FSU Presents Cautionary Tale for College Football, Even Clemson

It can't possibly happen to your program.

There's simply no chance. Things are too good. Wins are piling up. Big-time high school recruits are turning into NFL draft picks. Players are developed at a high level by elite coaching. Competing for conference and national championships are the norm, the expectation.

Anything less is a down year. But there aren't down years. Not for your program.

Had somebody given Florida State fans that speech 20 years ago, they would've bought it hook, line and sinker. After all, the Seminoles won nine consecutive ACC titles and 12 total from 1992-2005. They produced two national championships and two Heisman Trophy winners during that era. They finished in the top-5 in the polls for 14 consecutive seasons. That might never be duplicated.

Then, after a brief hiatus from national relevancy and the retirement of coaching legend Bobby Bowden, Florida State returned to win a national title in 2013. Jameis Winston won the Heisman and became a No. 1 overall NFL draft selection. Head coach Jimbo Fisher was considered "elite." He won 78 games in his first seven seasons in Tallahassee.

Seven years ago, nobody was better than the Seminoles. Six years ago, they were in the first-ever College Football Playoff. Four years ago, they were a 10-win team for the sixth time in seven years.

All was right in the Florida panhandle...until it wasn't. The bottom fell out in 2017. Fisher departed before the season was even done and bolted for Texas A&M, leaving with a 5-6 record in his final campaign.

A year after hiring Willie Taggart, FSU's 36-year bowl game streak came to an end with a 5-7 record. The next season, Taggart didn't even get a chance to coach out the rest of the season. He was fired, paid handsomely and the administration was on to Mike Norvell.

In between Fisher and Norvell, there are documented issues with administration vs. coaches, lack of leadership, culture and academics, even recruiting. So many guys with plenty of stars by their names either couldn't stick around or never developed much beyond high school.

The offensive line has been one of the nation's worst the last several years. Quarterback plays has been abysmal. The offense has been changed more times than a newborn baby. This has been one of the most undisciplined teams in college football in terms of penalties.

And now, when FSU hosts No. 4 Clemson on Saturday at noon, the Seminoles will face a third consecutive year of pure embarrassment. The Tigers are a 35.5-point favorite. They've won the last two meetings in the series by 40 points per game. They're likely about to make it a third.

FSU is reeling. Between injuries and opt-outs, there isn't much for this 2-6 team to look forward to in 2020, except for the end of it. The Seminoles, who four years ago had one of the best running backs in ACC history in Dalvin Cook, are now battling with Duke and Syracuse at the bottom of the conference standings.

It's incredible how quickly it can get away from you, how it looks like it'll last forever. Life comes at you fast in college football. Ask Tennessee or Nebraska. But this is Florida State. It's got history, one of the most talented high school football states in the country and a conference it's supposed to win every year.

"Florida State's a national brand. When it comes to your home-state recruiting, you got a recruiting base," Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said. "They've got an incredible brand and a great tradition."

Instead, it's 80 points worse than its biggest ACC rival the last two years. The gap isn't closing either. It's growing at an accelerated pace.

It's a cautionary tale for all teams enjoying the view from the top of the mountain, even Clemson. The Tigers are on as solid ground as any team in the country. That's because of a multitude of constants. Most of all, they have Swinney, and he has the complete backing and confidence of the president, athletic director and board of trustees.

That breeds consistency and success. Clemson isn't going to experience a drop off like FSU until things change at the top. But things can always change.