FSU Football: Fake national titles Noles should sarcastically claim like UCF
By Jason Parker
FSU football has gone out and won three national titles on the field – but they should do like UCF and claim titles they actually didn’t win to pad stats.
In the past 25 seasons that include the 2017 campaign, FSU football has brought home all three of their national titles in program history – including a thrilling win in the 2013 season over the Auburn Tigers to bring home the final crystal ball of the BCS era.
While Alabama and Georgia battled it out in Atlanta for this year’s title, it was another team who won the week before in the same stadium who has stolen all the spotlight for claiming a national title that they didn’t actually win.
See, the UCF Knights have gone out of the way this week to tell everyone they are national champs because they went undefeated and “beat the team that beat both the teams playing for a title.” Both facts are true – but no one has put them at the top of their poll, so you can’t be a champion if you aren’t ranked as the top team.
Their latest argument is to point out all the titles claimed by schools other than the Associated Press or other major polls. The problem is that Oklahoma State and Alabama in 1945, for example, were actually ranked number one by some poll and weren’t just making it up.
But, you know what? Maybe the folks from Orlando have it right…maybe everyone should start claiming titles they didn’t actually win. In that spirit, here are some years that FSU football can hoist a (sarcastic) banner.
1950
The Seminoles had a dominating 8-0 record that included winning the Dixie Conference over Tampa – that’s about the same strength of schedule as the American Athletic Conference, right?
1980
FSU football finished the year 10-2, with the losses coming by a combined two points to Miami and an Oklahoma team in the Orange Bowl. The Seminoles were declared the champs by David Rothman from the original BCS process, so that’s another one for the good guys.
1987
The Seminoles lost by one point to Miami and finished the season 11-1, being ranked number one by the Berryman Quality Point Rating System – it’s just getting better!
1989
The Noles don’t need the UCF six degrees of separation – Florida State beat Miami, Miami won the national title so the Seminoles are the true champs in all of the land!
1992
Jeff Sagarin ranked the 11-1 Seminoles as his top team over the real champion Alabama, so FSU football continues to add title banners to Doak Campbell Stadium.
1994
The Dunkel College Football Index overlooked the fact FSU lost to Miami and tied Florida in the regular season, so we’re going to overlook it to and pull a UCF and claim another title.
1996
Florida State finished the regular season undefeated and beat the eventual national champion Florida Gators, so that means another title despite what took place in the bowl game that year.. That’s what the Alderson System says, so it must be true.
Now, of course FSU football would never do such a thing since we are a real program and not a glorified community college just trying to make a name for themselves – and UCF is perfectly entitled to look as stupid and childish as they want by claiming something that doesn’t belong to them no matter how many times they say it.
Next: Willie Taggart finding quality assistant coaches for FSU
But, at least for the moment, let us just take a second and enjoy being fans, alumni or boosters of the 10 time national champion Florida State Seminoles!