 91-93), Marvin Jones (1990-92), Derrick Brooks (1991-94) and Warrick Dunn (1993-96). Hall of Fame coaches who headed the Florida State program include Bobby Bowden and Darrell Mudra.

FSU-BC time set

The Seminoles will play at Boston College on Nov. 7 at noon on the ACC Network. That time and TV was announced by the ACC on Monday.

FSU will benefit from an evening flight back to Tallahassee. The Seminoles will have a short turnaround, flying up to play Pittsburgh on a Friday, Nov. 13.

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