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Yesterday’s Poll Results

Today’s Poll

🏹 Welcome to The Chief Brief! 🏹

Happy Monday, Seminole!

Plenty to catch up on after a bye week — and the Noles made moves without even playing.

📈 Florida State climbed in the Top 10 of both major polls, setting the stage for a strong second act to September.

⚽ Women’s soccer stayed unbeaten with a 4–0 road rout of Syracuse, extending their dominance before a top-25 clash at UNC.

⚾ Former Seminole Cal Raleigh tied Mickey Mantle with his 54th homer of the year — and he’s chasing even bigger records down the stretch.

🏐 Volleyball lit up a packed Tully Gym, rallying to take down Auburn and notch their first win over the Tigers since 2017.

🔄 Coaching chaos at UCLA and Virginia Tech could hand FSU an edge on the recruiting trail, with multiple high-value targets now back on the board.

🔍 And with the Noles idle, Noles247 scouted the rest of the schedule: Miami keeps rolling, Florida keeps spiraling, Clemson keeps stumbling — and Alabama might be better than anyone thought.

Let’s dive in.

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📈 Noles Jump into Top 10 📈

Florida State’s bye week didn’t stop them from climbing the rankings — the Seminoles are back in the top 10 of both major polls for the first time since the start of 2024.

🔥 Poll Movement

• AP Top 25: FSU up 3 spots to No. 7, passing Texas and Illinois.

• Coaches Poll: FSU up 3 spots to No. 9, benefitting from losses by South Carolina and Clemson.

• ACC Picture: Miami sits ahead at No. 4 (AP) and No. 6 (Coaches).

💡 Context

• Notre Dame fell all the way to No. 24 after an 0–2 start.

• Texas slipped to No. 8 after an unimpressive win over UTEP.

• FSU’s 2–0 start and Alabama upset continue to carry weight with voters.

⏭️ What’s Next
Florida State returns Saturday at 3:30 p.m. vs. Kent State (1–2) after the Golden Flashes fell to Buffalo, 31–28.

👉 Full poll breakdown here

⚽ No. 7 FSU Blanks Syracuse on the Road ⚽

Florida State women’s soccer stayed unbeaten with a dominant 4–0 win at Syracuse on Sunday, improving to 6-0-1 (2-0-0 ACC). The Orange, previously unbeaten in 7 straight, had no answers for the Seminoles’ attack.

🔥 Scoring Summary

• 43’ — Solai Washington netted her first of the season (assists: Peyton Nourse, Marianyela Jimenez).

• 53’ — Mya Brandon doubled the lead (assist: Enasia Colon).

• 56’ — Wrianna Hudson buried her 7th goal of 2025, extending her torrid stretch of 5 goals in 4 matches (assists: Colon, Jordynn Dudley).

• 66’ — Syracuse own goal capped the scoring.

📊 By the Numbers

• Shots: FSU 20 (7 on target), Syracuse 4 (1 on target).

• GK rotation: Evan O’Steen (45 min, 1 save), Kate Ockene (45 min, clean sheet).

• All-time vs. Syracuse: 8-0-1 overall, 7-0-1 in ACC play.

⏭️ What’s Next
The Noles travel to No. 19 North Carolina on Wednesday night (7 p.m., ACC Network) for a top-25 showdown.

👉 Full match recap here

⚾ Cal Raleigh Ties Mickey Mantle ⚾

Former Seminole Cal Raleigh keeps making history in Seattle, belting his 54th home run of the season on Sunday to tie Mickey Mantle for the most homers in a single year by a switch-hitter.

🔥 By the Numbers

• 54 HR, 115 RBI — Leads MLB in both categories.

• .937 OPS — .245 AVG / .359 OBP / .578 SLG.

• 43 HR as a catcher — anchoring the Mariners’ lineup.

• Career: 147 HRs in 5 seasons; previous high was 34.

📊 Record Watch

• 55 HR will break Mantle’s record.

• 57 HR would pass Ken Griffey Jr. for most in Mariners history.

• 60+ HR has only been done by 3 AL players ever.

⏭️ What’s Next
With 12 games left, Raleigh has a chance to cement himself among the all-time greats in MLB history.

👉 More context on Cal’s historic season here

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🏐 Noles Take Down Auburn in Home Opener 🏐

Florida State volleyball (4–3) bounced back in front of a packed Tully Gym, rallying after a slow start to beat Auburn (6–2) in four sets — snapping the Tigers’ six-match win streak and notching FSU’s first win in the series since 2017.

🔥 Match Flow

• Set 1: FSU clawed back from a 12-point hole but fell 25–21.

• Set 2: Noles raced ahead 15–9, closed strong on a 5–1 run to even the match.

• Set 3: Tight battle until late, but clutch plays from Filimaua, Ewing, Whalen, and Henke sealed it 25–22.

• Set 4: All FSU — never trailed in a dominant 25–14 finish.

🌟 Standouts

• Iane Henke: Career-high 19 kills, extending her 15+ kills streak to 6 straight matches.

• Kyleene Filimaua: 16 kills, her 5th double-digit outing in a row.

• Nenu Kepu: Breakout night with 11 kills and 6 blocks.

• Mio Yamamoto: Defensive anchor with 20 digs.

⏭️ What’s Next
The Noles stay home for a quick turnaround against Georgia State on Monday at 5 p.m. (ACCNX).

👉 Full match recap here

🔄 Coaching Chaos Could Benefit FSU 🔄

Three weeks into the season, two Power Four head coaches are already out — UCLA’s DeShaun Foster and Virginia Tech’s Brent Pry — and Florida State could be one of the winners from the chaos on the recruiting trail.

🔥 Names to Watch

• ⭐⭐⭐ EDGE Yahya Gaad (Tennessee)
  Former UCLA commit, already set to visit Tallahassee before Foster’s firing. Decommitted immediately and confirmed he’ll be at FSU vs. Kent State this weekend.

• ⭐⭐⭐⭐ OT Johnnie Jones (Florida)
  Top-100 recruit and longtime FSU target. Took an official visit in June, has family ties to Tallahassee, and just decommitted from UCLA. Noles are firmly in the mix.

• ⭐⭐⭐⭐ EDGE Andrew Rogers (2026, reclassified)
  Virginia Tech pledge, but expected to visit FSU for the Pittsburgh game (Oct. 11). Tennessee, Auburn, MSU, and LSU are circling, but Pry’s firing opens the door wider for the Seminoles.

🌟 Why It Matters
Staff changes create instability — and FSU is positioned to pounce on multiple high-value targets who already have Tallahassee ties.

👉 Full Rivals/Warchant update here

🔍 Scouting the Schedule: Week 3 Notebook 🔍

FSU’s bye week gave Noles247 a chance to check in on future opponents — and the results made for an eventful Saturday across the board.

🐺 NC State vs. Wake Forest

• NC State (3–0) beat Wake (2–1) 34–24, fueled by RB Hollywood Smothers’ 164 rushing yards.

• QB CJ Bailey flashed strong arm talent.

• Wake’s QB Robby Ashford is dangerous with his legs but erratic as a passer.

• WR Chris Barnes is a legit weapon in the return game and downfield passing attack.
  Takeaway: Both are beatable, but FSU must neutralize Barnes and Smothers.

🌪️ Miami Rolling

• Miami crushed USF 49–12 and looks like FSU’s toughest test.

• QB Carson Beck: 78.3% completions, 812 yards, 7 TDs through 3 games.

• RB duo Mark Fletcher + Jordan Lyle powering the ground game.

• Defense is much sharper than last year.
  Takeaway: October 4 could be a Top 5 showdown in Tallahassee.

🦃 Virginia Tech Spiraling

• Hokies fell to 0–3 after a 45–28 embarrassment vs. Old Dominion.

• Trailed 31–0 before garbage-time scores.

• Defense, supposedly a strength, looks broken.
  Takeaway: Brent Pry’s was fired yesterday.

🐅 Clemson Cracks Again

• Lost 24–21 to Georgia Tech on a last-second 55-yard FG.

• Offense looks lifeless: QB Cade Klubnik has 3 INTs, 3 TDs in 3 games.

• Defensive front hasn’t been as dominant as expected.
  Takeaway: Winnable road trip to Death Valley if FSU’s O-line holds up.

🐊 Florida Flailing

• Gators lost 20–10 to LSU, now 1–2.

• QB DJ Lagway threw 5 interceptions.

• Defense held LSU to 13 offensive points, but offensive woes persist.

• Upcoming gauntlet: at Miami, vs. Texas, at Texas A&M.
  Takeaway: Napier’s hot seat is blazing.

📌 Other Opponents

• Kent State: Lost 31–28 to Buffalo.

• Stanford: Beat Boston College 30–20.

• Pittsburgh: Fell in OT to West Virginia, 31–24.

• Virginia: Routed William & Mary, 55–16.

🐘 Extra: Alabama Watch

• Since losing to FSU, Tide have outscored opponents 111–14 (38–14 over Wisconsin this week).

• QB Ty Simpson rebounded with 608 yards and 7 TDs on 41/46 passing over the last two games.
  Takeaway: FSU’s Week 1 win over Bama looks even better.

👉 Full opponent-by-opponent breakdown here

And that’s a wrap!

That’s a wrap on the bye-week edition — and the Noles still found ways to climb, shine, and set up what’s next. With Kent State coming to Tallahassee this weekend, the chance to keep momentum rolling is right around the corner. From rankings to rival meltdowns, it feels like the season is just starting to heat up.

See you back here tomorrow as we turn the page toward game week.

Go Noles 🍢