FSU Football: Accepting and dealing with first losing season since 1976

FSU football made the wrong kind of program history this past weekend and it’s something that many fans, including this writer, have to come to terms with.

As the game Saturday started to get out of hand and it looked like the FSU football team was going to lose for the first time to the rival Florida Gators in six years, my wife – a University of Miami grad who couldn’t care less about sports – asked me what the big deal was about the streaks that the announcers kept talking about.

After me going on a history lesson about the fact that in my lifetime I have NEVER seen a Florida State team have a losing season and not go to a bowl game, it sunk in to her how big this was – I don’t know how to deal with what I was witnessing.

Florida State Seminoles Football

As the final seconds were ticking down, I was texting my friends who are fans of the Hurricanes and the Gators and asked them what I was supposed to do – I figured they knew since Miami had a losing campaign in 2014 and Florida had losing years in 2013 and 2017. Needless to say, I got plenty of messages I can’t repeat here.

In the end, what took place with FSU football this season must be treated in many ways like a death. No, I am not comparing a football game to life and death, but the manner in which you deal with it can be very similar to how people deal with grief.

Denial

There are plenty of FSU football fans who are acting like this season and the outcomes didn’t take place, when in fact it did and will stick with us for a while.

Anger

Some people are lashing out at players, others at current head coach Willie Taggart and even others are going all in on the former head coach for what got left (I’m in that boat, but more on that later in the week).

Bargaining

I haven’t been to a synagogue since a family funeral nearly a decade ago, but the deals I was trying to make with God when the Seminoles were down just 13-7 would make any member of the clergy shake their heads.

Depression

Some found the cure in crying, others in a bottle of spirits, others trying to figure out what took place – needless to say, it’s been a sad time for those in garnet and gold.

Acceptance

This is the step that it’s going to take most FSU football fans a while to get to, if they ever get to that point: no one should ever be satisfied with what took place, but there comes a time to own what happened if not just for the process of moving on.

I for sure am not even close to being at that fifth step just yet (hell,I’m pretty sure I’m still trying to bargain with any chance of an ineligible player that would force a forfeit and allow the Seminoles to get a victory be default and become eligible) – but like most in garnet and gold, we will get to that point.

It may not be tomorrow, it may not be next week, it may not be until next season – but FSU football will be okay and will get past this.