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FSU Football: Website says Noles not eligible for bowl game

By Jason Parker

TALLAHASSEE, FL - OCTOBER 7: Running back Cam Akers #3 of the Florida State Seminoles carries the ball as defensive back Jaquan Johnson #4 of the Miami Hurricanes tries to tackle him during the first half of an NCAA football game at Doak S. Campbell Stadium on October 7, 2017 in Tallahassee, Florida. (Photo by Butch Dill/Getty Images)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - OCTOBER 7: Running back Cam Akers #3 of the Florida State Seminoles carries the ball as defensive back Jaquan Johnson #4 of the Miami Hurricanes tries to tackle him during the first half of an NCAA football game at Doak S. Campbell Stadium on October 7, 2017 in Tallahassee, Florida. (Photo by Butch Dill/Getty Images) /
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FSU football will be playing in a bowl for the 36th straight season – but one site believes they shouldn’t be eligible this season thanks to Delaware State.

In what was a first for the FSU football program, the Seminoles were forced this season to reschedule a postponed game in order to become bowl eligible. The Noles’ 42-10 victory over Louisiana Monroe – in a game played December 2nd after being canceled on September 9th due to Hurricane Irma – gave Florida State their needed sixth win of the season.

With that win in a game that the Seminoles won’t be bragging about having to play based on this season to forget, FSU was able to extend the modern record for consecutive bowl games – but one website is saying “not so fast” and arguing that something going on with a team the Noles beat this season means FSU football ISN’T bowl eligible after all.

The folks over at Reddit College Football put together quite the story and investigation into the number of scholarships that FCS foe Delaware State, who the Seminoles beat 77-6 on November 18th, to see if it met NCAA rules. You can read their whole story here, but it sums up something like this.

  • FCS schools are required to award at least 90 percent of the scholarships they are allowed to hand out. With that number being 63, the Hornets over a two year period from 2015-16 and 2016-17 handed out 54.8 scholarships.
  • With that number being at 87 percent, Delaware State can not be counted by a FBS school (FSU football) for the sake of bowl eligibility – meaning the Seminoles are 6-6 on the field, but 5-6 when it comes to counting toward bowl games.

Now, since the rule is actually written in the NCAA handbook, there is no arguing that it exist – my question would be if this is indeed the case, why didnt the governing body say something before hand? It takes a website to come up with something like this?

The article went on to point out there are a variety of ways that FSU football could get around this if the NCAA decided to enforce the rule. One would be to apply for a wavier of the rule or the NCAA could just say “nothing to see here” with the game just five days away.

Honestly, this has nothing to do with anything that Florida State did wrong. When this game was scheduled earlier this year, the Hornets may have been at that 90 percent mark (or 56.7 scholarships for non-math majors) and they may have been at the start of the season before suspensions, dismissals or transfers that happened over the course of a year.

FSU football haters are going to use something like this to use against the Seminoles to take away from one of the most impressive streaks in college football (with the next closest being 25 for Virginia Tech), but the Seminoles can be punished because the Hornets fell two scholarships short.

Next: Top names FSU should consider for defensive coordinator

It’s another example of how the NCAA can’t find their way out of a parking lot, but that’s not our problem.

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