Before and After: Jimbo Fisher’s Excellence in Numbers

Ask a Florida State fan who built the program into a national power and most will correctly answer Bobby Bowden. Most are also well aware that current head coach Jimbo Fisher’s role in revitalizing the program is also very impressive.

In a short period of time, Fisher has returned a once proud program to its rightful place among the nation’s elite. After three 7-6 seasons in four years prior to Fisher being given the head coaching job, the expectation to compete for national championships are once again the norm.

It’s no secret that Fisher has made FSU nationally relevant again, but when looking at the numbers, his accomplishments are even more staggering. Here’s what Florida State has done under Jimbo Fisher as compared to the previous six years before his arrival:

Overall Record
Previous Six Years: 47-30 (.610)
Under Fisher: 68-14 (.829)
Overview: The record speaks for itself. In the six years prior to Fisher being named head coach, FSU lost more than twice as often as its losing now. Eight of Fisher’s 14 total losses as head coach came in his first two seasons on the job.

ACC Regular Season
Previous Six Years: 27-21 (.563)
Under Fisher: 40-8 (.833)
Overview: In the final years prior to Fisher taking over, the Seminoles had not just become an afterthought nationally, but in the maligned ACC. Florida State has just eight losses to ACC teams under Fisher. In the 2006 and 2007 seasons, FSU combined for nine losses to conference foes.

At Home
Previous Six Years: 26-13 (.667)
Under Fisher: 38-4 (.905)
Overview: From 1992 until late in the 2001 season, Florida State didn’t lose a single home contest. In the years prior to Fisher’s arrival however, Doak Campbell Stadium had become much more hospitable to opposing teams. Under Fisher, that has all changed as the Seminoles enter 2016 with the nation’s longest current home winning streak at 21 games.

Against Miami
Previous Six Years: 3-3 (.500)
Under Fisher: 6-0 (1.000)
Overview: Florida State may have been 3-3 against Miami in the six previous years before Fisher being named head coach, but in the previous 11 meetings, FSU was just 3-8. Though Miami has not been the football power it was in the early 2000s since Fisher has taken over at FSU, he has as many wins over Miami as the Seminoles had in their previous 13 years against the Hurricanes.

Against Florida
Previous Six Years: 0-6 (.000)
Under Fisher: 5-1 (.833)
Overview: When Jimbo Fisher had taken over as head coach, FSU had lost six straight to Florida. During the span, Florida notched three BCS bowl victories and two national championships. Taking over the state has played a big role in FSU’s return to prominence. The lone Florida victory over a Fisher-led FSU team came in 2012. Fisher is also 3-0 in Gainesville and on each occasion, his defense has taken a shutout into the fourth quarter.

Against Clemson
Previous Six Years: 2-4 (.333)
Under Fisher: 4-2 (.667)
Overview: The winner of the annual Florida State-Clemson game has gone on to win the ACC Atlantic in each of the last six seasons, but the game didn’t mean as much until recently. Though Fisher has four wins against Clemson compared to two the previous six years, he’s had more success against better teams. Clemson has won at least 10 games in each of the last five seasons. Prior to 2011, the Tigers hadn’t won 10 games since 1990.

Bowl Record
Previous Six Years: 4-2 (.667)
Under Fisher: 4-2 (.667)
Overview: The bowl record is the same under Fisher as the six years prior to his arrival, but the Seminoles have faced tougher opponents in recent years. Under Fisher, five of FSU’s six bowl opponents were ranked as opposed to two in the six years before.

Major Bowls
Previous Six Years: 1
Under Fisher: 4
Overview: While the bowl record is the same under Fisher as it was in the six previous years, the quality of bowl for Florida State has changed dramatically. Four of FSU’s six bowl appearances in the Fisher era were BCS or New Year’s Six bowls and the Seminoles have won two of those. In the six years prior, FSU played in just one BCS bowl and that was a 26-23 loss to Penn State in the Orange Bowl to conclude 2005.

10-Win Seasons
Previous Six Years: 0
Under Fisher: 5
Overview: The highest number of games FSU had won in any of the six seasons prior to Fisher’s tenure was nine. In six years under Fisher, that’s the lowest total his team has won as the Seminoles finished 9-4 in 2011. Fisher has hit double-digit wins in five of his six seasons, including 12 in 2012, 14 in 2013 and 13 in 2014.

ACC Atlantic Titles
Previous Six Years: 1
Under Fisher: 4
Overview: When became Florida State’s head coach, the Seminoles had not been to the ACC Championship in five years. Under Fisher, FSU has gone to Charlotte four times in six years. The division was won by Clemson in the two years under Fisher where the Seminoles didn’t win it, including last season when the Tigers went all the way to the national championship game.

ACC Championships
Previous Six Years: 1
Under Fisher: 3
Overview: After winning the ACC in 11 of the first 12 years since joining the conference in 1992, the Seminoles won the conference just once from 2004-09. That drought was extended in Fisher’s first two years before FSU rattled off three straight conference titles. Others have won as many, but during Fisher’s tenure, no Power 5 team has won more conference crowns than the Seminoles.

Record vs. Top 25 (any poll)
Previous Six Years: 11-12 (.478)
Under Fisher: 14-8 (.636)
Overview: Even during the biggest part of what fans refer to as the “Lost Decade”, Florida State fans managed to hold their own against ranked opponents. Under Fisher however, the Seminoles are beating those opponents nearly twice as often as they’re losing to them.

Record vs. Top 10 (any poll)
Previous Six Years: 5-5 (.500)
Under Fisher: 6-5 (.545)
Overview: The number above shows that even during its football downturn, Florida State was able to rise to the occasion and beat premier opponents. The difference now is that many of those are marquee match-ups where the Seminoles also come in ranked in the top 10. Under Fisher, FSU has played seven games where both teams were ranked in the top 10, compared to just two in the six years prior. FSU may be beating top-10 teams at about the same rate, but Fisher has helped bring the big game back to Tallahassee.

Top 25 Finishes (any poll)
Previous Six Years: 3
Under Fisher: 6
Overview: Florida State has finished in the top 25 every year under Jimbo Fisher as opposed just three times in the six years prior to his arrival and only once from 2006-09. Fisher’s team has finished in the top 15 in each of the last four years.

Top 10 Finishes (any poll)
Previous Six Years: 0
Under Fisher: 3
Overview: When Jimbo Fisher took over as Florida State’s head coach in 2010, the Seminoles hadn’t finished in the top 10 since 2003. Under Fisher, FSU has done so three times. In the six years prior to his tenure, the Seminoles never finished higher than 15th.

National Championships
Previous Six Years: 0
Under Fisher: 1
Overview: Florida State was more than a decade removed from winning a national championship when Fisher took over in 2010. Under Fisher, FSU took gradual steps going from 10 wins in 2010 to an ACC title in 2012 to a national championship in 2013. That year, the Seminoles set the FBS record for points scored and led the nation in fewest points allowed per game, becoming one of the most dominant teams ever. There is a strong consensus out there that the 2013 national championship won’t be the last for FSU under Fisher.