# 2016 Florida State Seminoles football team
The 2016 [Florida State Seminoles football](https://www.edgepedia.org/florida-state-seminoles-football) team represented [Florida State University](https://www.edgepedia.org/florida-state-university) in the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season, finishing with a 10–3 record under head coach [Jimbo Fisher](https://www.edgepedia.org/jimbo-fisher) and closing the year with a 33–32 win over sixth-ranked Michigan in the Orange Bowl.[1](https://seminoles.com/sports/football/schedule/2016) • [2](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/florida-state/2016.html) • [3](https://mgoblue.com/news/2016/12/30/football-michigan-comes-up-on-wrong-end-of-orange-bowl-classic) It was Fisher's seventh season as head coach at Florida State, his tenth year at the university overall.[4](https://ahsfhs.org/college/Teams2/gamesbyyear.asp?Team=Florida+State&Year=2016)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Record | 10–3 overall, 5–3 in ACC play, 4–2 at home; ended the season on a five-game winning streak[1](https://seminoles.com/sports/football/schedule/2016) |
| Coach | Jimbo Fisher, seventh season as head coach; 10–3 record[2](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/florida-state/2016.html) • [4](https://ahsfhs.org/college/Teams2/gamesbyyear.asp?Team=Florida+State&Year=2016) |
| Season opener | September 5 against #11 Ole Miss at Camping World Stadium, Orlando, FL[1](https://seminoles.com/sports/football/schedule/2016) |
| Peak ranking | No. 2 in the AP poll in September 2016, the last time FSU was ranked that highly during a regular season until 2023[5](https://apnews.com/article/18d900631b1b4548cf5f6a80258e3391) |
| Bowl | Orange Bowl, December 30, 2016, Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens; FSU 33, #6 Michigan 32[3](https://mgoblue.com/news/2016/12/30/football-michigan-comes-up-on-wrong-end-of-orange-bowl-classic) |
| Winning play | Nyqwan Murray's 12-yard touchdown catch from Deondre Francois with 36 seconds left[6](https://www.nolefan.org/mguide/8-2020-Records.pdf) |
| Bowl streak | Fifth consecutive BCS/New Year's Six berth and tenth Orange Bowl appearance[7](https://seminoles.com/news/2016/12/4/orange-bowl-bound-noles-to-meet-michigan-in-south-florida) |
## Season expectations and opener
Florida State opened the season with lofty expectations on the heels of a fourth consecutive ten-win season, beginning play on Monday, September 5, against #11 Ole Miss at [Camping World Stadium](https://www.edgepedia.org/camping-world-stadium) in Orlando, a nationally televised season opener at the former [Citrus Bowl](https://www.edgepedia.org/citrus-bowl) venue.[1](https://seminoles.com/sports/football/schedule/2016) • [8](https://seminoles.com/news/2016/1/26/florida-state-reveals-2016-football-schedule) The team's 2016 season was documented weekly by SHOWTIME Sports in the series "A Season with Florida State Football."
The strong start carried the Seminoles to No. 2 in the AP poll in September 2016. That September ranking stood as the last time Florida State was ranked that highly during a regular season until the program again reached the top five early in the 2023 season.[5](https://apnews.com/article/18d900631b1b4548cf5f6a80258e3391)
## Midseason setbacks
The middle of the season brought three losses, all within the [Atlantic Coast Conference](https://www.edgepedia.org/atlantic-coast-conference), producing the team's 5–3 conference record.[1](https://seminoles.com/sports/football/schedule/2016) The schedule included a September 17 game at #10 Louisville, an October 8 game at #10 Miami in [Hard Rock Stadium](https://www.edgepedia.org/hard-rock-stadium), and an October 29 home game against #3 Clemson at Doak Campbell Stadium.[1](https://seminoles.com/sports/football/schedule/2016)
One high point of the stretch was the ground game against [South Florida](https://www.edgepedia.org/south-florida) on September 24 at [Raymond James Stadium](https://www.edgepedia.org/raymond-james-stadium) in Tampa: the Seminoles totaled 478 rushing yards as a team, one yard short of the FSU single-game record and the No. 1 team rushing performance in the nation that fall.[9](https://goheels.com/documents/download/2016/9/27/FSUUNC.pdf)
## Closing run and the Orange Bowl
Florida State won its final five games, including the November 26 home game against #13 Florida at Doak Campbell Stadium, to finish 10–3.[1](https://seminoles.com/sports/football/schedule/2016) On December 4 the program announced its [Orange Bowl](https://www.edgepedia.org/orange-bowl) pairing, noting that the game would mark the Seminoles' fifth straight berth in a BCS/[New Year's Six](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-years-six) game, their tenth appearance in the Orange Bowl, and their third game all-time against Michigan.[7](https://seminoles.com/news/2016/12/4/orange-bowl-bound-noles-to-meet-michigan-in-south-florida)
The two programs had met twice before, both in the regular season: Michigan won 20–18 during the 1986 season, and Florida State won 51–31 during the 1991 season; the 2017 Orange Bowl was the first bowl meeting between them.[10](https://mgoblue.com/news/2016/12/19/michigan_football_bowl_notes_u_m_vs_florida_state)
In the game itself, played Friday, December 30, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, the No. 6 Wolverines and No. 10 Seminoles produced a one-point finish, with Florida State escaping 33–32 in the first meeting between the teams in 25 years.[3](https://mgoblue.com/news/2016/12/30/football-michigan-comes-up-on-wrong-end-of-orange-bowl-classic) The decisive score came with 36 seconds remaining, when Nyqwan Murray caught the game-winning 12-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Deondre Francois.[6](https://www.nolefan.org/mguide/8-2020-Records.pdf)
## Aftermath
The 2016 season was also the last of Fisher's tenure at the program's peak: he resigned as FSU head coach on December 1, 2017, and did not coach the Seminoles' final two games that year.[11](https://12thman.com/documents/download/2019/11/13/10_South_Carolina_FULL.pdf) Quarterback Sean Maguire, listed on the 2016 roster as a senior, appeared in a limited role that season, completing 7 of 12 passes for 64 yards and 2 touchdowns.[12](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/florida-state/2016-roster.html)
## References
1. [2016 Football Schedule, Florida State University Athletics](https://seminoles.com/sports/football/schedule/2016)
2. [2016 Florida State Seminoles Stats, Sports-Reference](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/florida-state/2016.html)
3. [Michigan Comes Up on Wrong End of Orange Bowl Classic, MGoBlue](https://mgoblue.com/news/2016/12/30/football-michigan-comes-up-on-wrong-end-of-orange-bowl-classic)
4. [Florida State Football Team History, 2016 Season Highlights, AHSFHS](https://ahsfhs.org/college/Teams2/gamesbyyear.asp?Team=Florida+State&Year=2016)
5. [Colorado, Duke surge into the AP Top 25; Florida State climbs into top five, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/18d900631b1b4548cf5f6a80258e3391)
6. [Florida State Football media guide, 2016 Orange Bowl caption, nolefan.org](https://www.nolefan.org/mguide/8-2020-Records.pdf)
7. [Orange Bowl Bound: Noles To Meet Michigan In South Florida, Seminoles.com](https://seminoles.com/news/2016/12/4/orange-bowl-bound-noles-to-meet-michigan-in-south-florida)
8. [Florida State Reveals 2016 Football Schedule, Seminoles.com](https://seminoles.com/news/2016/1/26/florida-state-reveals-2016-football-schedule)
9. [2016 FSU Football, GM 5: UNC, goheels.com](https://goheels.com/documents/download/2016/9/27/FSUUNC.pdf)
10. [Michigan Football Bowl Notes: U-M vs. Florida State, MGoBlue](https://mgoblue.com/news/2016/12/19/michigan_football_bowl_notes_u_m_vs_florida_state)
11. [The Fisher Record, 12thman.com](https://12thman.com/documents/download/2019/11/13/10_South_Carolina_FULL.pdf)
12. [2016 Florida State Seminoles Roster, Sports-Reference](https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/florida-state/2016-roster.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Rugby and other football codes › College, minor, and international American football › College football seasons*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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