FSU Football's History vs. Southeastern Conference
It's time to look at the only college football conference that the Seminoles have faced more than their own: the Southeastern Conference. The SEC's motto, of course, is "it just means more," and regarding the 'Noles record against the conference, that's accurate: it just means more-- wins than losses.
But by the slimmest of margins. Officially, FSU is 72-71-6 against the SEC. And Florida State fans with an aversion to Jimbo Fisher will appreciate this: the Seminoles' lone perfect record against the SEC is against Texas A&M, at 4-0.
That's a small sample size, but the SEC team against which Florida State has its second best record is also the team it's played the second most times: South Carolina. The 'Noles have completely dominated the Gamecocks over the years, beginning in the late 60s. FSU first met USC in 1966, the year before its initial encounter with the Aggies. The Seminoles and Gamecocks played every year from then until 1973, and South Carolina won just twice. That beginning set the tone for the series, in which Florida State holds a one-sided 16-3 record.
That '66 season when the 'Noles and Gamecocks first met was also the first year they played Mississippi State, another SEC squad they've handled. FSU beat them six straight times before the Bulldogs finally broke through, but the garnet and gold advantage is still 7-2.
That's the same record the Seminoles hold against LSU. But give MSU credit, as it played six of those games in Tallahassee, while the Tigers hosted the 'Noles on seven occasions.
Then there are the SEC teams against which Florida State has drawn even: Ole Miss and Tennessee, both of which are 1-1 vs. the Seminoles. Each short series has seen an extensive gap between games, most notably FSU vs. the Rebels. Ole Miss won in 1961, and the 'Noles had to wait until 2016 to get their revenge. The opposite played out against the Volunteers, whom Florida State topped in Knoxville in 1958 before losing the national title game to the Vols after the 1998 season. Neither team has played in Tallahassee.
Finally, the SEC programs with winning records over the Seminoles, beginning with the school they've faced as often as any other in college football: Florida. FSU has played the Gators 64 times, the same number as Miami. The 'Noles are 26-36-2 against UF-- with the first six meetings all occurring in Gainesville.
Florida State's history against Auburn got off to a similar start. Eight of their first 10 meetings came on the plains, and the Tigers hold an overall 13-5-1 advantage; but FSU's most recent triumph over Auburn in the 2014 Rose Bowl delivered the Seminoles their latest national title.
Georgia won its first five games against FSU, played between 1954 and 1959, but the 'Noles have rebounded since, beating the Bulldogs on four of six occasions for a 4-6-1 record against UGA.
The Seminoles have a lone win against Alabama and Kentucky, but their 2007 Jacksonville victory over the Crimson Tide was vacated, so their official record against the Tide is 0-3-1; 'Bama has never been to Doak Campbell Stadium. Florida State is 1-4-1 when facing the Wildcats, but as with Georgia, three of those losses came early in the program's history.
The 'Noles have never faced Missouri, Vanderbilt, or Arkansas.
Our other pieces in this series:
