After screaming, “MERCY!” for months, the foozball gods have *finally* allowed the 2002-03 football season to draw to a close. My poor Seminoles hiked up their skirts one last time and got blasted by a much better team. I’m too deflated to do “FIVE THINGS I THINK I THINK” about the Sugar Bowl match up.
I’m sure a lot of FSU alums will explain how depleted the offense was through injuries and “personnel” troubles. Hey! Look out that window! The same excuses could be used for at least 100 D1 schools. FSU has always had the talent but –for some reason– they didn’t perform this year. Or, and this is truly frightening for me to admit, maybe they don’t have the talent they used to have.
The truth of the matter is simple: FSU has a lot of work to do in the off season to get ready for next fall. FSU has lost nine games over the past two seasons. Hell, we didn’t lose 9 games from 1992-1999! There are a lot of possible reasons, including some big time coaching defections (Richt to GA, Amato to NC State). I think someone’s going to have to sit Todd Bowden down and bring in a new offensive coordinator. On the defensive side, I have no idea what the hell’s gone wrong. Micky Andrews is still chewing gum as fast & furious as ever, but the defense that used to rank at/near the top in the country is now rank in a completely different way. Being the third best team in the country is acceptable. Being the third best team in Florida is not.
So, during the off season, go ‘Noles. Go somewhere. Go anywhere. Just go. And don’t come back until you can be the top team in Florida.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ll still bleed garnet & gold. I’ll still be hyped up about the recruiting and pre-season polls. I’ll still be buying up the FSU sweat shirts. It’s just that I suspect they will all be on sale. And that, my friends, is a truly sad thing.