‘Built in the Dark,’ ‘Lights Are ON’ — College Football Programs Mock FSU for Primetime Power Outage vs. SMU

There was no power in Tallahassee for the Seminoles contest against SMU for well over an hour, as CFB programs took turns to clown FSU.

Week 1 of college football is almost over, and there’s always chaos each week, but none quite like this week. On primetime, Florida State’s Doak Campbell Stadium lost power minutes before the Seminoles were expected to kick off against No. 19 SMU.

While Florida State scrambled to find a solution for the power outage, other college football programs scrambled their social media teams to troll FSU.

PFSN 2026-2027 CFB Playoff Predictor
Play out the entire college football season with PFSN's CFB Playoff Predictor to see what it means for conference standings and the CFB playoffs!

CFB Programs Troll Florida State’s Power Outage on Primetime

It’s a tough look for Florida State to lose power on primetime, where everyone is tuning in to watch an ACC matchup in Week 1. But fans and college football programs around the country had to wait an hour and 40 minutes for kickoff in a game where much of the technology isn’t even on.

In-state rivals, the Miami Hurricanes, were quick to take to social media, ripping the Seminoles for not having power. The Hurricanes play Florida A&M on Thursday night at home and, in a hype video, poked fun at the fact that their stadium has power and the lights are on to get their fans ready.

“The lights are ON at our house. See YOU at Hard Rock on Thursday,” said Miami.

SMU was getting antsy to get on the field for its first action of the season.

PREDICT THE CFB SEASON: PFN’s Free CFB Playoff Predictor

While Florida State played in Week 0, SMU did not, and their first test of the season is an ACC road game, which isn’t the easiest ask. But they didn’t care about the delay, the lack of helmet-to-helmet communication, or a non-working scoreboard or visible game clock; they just wanted to play ball, and eventually they got that chance.

“WE JUST WANT TO PLAY FOOTBALL,” said SMU.

Late in the second quarter, much of the technology came back, restoring normalcy to the conference showdown. An ACC game in Week 1 is rare, but ACC fans are getting treated to it early.

Other ACC programs had fun going after Florida State, too.

“Built in the Dark,” Wake Forest chimed in.

“Lights all the way up on Friday,” said Virginia.

Big 12 schools, Baylor and TCU, got in on the action, and similar to Miami, they used this opportunity to get their fans pumped up for their games this weekend.

DIVE IN: PFN’s Free CFB HQ — Team and Player Stats, Info, and More

“LIGHTS ON. THIS SATURDAY,” TCU added.

“Lights are ON this Saturday for 254 Night,” said Baylor.

Of course, the SEC had to get in on the action, too. Did anyone think that they wouldn’t? Auburn gave its fans a shoutout while trolling Florida State.

“Back under the lights with the best fans in the country soon,” said the Auburn Tigers.

While Florida State took an embarrassing amount of heat for their power issues, they were at least able to get the game going.

MORE: ‘Most Uncomfortable Press Conference I’ve Ever Sat Through’ — CFB World Reacts to Bill Belichick Staying Silent on UNC’s Legal Issues

It’s been a rough few years in Tallahassee with back-to-back losing seasons under Mike Norvell, and this power fiasco was no different. It will take some doing to get this stain off, but a win here on Monday night will go a long way.

More CFB Articles

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

More CFB Articles

‘Insanely Bad Call,’ ‘Absolutely Pathetic’ — CFB Fans Furious as Controversial Call Goes Against FSU Vs. SMU With No Instant Replay In Play

The FSU-SMU game kicked off without access to instant replay, and unsurprisingly, an "insanely bad call" has caused social media to erupt.

‘Get Your Own Stadium,’ ‘You’re Homeless’ — CFB Fans Torch Miami Hurricanes for Mocking FSU’s Power Outage From ‘Rented’ Hard Rock Stadium

College football fans returned the favor to Miami after the Canes trolled FSU for its primetime power outage.

‘Dabo Swinney Has Run His Course’ — NFL Legend Joins Chorus Demanding Clemson Show Iconic HC the Door

Dabo Swinney’s Clemson future is in question after a brutal LSU loss, with calls growing for the Tigers to make a coaching change.