Columns

Romano: Greatness seems long way off for Seminoles

By JOHN ROMANO, Times columnist
Published January 1, 2008

NASHVILLE - For a moment, with the ball floating through the night air, they were special again. They were not underachievers, and they were not disappointments.

For a moment, with the outcome still in doubt on the game's final play, they made you recall the qualities that once made Florida State seem as if it possessed all the secrets of magic.

Alas, the ball eventually came down, and the moment inevitably passed. And, in the end, you were left with the sad reality of what the Seminoles have actually become.

A mediocre team that lost a mid-level bowl to an unheralded opponent.

There are mitigating circumstances, to be sure. The Seminoles were without dozens of players, including nearly one-third of their starters, because of academic shenanigans and other issues before this Music City Bowl game against Kentucky.

Still, the problems were of their own doing and so FSU got what it deserved. And that is another year at 7-6, another year out of the Top 25 rankings, and another year farther away from the program's glory.

"Moral victories," quarterback Drew Weatherford said after the 35-28 loss, "only take you so far."

In some ways, Monday's bowl game really was among FSU's finest moments this season. Despite a real possibility of embarrassment, despite being a huge underdog, the Seminoles played a spirited and entertaining game.

But, of course, that is not enough. Not for a program that once set the standard for sustained excellence in college football. Not for a program that finished 14 consecutive seasons in the top five, but has not been back in the past seven years.

Perhaps that is why, when the final Hail Mary pass was batted down in the end zone, FSU linebacker Derek Nicholson fell to his knees on the sideline with his head buried in his hands.

Perhaps that is why the mounting problems off the field have people wondering about Bobby Bowden's effectiveness after more than half a century of walking college football sidelines.

Perhaps that is why it seemed so much like pity to hear fans calling Bowden's name as he came off the field.

The coach insists the program is not far from returning to the top. The pieces, he explains, are in place. It is just the impact players that are lacking. The difference-makers, such as Derrick Brooks and Warrick Dunn and Charlie Ward.

"Sometimes, it's only one or two players," Bowden said. "It's not like we're out of players.

"We do need some stars, though."

And they need them in a hurry. For, if you look at the program as a blue-chip stock, it has fallen well beyond its peak. Bowden's winning percentage at FSU in the 1970s was an impressive .739. In the '80s, it rose to .758. In the '90s, it was an astonishing .893 with two national championships.

But in this decade, the Seminoles are winning at a rate of .669.

National championships were once the expectation. Now, a shot at winning the Atlantic Coast Conference title would be a welcome change.

The seniors who left LP Field Monday evening were left talking of the future instead of reveling in the past. They came to Tallahassee thinking national championship games were part of the package, and New Year's Day games were a foregone conclusion. All these years later, they must accept that the standards continued to fall on their watch.

"With all of these great coaches here, you should be thinking national championship every year," said senior guard Shannon Boatman, carrying his No.73 jersey out of the locker room as a keepsake. "I think we pointed them in the right direction. I think the fight we showed tonight is an example of where this team is going.'

"We didn't accomplish everything we set out to do here, but Florida State is going to be back. And I'll be proud of that because I'm going to be a Seminole for life."

If it is part of your nature, there is reason for optimism. FSU loses only a handful of seniors from Monday's starting lineup. With the right recruits sprinkled in, the Seminoles could be a conference contender in 2008.

But, of course, this is what was said after the Emerald Bowl last season. It is what has been said after most seasons since FSU's last national championship in 1999.

Bowden laments the idea that the standard was set too high in the 1990s, and he complains no program today could hope to match it. To be fair, he is right. Scholarship limits and television exposure have helped less-traditional programs siphon off many of the country's best recruits.

So a decade of 11- and 12-win seasons might be too much to ask. And having a legitimate shot at the national title season after season is surely a thing of the past.

But, at this point, hardly anyone is asking for dominance. No one is suggesting the Seminoles go undefeated or bust. A definitive sign of improvement would be enough.

If a great team is not in the offing, a very good team would suffice. For, right now, the Seminoles are neither. As of this moment, Florida State must accept what it is.

And that is mediocre. Again.

John Romano can be reached at romano@sptimes.com.

[Last modified December 31, 2007, 23:20:12]