Since suing the Atlantic Coast Conference, and essentially announcing to the world that it is too good to be associated with the likes of Georgia Tech and Boston College, Florida State has not won a football game.
The Seminoles have gone from preseason top 10 to 0-3 after losing at home to Memphis on Saturday. That was after starting the season with losses to Georgia Tech in Ireland and Boston College in Tallahassee.
“I know what it takes for a team to go out there and be able to execute and play at a high level. We all have to do a better job of what we’re doing throughout the course of the week,” Florida State coach Mike Norvell told reporters.
The last time a preseason top 10 lost its first three games was No. 7 Penn State in the abbreviated pandemic Big Ten season of 2020. Throw out that and Texas A&M in 1988 was the previous to go from top 10 to 0-3, according to Sportradar. Those Aggies also started 10th, but that team's 0-3 start included three games against ranked teams, none at home.
The Seminoles, coming off an ACC championship and College Football Playoff snub, are also the first team to start 0-3 after having an unbeaten regular season the year before since Arizona State started 0-4 in 1976.
This is the program the Big Ten and Southeastern Conference will be fighting over if it can hit free agency?
“We all have to prepare better,” said Norvell, who received an eight-year extension that made him a $10 million-per-year man after drawing some interest from Alabama to replace Nick Saban.
Memphis, Norvell's former team, took home a Power Four victory and $1.3 million for the trip to Tallahassee. The money is nice, but it won't make up for the fact that beating Florida State might not do much for a playoff resume this season.
If Clemson's Dabo Swinney can be criticized for being transfer portal-phobic, maybe Norvell became too portal-dependent in building a team that was one of the best in the country last season.
The imports have been more miss than hit this year, most notably quarterback DJ Uiagalelei, and there is not enough in-house talent through high school recruiting to make up for it.
Florida State's regular-season finale against Florida is shaping up to be one of the saddest games of the season. At least Norvell can be confident he'll still have his job by then. The way things are going in Gainesville, Gators coach Billy Napier might not make it to Monday.
The humbling of the Seminoles doesn't help the ACC when it comes to putting teams in the new 12-team CFP, but it would be shocking if some of FSU's conference mates aren't enjoying the Seminoles' demise just a little.
Florida State is suing the ACC, trying to find a way out of a contract that expires in 2036 without paying a half-billion dollars. Florida State has insisted it should make more money than its less accomplished and famous ACCers.
The conference has tried to accommodate FSU by setting up a bonus program that rewards its best football programs.
How much for making it to the Birmingham Bowl?
Florida State officials, trustees and supporters have been emboldened to bully the ACC over the past couple years as Norvell pulled the program from the ditch Jimbo Fisher drove it into and Willie Taggart couldn't pull it out of.
Nobody would deny Florida State has been the standard-bearer of ACC football since it joined the conference 30 years ago. But its bravado, not to mention its attractiveness to the SEC and Big Ten, falls flat when the Seminoles are the nation's most disappointing team.
“I think from their attitude and approach and in the locker room, we are all disappointed. But we continue to work and pour into each other,” said Norvell, whose postgame news conference ended, appropriately enough, with a fire alarm going off.
Maybe not Georgia when the latest AP Top 25 comes out Sunday.
The Bulldogs slogged to a 13-12 victory at Kentucky on Saturday night. That probably opens the door to No. 2 Texas or No. 3 Alabama jumping to No. 1.
The Longhorns have hardly broken a sweat through three games, and they showed Saturday against UTSA they probably have the best backup quarterback in America.
Alabama was glitchy last week against USF but had no issues against Wisconsin, sucking the life out of “Jump Around.”
No. 1 has won but lost the No. 1 ranking dozens of times in poll history. It happened three times in 2022, with Alabama and Georgia moving in and out of the top spot.
That last time Texas was No. 1 was Oct. 26, 2008.
The first Apple Cup played in September went to Washington State as the Cougars beat Washington, their flat-leaving former Pac-12 rivals now in the Big Ten, with a late goal-line stand.
"The Palouse is gonna party,” Wazzu coach Jake Dickert said after leading the Cougars to just their second victory against the Huskies in 11 meetings.
New Washington coach Jedd Fisch might want that option to call back the decisive fourth-and-goal.
Washington State is off to a 3-0 start, with consecutive wins over Power Four schools after trouncing Texas Tech last week. The Big 12 didn't want the Cougs, either.
In between, it was announced that Washington State and Oregon State are rebuilding the Pac-12, starting with the additions of Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State and San Diego State.
Things didn't go quite as well Saturday for Oregon State. The Beavers were trounced by No. 9 Oregon, which finally looked like the top-five team it was billed as in a dominant second half.
Tired: The Backyard Brawl should be played every year. Wired: The Backyard Brawl should be played every month. Pitt rallied from 10 down in the fourth quarter to beat West Virginia in another wild installment of one of college football's great rivalries that had been interrupted by realignment. The Panthers and Mountaineers play again next season in Morgantown to cap a four-game series — and then go on break again until 2029. Shame. ... No. 4 Alabama and Jalen Milroe demolished Wisconsin in a rare trip north for the Crimson Tide. Milroe might be the early Heisman Trophy front-runner with eight touchdown passes and six TD runs. Next up: No. 1 Georgia in Tuscaloosa on Sept. 28. ... A week after losing to Northern Illinois from the Mid-American Conference, No. 18 Notre Dame beat Purdue of the Big Ten 66-7, the most points the Fighting Irish have scored in a game since 1977. If ever there was a case for promotion and relegation in college football, give NIU the Boilermakers' spot. ... LSU coach Brian Kelly has implored his team to be better at finishing games after losing the opener to USC. The 16th-ranked Tigers finished off a comeback at South Carolina in a crazy and sloppy affair that didn't necessarily inspire confidence in LSU as an SEC contender. ... Indiana is off to a 3-0 start after the Hoosiers routed UCLA at the Rose Bowl in the Bruins' first Big Ten game. Brash first-year coach Curt Cignetti talked a big game upon arrival at Indiana and has delivered a highly functional team that has outscored its opponents 150-23. ... No. 13 Oklahoma State is 3-0 even though All-American Ollie Gordon has run for just 216 yards and under 4.0 yards per carry. ... The MAC struck again, though Toledo's decisive victory at Mississippi State hardly looked like an upset. Year 1 under Jeff Lebby is looking like a long one for the Bulldogs. ... Missouri All-American Luther Burden III broke out with 117 yards and a TD as the sixth-ranked Tigers beat No. 24 Boston College in the Saturday's only game matching ranked teams.
Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP
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Washington State defensive tackle Bryson Lamb (99) holds up the Apple Cup Trophy while celebrating with running back Djouvensky Schlenbaker (15) and edge Nusi Malani, far right, after beating Washington 24-19 in an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Lebanon’s health ministry said Wednesday that at least nine people were killed and 300 wounded by exploding electronic devices in multiple regions of the country.
The explosions came a day after an apparent Israeli attack targeting pagers used by Hezbollah killed at least 12 and wounded nearly 3,000.
Associated Press journalists reported multiple explosions at the site of a Beirut funeral for three Hezbollah members and a child killed by exploding pagers the day before.
Hezbollah’s Al Manar TV reported explosions in multiple areas of Lebanon, and a Hezbollah official told the AP that walkie-talkies used by the group exploded in Beirut. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
Hezbollah began striking Israel almost immediately after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack that sparked the Israel-Hamas war. Since then, Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged fire daily, coming close to a full-blown war on several occasions and forcing tens of thousands on both sides of the border to evacuate their homes.
Gaza’s Health Ministry says more than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed in the territory since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. The ministry does not differentiate between fighters and civilians in its count but says a little over half of those killed were women and children. Israel says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.
Here's the latest:
Israel’s army chief says Israel has drawn up plans for additional action against Hezbollah and is ready to strike.
“We have many capabilities that we have not yet activated,” Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said after approving new operational plans at Israel’s Northern Command on Wednesday.
“Every time we work at a certain stage, the next two stages are ready to go forward strongly,” he says. “At each stage, the price for Hezbollah needs to be high.”
UNITED NATIONS — Asked about Tuesday’s pager explosions, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called it especially serious not only because of the large number of victims “but because of the indications that exist that this was triggered — I would say, in advance of the normal way to trigger these things — because there was a risk of this being discovered.”
“Obviously the logic of making all these devices explode is to do it as a preemptive strike before a major military operation,” the U.N. chief said. “So as important as the event in itself, is the indication that this event confirms that there is a serious risk of a dramatic escalation in Lebanon.”
“Everything must be done to avoid that escalation,” Guterres said.
Guterres made the comments prior to finding out about Wednesday’s explosions involving walkie-talkies.
JERUSALEM — Israel’s defense minister has declared the start of a “new phase” of the war as Israel turns its focus toward the northern front against Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.
Speaking to Israeli troops on Wednesday, Yoav Gallant made no mention of the mysterious explosions of electronic devices in Lebanon in recent days. But he praised the work of Israel’s army and security agencies, saying “the results are very impressive.”
He said that after months of war against Hamas militants in Gaza, “the center of gravity is shifting to the north by diverting resources and forces.”
“We are at the start of a new phase in the war - it requires courage, determination and perseverance,” he said.
Gallant's comments came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was huddling with top security officials at Israeli military headquarters in Tel Aviv.
BEIRUT — Hashem Safieddine, head of Hezbollah’s Executive Council said Wednesday that the militant group will respond to Tuesday's pager explosion attack with “special punishment."
The group is in a “new confrontation with the enemy," Safieddine said.
Hundreds of handheld pagers exploded almost simultaneously Tuesday across Lebanon and in parts of Syria, killing at least 12 people, government and Hezbollah officials said. Officials pointed the finger at Israel in what appeared to be a sophisticated remote attack. The Israeli military declined to comment.
GENEVA — The U.N. human rights chief is calling for an independent investigation into mass explosions from detonating pagers in Lebanon and Syria.
Volker Türk said in a statement Wednesday that “the fear and terror unleashed is profound” and urged world leaders to step up “in defense of the rights of all people to live in peace and security.”
Türk said the targeting of thousands of people — whether civilians or members of armed groups — without knowledge of who held the devices or where they were, violates international law.
The statement made no reference to who might be responsible for Tuesday’s explosions.
“The protection of civilians must be the paramount priority,” he said, alluding to the deadly violence in the Middle East in the wake of the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel. “De-escalation is today more crucial than ever.”
TEL AVIV, Israel — Israeli police said an explosion in a park in Tel Aviv last September was intended to target former military chief of staff and defense minister Moshe Yaalon. No one was injured in the September 15, 2023 attack, which authorities have attributed to Hezbollah, based on the type of explosive used, without providing additional information.
Police said investigations of the people involved in placing the explosive revealed that Yaalon was the intended target. The explosive was equipped with cameras allowing the attackers to trigger it remotely when they saw their target approaching.
The announcement comes after police said they and Israel’s Shin Bet security agency had thwarted a similar attack using the same type of explosive on Tuesday. The Shin Bet said in a statement that it had found an explosive device fitted with a camera and a mechanism that would allow it to be activated by Hezbollah from Lebanon. It said the attack was to be carried out in the coming days.
The Shin Bet did not provide evidence linking the device to Hezbollah, which has been trading fire with Israel along the Lebanese border since the outbreak of the war in Gaza. Authorities did not say where the device was found or identify the target of the foiled attack, but said the official had been notified.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has accused the U.S. and its allies of backing the exploding pagers attack on Hezbollah in Lebanon and Syria.
“Using devices, made for welfare of human beings, as a tool for assassination and annihilation” of those who don’t hold the same views of the U.S., Israel and the West is “an indication of the collapse of humanity as well domination of savagery and barbarism,” the website of the president quoted him as saying Wednesday.
“The incident once again showed that western nations and Americans fully support crime, killings and blind assassinations by the Zionist regime, in practice,” Pezeshkian added.
Iran is the chief supporter of Hezbollah, the militant Lebanese group that Israel sees it as its most direct threat. Many of the group’s fighters were killed and injured in Tuesday’s explosions.
Iran has already sent a group of Iranian medics to Lebanon to help victims of the explosions.
BEIRUT — Lebanon’s health minister says the death toll from the exploding pager attack on Hezbollah has increased to 12 people, including two children and an unspecified number of healthcare workers..
Health Minister Firas Abiad said that two-thirds of the wounded needed hospitalization, adding that the scale of the incident was far greater than the thousands wounded in the massive Beirut Port explosion in 2020.
Most of the wounded were in Beirut and its southern suburbs, he said.
TEL AVIV, Israel — Israel’s military said they had intercepted two suspicious drones that approached Israel from Lebanon and Iraq on Wednesday morning, the day after pagers used by the militant group Hezbollah exploded in Lebanon and Syria, killing at least nine people, including an 8-year-old girl, and wounding nearly 3,000. Hezbollah and the Lebanese government blamed Israel for what appeared to be a sophisticated remote attack.
On Wednesday, the Israeli military said they intercepted a drone launched from Lebanon over the Mediterranean Sea near the coast of northern Israel. Another drone launched from Iraq was intercepted by Israeli air force fighter jets. There were no injuries or damage reported.
Israel also began moving more troops to the northern border with Lebanon in preparation for a possible retaliation.
As a precautionary measure, the Israeli military moved its 98th Division to the northern border, an official said. The division, which includes infantry, artillery and commando units, has until recently been fighting in Gaza. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
Hezbollah began firing rockets over the border into Israel on Oct. 8, the day after a deadly Hamas-led attack in southern Israel triggered a massive Israeli counteroffensive and the ongoing war in Gaza. Since then, Hezbollah and Israeli forces have exchanged strikes near-daily, killing hundreds in Lebanon and dozens in Israel and displacing tens of thousands on each side of the border.
JERUSALEM — The Israeli military says four soldiers were killed in southern Gaza and five others were wounded, with three of them in serious condition.
The deaths on Tuesday came nearly a year into the war in Gaza, which was triggered by Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. The army did not describe the circumstances, but Israeli media reported that the soldiers were killed by a hidden bomb that exploded inside a building.
One of the four, Staff Sgt. Agam Naim, an army paramedic, was the first female soldier to have been killed in combat in Gaza, according to Israeli media.
Hamas and other armed groups remain active across the territory despite months of heavy Israeli bombardment and ground operations that have destroyed vast areas and displaced most of the population.
Israel says 346 of its soldiers have been killed since the start of ground operations last October. The military says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.
TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwanese company Gold Apollo said Wednesday that it authorized its brand on the pagers that exploded in Lebanon and Syria but that another company based in Budapest manufactured them.
Pagers used by hundreds of members of the militant group Hezbollah exploded near-simultaneously Tuesday in Lebanon and Syria, killing at least nine people, including an 8-year-old girl, and wounding more than 2,000. Hezbollah and the Lebanese government blamed Israel for what appeared to be a sophisticated remote attack.
The AR-924 pagers used by the militants were manufactured by BAC Consulting KFT, based in Hungary’s capital, according to a statement released Wednesday by Gold Apollo.
“According to the cooperation agreement, we authorize BAC to use our brand trademark for product sales in designated regions, but the design and manufacturing of the products are solely the responsibility of BAC,” the statement read.
Gold Apollo chair Hsu Ching-kuang told journalists Wednesday that his company has had a licensing agreement with BAC for the past three years, but did not provide evidence of the contract.
The AR-924 pager, advertised as being “rugged,” contains a rechargeable lithium battery, according to specifications once advertised on Gold Apollo’s website before it was apparently taken down Tuesday after the sabotage attack. It could receive text messages of up to 100 characters and claimed to have up to 85 days of battery life. That’s something that would be crucial in Lebanon, where electricity outages have been common as the tiny nation on the Mediterranean Sea has faced years of economic collapse. Pagers also run on a different wireless network than mobile phones, making them more resilient in emergencies — one of the reasons why many hospitals worldwide still rely on them.
A poster of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah is placed on flowers in front of the Lebanese Embassy in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
CORRECTS DAY TO TUESDAY WHEN INJURED Lebanese Red Cross ambulance passes next of the families of victims who were injured on Tuesday by their exploding handheld pagers, at the emergency entrance of the American University hospital, in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
CORRECTS DAY TO TUESDAY WHEN KILLED Hezbollah fighters carry the coffins of fallen four comrades who were killed Tuesday after their handheld pagers exploded, during their funeral procession in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
Lebanese soldiers and firefighters gather outside a mobile shop after what is believed to be the result of a walkie-talkie exploding inside it, in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)
Lebanese security officers stand next of a partly damaged car after what is believed to be the result of a walkie-talkie exploding inside it, in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)
Hezbollah fighters carry one of the coffins of four fallen comrades who were killed Tuesday after their handheld pagers exploded, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
FILE - Israeli soldiers move next to destroyed buildings following Israeli strikes during a ground operation in the Gaza Strip, Sept. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa, File)
Civil Defense first-responders carry a man who was wounded after his handheld pager exploded, in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024.(AP Photo)
People gather outside the American University hospital after the arrival of several people who were wounded by exploding handheld pagers, in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Palestinians in Lebanon wave their national flags during a protest in front of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) headquarters in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
People gather around an ambulance carrying wounded people whose handheld pager exploded, at the emergency entrance of the American University hospital in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
The supermoon rises behind the houses in Mas'ade, a village in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
A Lebanese Red Cross volunteer collects blood donations for those who were injured by their exploded handheld pagers, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, at a Red Cross center in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)
