FSU football: Noles voted as sixth best program of last decade

FSU football has been one of the best college football programs of the last 30 years. Where do they stack up in the last decade?

FSU football fans remember the “lost decade,” and it feels like we’re smack in the middle of another period like that with how the last three years have gone.

The lost decade ended with a coaching change and a program hovering around .500. The Noles are 18-20 over the past three years, but just hired a brand new coach in Mike Norvell.

There are many similarities, and FSU football fans hope Norvell can get things turned around just as quickly as Jimbo Fisher did after succeeding Bobby Bowden.

Nole fans saw the entire spectrum in the past decade. The rise of the program under Jimbo Fisher to win its third national title, and the fall that was just as quick that began under Fisher and completed under Willie Taggart.

As bad as the last three years have gone, it’s a reminder of how great the first seven years were, which included a 29 game winning streak, three ACC titles, and the aforementioned national championship.

The Sporting News compiled their top 25 best programs of the last decade, and the Noles checked in at No. 6.

Here are the criteria:

"National championships: 10 points eachNational title game appearances: 5 points eachCollege Football Playoff appearances: 5 points eachNew Year’s Day Six/BCS bowl appearances: 3 points eachHeisman Trophy winners: 2 points eachOverall winning percentage, All-Americans and NFL Draft first-round picks were awarded with a poll style 15-1 score. Ties were broken by the team with the best overall record since 2010."

Thoughts

The Noles finished 13 points below fifth place LSU, whose 2019 season likely helped them pass FSU on the listing. Of course, ACC rival Clemson was No. 2 on the list, doubling FSU’s point total with 122.

Despite the past three seasons of below .500 football, FSU still racked up a 96-37 record in the last decade.

That’s a 72 percent winning percentage despite 20 losses in the last three years. It’s a reminder of how great this program can be when everything is primed and working efficiently despite having fewer resources than most of the programs ranked above them on this list. It’s also good to see a list like this with no Florida or Miami in the top 10.

So hold tight FSU fans, maybe the program is in the same position as it was in 2010 where it was stuck in mediocrity and hired a new coached that turned things around quickly.