FSU Football: Website Rips Noles Game Against FCS Opponent

FSU football will again face a FCS opponent this season – in a game against a Delaware State team that might be the worst the Noles have ever played.

For most of the time FSU football has been fielding teams, they have had a mentality of playing anyone, anytime, anywhere. It’s something that was done in the 1950’s and 60’s as a way to get the program some attention and amplified in the 70’s and 80’s under legendary head coach Bobby Bowden as a way of showing the Seminoles could compete with the big time programs.

Under head coach Jimbo Fisher, the Noles have still stacked their schedule with plenty of marquee games against teams like Florida, Alabama, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Notre Dame to go along with the ACC slate that includes Miami and Clemson.

At the same time, Fisher has also adopted the approach – which other powers did as well once the NCAA permanently added a 12th game in 2006 – of scheduling games versus FCS opponents. In his seven seasons, the Seminoles have played eight games against the lower classification, something you have to go to the previous 22 seasons under Bowden to reach that number.

While FSU football under Fisher has played some respectable teams from the FCS – including three that made the playoffs – this year’s game will not be one of them as they face a Delaware State Hornets team who has fewer wins in the last three seasons than the Seminoles did in November of last season.

It’s a game that is so bad that Athlon Sports ranked it the most shameful game of the 2017 season:

"The Hornets went 0-11 last season, which was only slightly worse than their 1-10 performance in 2015, or their 2-10 performance in ‘14. The Seminoles, meanwhile, will likely be a preseason top-five team. Shameful, indeed."

It’s a game that, theoretically, is a no win situation for the Seminoles. If they do as predicted and demolish the Hornets by 70+ points, it will mean nothing based on the competition. If Delaware State does get scrappy and keep the game within 30, Florida State will look real bad between important games with Clemson and Florida.

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I’m not saying FSU football needs to schedule a non-conference slate that has, for example, games against Florida, Alabama, Ohio State and Southern Cal – but it is embarrassing that this is what the Seminoles will have to face this year. Fisher has pushed for the SEC style schedule of facing a FCS opponent each year, but the Seminoles are better than this.