FSU Football's History vs. Big Ten Conference
The other day, we continued our series focused on Florida State football's past against every conference in the country by detailing the Seminoles' perfect record against the Mid-American Conference. Of course, the MAC isn't the most prestigious conference to represent the midwest-- that would be the Big Ten. And while the 'Noles aren't undefeated against the Big Ten, it's rather astounding how successful they've been against the venerable conference.
Especially given the head start the Big Ten had. The oldest conference in the country, it was founded in 1896, well ahead of FSU going co-ed and fielding its first football team in 1947. That's still very young for a program, relatively speaking, which only underscores the Seminoles' domination: they're 37-6-1 against the Big Ten, an even better winning percentage than they have against non-FBS squads.
The 'Noles have played eight of the 14 present Big Ten schools, with the most meetings coming with Maryland, as the Terrapins used to be in the ACC. Florida State is 21-2 against the Terps, with the last win being a 63-0 Tallahassee throttling in FSU's title season of 2013. UMD was ranked coming into that contest.
Speaking of national championships, the next Big Ten team with which the Seminoles have had the most interaction is Nebraska. The 'Noles hold a 6-2 series advantage over the Cornhuskers and have won the last four matchups, including their Orange Bowl meeting that resulted in Florida State's first national title, in 1993.
Of course, the 'Huskers, like the Terrapins, are somewhat new to the conference-- what about its most storied programs, Ohio State and Michigan? FSU is 3-0 against the Buckeyes and 2-1 vs. the Wolverines, even though neither team has ever played in Tallahassee.
Avoiding Doak Campbell Stadium has been a trend across the Big Ten: the only team to have played on Bobby Bowden Field aside from Maryland is Michigan State; the Seminoles had a home-and-home series with the Spartans in '87 and '88, winning both games.
The only Big Ten team other than UMD, Nebraska, and Michigan to beat Florida State? Penn State, against which the Seminoles are 1-1-1. The 'Noles are 1-0 vs. both Wisconsin and Indiana. Big Ten teams FSU has never faced: Rutgers, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Northwestern, and Purdue.
Other entries in this series, in addition to the MAC piece linked in the introduction:
