Every preseason for what seems an eternity, the national sports media declares/hopes "FSU is back!!. College football fans around the country watch guys like Kirk Herbstreit predict Chris Rix to be a Heisman candidate, while Seminole faithful entered each season with a sense of insecurity and uncertainty.
For years we watched as our once glorious leader began to lose his touch. For a man who was once ahead of the curve on recruiting and game planning, slowly he began to fall behind to a new era of coaches and style of play (Saban, Miles, Meyer, Kelly, Stoops). Seminole football slowly drifted into an era of mediocrity and under-achieving, and the fans admitted it freely.
Of course we still sang the fight song, belted out the Warchant repeatedly, and beat our chests proudly, we were the damn Seminoles. A fan base that experienced, arguably, the greatest 15 year run in the history of modern college football. We were a fan base that became accustomed to always being in the national title hunt, having consistent Heisman hopefuls, and playing in elite bowl games at the conclusion of every season. But like any great dynasty, it all came crumbling down.
It was a slow and painful dissent. Fans suffered through seasons of Jeff Bowden led offenses, outdated zone coverage schemes, appearances in lackluster bowls games (2006 Emerald City Bowl, 2007 Music City Bowl), and an academic scandal that really tested the dedication and fortitude of the Seminole faithful. Of course fans were disappointed with the outcome of these dark seasons, but something we can still be proud of is making it to postseason play 30 straight seasons and owning the 9th best bowl record in the country. Only one other college, Nebraska, has been to more consecutive bowl games. FSU is the 25th most winning program in college football, and they didn't start playing football until 1947. Unlike many programs that still boast about national championships they won during seasons of 5 game schedules or less and before any of the world wars.
With the memories of the dynasty years instilled in the mind of not only FSU fans, but of football fans across the country and sports media it seemed as though everyone made predictions each season based on those results and that history. They would see the Florida State logo and think "how could this team not be good? They are always good!" and that is true, until of course when we weren't good anymore.
Every preseason for the last decade has been nothing but torture for Seminole fans. As national media and fans across the country continually slotted FSU as ACC champs and BCS contenders. Those of us fans that followed the program closely knew the teams were over-projected and the fans and team would be bashed relentlessly due to uneducated media making unfounded predictions. All of this was common practice during the twilight of Bobby Bowden's career. We will always love and honor this great man for what he did for such a proud university. He condensed a hundred years worth of history into a less than a half century, and he wasn't shy about. He welcomed the challenge to play any team, anywhere, anytime. But we will also remember the way he unceremoniously had to be removed as head coach due to his inability to properly evaluate his ineffectiveness with 18-22 year old football players and the impact it was having on the product on the field.
Then the (long awaited) changing of the guard happened. A new leader in Seminole football was named: Jimbo Fisher. The day Jimbo Fisher was announced as head coach it seemed as though skies had cleared and Seminole fans remembered what it was like to see the sun again. Finally, there was a plan and a process put in place that fans could see. The change was real and palpable. This quick talkin', southern gentleman first charmed the fans, next the media, and then prime time recruits. Once again, FSU began to recruit like it was the mid-90's. For the first time in almost a decade, Seminole fans began to have higher hopes and expectations.
During his first two seasons (2010, 2011) Seminole fans cheered carefully, knowing that it would take a few seasons for the program to fully become Jimbo's; from players, staff, assistants, and overall mentality. The 2012 season was circled as the one all Seminole fans looked to as "The Year" when Jimbo was officially introduced as head coach. This will be Jimbo's third year at the helms after consecutive elite recruiting classes. For the first time in almost a decade ESPN is finally right, FSU should be back! This should be the year.
