Florida State fans and the talking heads on the ACC Network are 100% aligned on one topic: The undefeated Seminoles got royally shafted! FSU was supplanted by Jesus Christ II and Jesus Christ III: Nick Saban and the SEC. You can decide who deserves the II and the III.
ESPN’s Gameday last Saturday provided a platform for Greg Sankey to pitch the virtues of the SEC: “It Only Means More” and a reference to “Sesame Street” etc. Sankey was lobbying for 2 SEC teams in the Final Four. Sankey’s podium was not coincidental as the SEC is one of the big money spinners for Disney’s ESPN.
When Florida State got pushed aside, we reflected on the ACC’s record against the SEC in 2023: 6-4. Sankey did not mention that. Nor that the Seminoles had triumphed over 2 traditional SEC powers in LSU and Florida (neither in Tallahassee). Hmmmm. Who was the head of the 13-person committee who anointed Alabama as #4: None other than the Athletic Director of North Carolina State: Boo Corrigan. To FSU faithful, his first name is so apropos: BOO!!!
Nobody from the ACC was politicking on Gameday or Fox. A big mistake? North Carolina State had drawn the ire of Florida State earlier in 2023. For a period, four schools had effectively blocked the addition of Stanford, SMU and Cal into the ACC. The objecting quartet: FSU, Clemson, North Carolina and North Carolina State. FSU’s prior objections about the ACC not having enough “upper tier pedigree” would be aggravated by the potential addition of these 3 schools. Stanford and SMU cannot draw flies to their games with Cal only marginally better. Objections also seemed justified on geographics.
However, the ACC execs kept at it. The honchos were horrified by the inexplicable demise of the Pac 12 and wanted reinforcements. Plus, the new trio were willing to take a financial haircut so that the existing 14 members could annually make a few more million apiece in the near term. Eventually, North Carolina State flipped its vote, resulting in enough ayes to produce an unwieldy 17-team conference.
So, NC State is clearly not on FSU’s Christmas card list. The Odyssey remembers one of the most shocking upsets in Florida State history. FSU’s first decade in the ACC resulted in the Noles running roughshod over the ACC. One of the very few exceptions was a 1998 night in Raleigh. FSU was favored by 25 points. The spread seemed justified when the Seminoles quickly scored a touchdown. The balance of the game morphed into an interception-marred nightmare for Florida State. Final score: NC State 24, FSU 7.
Massive irony presents itself in FSU’s current massive discontent with NC State and the ACC, in general. None other than their icon, Bobby Bowden, rejected the idea of FSU joining the SEC 30+ years ago when the door was open. Bowden wanted an easier path.