The ACC has caught Bowden, FSU
OK, Bobby - their jobs are secure. So you can go back to beatin' 'em.
If only it were that easy for Bobby Bowden - that he could turn it back on in Tallahassee, where it seems pretty clear at this point that the Atlantic Coast Conference has caught up to him and is actually looking back in the rear view.
Would you believe the Seminoles are 7-5 in their last 12 in the ACC?
Would you have ever believed that you would see those numbers - 7-5 - associated with a Florida State football team?
And try this on for size - Clemson (coached by Bowden's son, Tommy) and N.C. State (coached by former Bowden assistant Chuck Amato) each now hold two-game winning streaks over FSU.
That is the reality that 'Noles fans are having to face now - which the rest of us have had to endure for how long now?
Florida State is currently 1-2 in conference play - and if you remember, that one wasn't pretty, a 13-10 win over Miami that doesn't look as good as it did back on Labor Day, now that the Hurricanes are in the throes of a death march that most recently featured a one-point win at home against Conference USA upstart Houston.
And it's not necessarily going to be a cakewalk to the end - after next week's layup drill at Duke, FSU has to play Boston College, Maryland, Virginia and Wake Forest in successive weeks.
All four would have to be considered tossups at this point - which is a sign of the times in itself.
And the Seminoles have to win three of those four just to match last year's 5-3 conference record.
Who woulda thunk it - FSU rallying to go 5-3 in the conference.
- Chris Graham