Best FSU Football bowl game for December 27th: 2006 Emerald

FSU football isn’t playing in a bowl game this season, so we’re taking a look back at some of the best postseason games for the Seminoles by date.

While the 2018 season for FSU football was the first time the program had a losing season in over four decades, it wasn’t the first time that the Seminoles had gone into the final weeks of the season living on borrowed time and trying to keep that streak alive – including just one season before, when the Noles needed three straight wins vs. losing teams to be eligible for a bowl.

Three times during a four season period, the Seminoles needed November wins just to get a sixth victory on the season and play one more game after the year – starting in the 2006 season, which signaled the beginning of the Bowden years coming to a close but also sending the Noles out west for their first bowl game in California.

There, they would meet a power program from the Golden State for the first time – and need an explosive second half just to keep both that now deceased winning season streak alive for one more campaign.

Here’s a look at the best FSU football bowl game the program has played on December 27th.

2006 Emerald Bowl – Florida State 44 UCLA 27

Inside the home of Major League Baseball’s San Francisco Giants in a game that no longer takes place, the Seminoles were matched up with the Bruins in a game of teams who had been among the more dominant teams for the better part of a decade but each fell on harder times over the course of this season.

It was FSU football on the board first when California native Lorenzo Booker scored in his final game with the Seminoles – but the Bruins went on a scoring frenzy that included a deep touchdown seconds after Booker’s score and they went into the locker room with a 20-13 lead.

The Noles struck early in the second half with a field goal and a blocked punt by Dekoda Watson that was returned by Lawrence Timmons and FSU football and the lead – until the Bruins ended the quarter with a touchdown of their own.

The fourth quarter was a mixture of scoring in all ways – a touchdown catch by Greg Carr, another run by Booker and an interception return by Tony Carter that turned a close game into a blowout victory that kept the winning season streak alive.

The result of this game would later be taken away by the NCAA over a cheating scandal involving the FSU football team and other athletes at the school – but no one can take away what actually took place on the field when a team with their backs against the wall played for the pride of their program and not wanting to be the one to end that winning season streak.