Same win-loss would be improvement and just one game better from last year would be a marked improvement. Not only is the schedule brutal, many teams other than FSU will be more talented and likely improved as well.
Vandy aside, IMO it’s a lot easier to go play at Pittsburg, Chestnut Hill, or Syracuse than Baton Rouge, Columbia or Lexington. I’m sure you can find some W/L stats to fit your narrative but they will be apples to oranges if they don’t include strength of schedule. Bowden was a master at scheduling, (and he did have his way with ACC alignment and scheduling). Played a well spaced, big OOC game or two every year and parlayed it into a great looking resume. And yes, he was almost always at his best in bowl games. Among Bowden’s other talents was a marvelous, albeit toxic, relationship with the Tallahassee PD, Leon County states attorney and all preachers, mamas and athletes who weren’t always model students, or students at all in at least one case, or abide by the law. I sure as heck wouldn’t buy a used car from him. He was a great recruiter and his teams were talented. That’s all I’ll give Bowden and FSU: ever.
Alabama, LSU, Auburn, Tennessee, Florida, and Georgia have always been better than the ACC whether they’re up or down. It’s just always been a tougher gauntlet and that is why Bowden in his own words were scared to play in the SEC
Agreed, Some don't understand that its not so much about where the teams are ranked (scheduling a good ranking is a thing), but its more about the week in week out grind where everyone in the conference takes their best shot at you. There are too many ACC teams where FSU won the game just by stepping on the field. That would not have happened in the SEC outside of one or two teams per year.
In any one game, Michigan could have beat any SEC team this year. They were really good and honestly built like an SEC team. But going through a year long SEC season, you can’t convince me they wouldn’t have tripped-up one or two times. You have to bring your A+ game every Saturday.
To be fair…. I didn’t watch that game. Me and my now ex took our three year old to O2BE kids that day, that’s all on me. Actually…. It’s all on her. It wasn’t my idea.
You sure? Remember, LSU had five straight losing seasons in the 90s. Kentucky was often 2-10. It was no harder than Pitt or BC, both of whom were in the Big East, btw. Show me where the strength of schedule was so weak that it turn a losing SEC team into a strong winner in the ACC. True, but how did that explain him owning SOS and his bowl opponents? They were the better program and Bowden was the better coach head to head...
1- I didn’t say WAS I said IS a tougher place to play and last time I checked the northern cities I mentioned are in the ACC. Btw, they love their pro teams up nawth. 2 reread your response and please tell me where I offered that outcome 3&4 SOS very stubbornly didn’t want to put the FSU rivalry on the same plane as SEC rivals. It was paramount to the snake oil salesman. Reread my post. I stated Bowden had his team ready for bowl games. FSU was a cess pool under Bowden.
that’s really not a terrible record against one of the Best dynasties ever. There were some great games and we won some and lost a few more than we won. Maybe some dumbass would fire him for being 5-8 and one
Bowden did have a slight edge but I wouldn’t call it owned unless I was a nole. Bowden got the best of spurrier, but he was too chickenshit to play in the SEC when he had the chance. 52-20 . There’s never been a question of whether the SEC or the ACC was a better conference and who had the tougher schedule. You can simply look at national championships and figure that one out really quick. The 90s had more parity because of Miami FSU, Penn State, USC ( a little later) and many other great coaches with great programs. It’s been really top heavy since usc got off Scot free after buying a couple titles and no punishment besides scribbling in a book. Bowden owned SOS , bullshit.
I’d buy the popcorn for any of our national championship teams that had one loss to play anybody ever. that’s just a nature of the SEC
Believe me, I am no Nole. And you're right, a 5-8-1 record wasn't bad against FSU from 1987-2000 (Miami was 6-6). We were also 6-3 against Alabama, 8-4 against Tennessee, 9-3 against Auburn, a magnificent 11-1 against the Leghumpers, 11-1 against LSU, and 6-5 against our bowl opponents. So I guess FSU was the best of all the major teams we played during that era. You're also right saying that Bowden refused to play in the SEC, but that was largely due to the SEC Championship game, one extra opportunity to lose against a strong team. But my point is that if FSU was a fraud due to their All Cupcake schedule, wouldn't have Florida, Miami and the bowl opponents exposed them as frauds padding their schedule with weak teams, as Georgia brutally exposed them in the bowl game? Granted, the Noles was a shell of their earlier team without their strong defense, but we all know why they all bolted. They just took their ball and went home. Looking at every P5 team with two or fewer losses, Florida was 14-19-1 (.426), from 1990-2001, which ain't bad, while FSU was 15-14-1 (.517). And yes, I remember 52-20 as well. It was glorious!
