Once unrivaled, UF-FSU now is just another game
By GARY SHELTON
Published November 20, 2005
Maybe somebody needs to kidnap the mascot. Boolah-boolah, as they say in the low country.
Maybe somebody needs to wave an old oaken bucket in the distance. That would fire them up at the old pep rally.
Maybe somebody needs to a light a bonfire, and somebody else needs to threaten to throw in a losing coordinator. Maybe they could make S'mores.
Can't someone do something, anything, to try to make the FSU-Florida game important again?
Suddenly, we have all moved to Oregon. Or Mississippi. Or Arizona. Or any of those other places where teams dress up and try to make believe they are someone important doing something that matters. In some rivalries, you can throw the records out when the teams play. With Florida and Florida State, the teams wish you would.
Welcome to Commonplace, America.
Home of the Not-Very-Good Championship.
Six days from now, two teams will get together to compare disappointments. Pretty much, that's all that is left of the Florida-FSU rivalry. No one will steal a glance at the national championship trophy. No one will talk about the Heisman. No one will debate the rankings. Everyone will talk about next year, and a few years ago. Winners get one of those "I'm Slow But I'm Ahead of You" bumper stickers.
Once, this was the most essential rivalry in America. You could argue that Army-Navy had more tradition and Auburn-Alabama had more passion and Kentucky-Louisville had more basketballs, but you could not argue against Florida-FSU for sheer importance.
For 11 straight seasons, from 1990-2000, both teams were ranked in the top 10 when they played. Five of those seasons, they were both in the top five. There were championships. There were Heisman winners. There were big moments and unexpected stars and coaches on their way out and late hits and hard feelings.
These days, the game has turned ordinary and, for crying out loud, it's getting worse. Florida is ranked 20th, and FSU is ranked 22nd, and even at that both programs seem incredibly overrated. Not since '86 has neither been ranked in the top 15. Remember the past couple of years, when everyone was grumbling how the teams had slipped? Turns out, those years were like watching titans fight in the clouds compared to this one.
When FSU loses to a Bowden, when Florida loses to Spurrier, you know it's a bad year in the Mosquito State. Only a few weeks ago, FSU was ranked fifth in the country and Florida was sixth, and since then they've been two boulders racing down the avalanche. Since the start of October, FSU is 3-3 and Florida is 4-3. To tell the truth, both teams have had more good luck in the victories than bad luck in the defeats.
Now tell me: How in the world can either team win this game?
By now, FSU was supposed to be rocking. You figured if the young quarterback, Drew Weatherford, could survive early tests against Miami and Boston College, he would be something special by now. With Chris Rix out of the way, you would have expected the offense to be lighting it up after 10 games.
By now, Florida was supposed to be rolling. You figured if the new coach, Urban Meyer, could win games against Tennessee and Georgia, he would have a feel for his league by now. With Ron Zook out of the way, you would have expected the talent to have blossomed after 10 games.
Want to know how bad this game has become?
Saturday, there will be representatives from the Meineke Car Care Bowl looking hard at FSU, trying to figure out if the Seminoles are good enough for them. Perhaps they will say no. Across the press box, there will be scouts for the Independence Bowl. The Independence Bowl isn't even good enough for Poulan Weedeaters anymore, but it might be too good for the Gators.
Such is the new reality of this rivalry. This year, Southern Cal-UCLA is more important. This year, Texas-Texas A&M is more important. Let's face it: This year, South Carolina-Clemson is more important. If the rivalry slips any more, players from the grudge match between Amherst and Williams (where the tiebreaker is a rousing round of Final Jeopardy) are going to start talking smack.
Say what you want about the cyclical nature of college football; true, greatness stays only so long. Say what you wish about recruiting mistakes or injuries at the wrong positions or the difficulty of their respective conferences.
For both Florida and FSU, it comes down to this question: Should they be better than they have been? Of course they should.
That's a criticism. It's also a bit of hope that both programs won't be sending hams to representatives of the Peach Bowl for years to come.
Both FSU and Florida have a lot of money. Both have great tradition, good facilities, rabid fans. Both recruit a fertile state. There is no reason for either not to be good.
Of course, they say that at the Carleton College-St. Olaf game, too.
As you know, St. Olaf took home the Goat Trophy this year.
If Florida and FSU fans feel a little jealous, well, it's understood.