The 2017 Independence Bowl ain’t exactly glamorous. Florida State’s sights were set on much loftier goals to start the season, but a variety of unfortunate events means it is headed to Shreveport to see if it can finish out with another winning season. Interim head coach Odell Haggins is a good motivator if nothing else, and he understands the gravity of the situation.

We here at The Daily Nole don’t blame you if you’d prefer to reminisce on the bowl games that actually meant something. That’s a bit dramatic considering the Seminoles won an Orange Bowl last year, but there’s nothing wrong with bringing up good memories.

We’ve attempted to do the impossible. After looking at the 45 bowl games the Seminoles have played in, we compiled the five best. When we say “best”, we mean the most exciting. While certain bowl games were fun to watch Florida State win, not all of them were actually thrilling or captivating. These are the five that held you close to the TV (or computer) screen and had you hanging on to every play. Obviously, there’s some subjective criteria involved, but we think you’ll agree with most of our choices.

This is the first of a 2-part idea.

Honorable Mentions

2016 Orange Bowl 

Recency bias might be creeping in here, but can you deny how explosively exciting this game was? It was ugly in between the big plays, but the sheer numbers of momentum shifts was cinematic. The first quarter was a dream for Florida State: a methodical touchdown drive, goal line defensive stand, and 92-yard touchdown pass had Seminoles fans delirious on a 17-3 lead.

The game was far from over. Michigan chipped away with a handful of field goals before a disastrous interception from FSU’s Deondre Francois was returned for a Michigan touchdown. The Wolverines pulled to just a 20-15 deficit and looked like they were about to take over when a 3rd-and-22 struck the FSU offense. So what happened next? Dalvin Cook streaked down the sidelines and took the offense all the way into Michigan territory. Florida State then scored to once again extend their lead to two scores.

But wait! Michigan refused to go quietly. The Wolverines scored twice in the fourth quarter to take their first lead of the game 30-27. The final two minutes were some of the zaniest of the past five years. Keith Gavin inadvertently took a kickoff into opposing territory, Nyqwan Murray scored on an end zone post, Michigan returned a blocked extra point, and the FSU defense made one final stop to seal a 33-32 victory. That’s what you call a “thriller”.

1994 Orange Bowl

It seems sacrilegious to put Florida State’s first national championship as an honorable mention. So why did we do it? Because up until the fourth quarter, this game wasn’t exactly exciting. You had two high-powered offenses set to face off in a game where the Seminoles were heavy favorites. To its credit, Nebraska obviously made it close and gave FSU a great contest. But a 0-0 first quarter and halftime score of 7-6 had many scratching their heads wondering where the offense went.

It did somewhat pick up in the second half. Florida State scored nine points and took a 15-7 lead after a touchdown, failed 2-point attempt, and field goal. With the way the defenses were playing that night, FSU seemed to be in a pretty good spot. The fourth quarter had a different idea.

Nebraska scored early in the quarter and also failed on a 2-point attempt, so it trailed 15-13. But the Cornhuskers’ famous “Black Shirt” defense rose to the occasion and got the ball back, allowing Byron Bennett to tack on a field goal and lead 16-15 with less than two minutes left.

FSU quarterback and Heisman winner Charlie Ward then sealed his legacy with a fast-paced drive down the field that set up a chip shot field goal from Scott Bentley with 21 seconds left. Despite a final burst by Nebraska to get down to the FSU 28-yard line, Bennett’s field goal attempt sailed left and the legendary Bobby Bowden got his first national title. It was not the best game, but certainly one of the best endings.

1995 Sugar Bowl

The ’95 Sugar Bowl sneaks on to the honorable mentions largely because of the circumstances surrounding it. Florida State and Florida had played to a draw just a few months earlier in the contest that came to be known as the “Choke at Doak”, so meeting up once more in the Sugar Bowl was considered the true decider of the better team. FSU had rallied from a 31-3 fourth quarter deficit to salvage a 31-31 tie just about a month prior and rode the momentum coming in.

The Seminoles actually led this game by two scores for most of the contest. They entered the fourth quarter up 23-10 on the backs of a stifling defense and consistent offense. It became exciting when quarterback Danny Wuerffel led the Gators 80 yards down the field late in the fourth to make it 23-17. When Florida got the ball back with over two minutes left and it seemed that the Seminoles would be on the receiving end of a killer comeback.

It was not meant to be. FSU linebacker Derrick Brooks intercepted Wuerffel and FSU kneeled down to seal the victory.

Selections

1988 Fiesta Bowl

Florida State and Nebraska had some pretty wild games back in the day. The 1988 Fiesta Bowl was a foreshadowing of how amazing these two programs would be. Both teams came in ranked in the top 5 after heartbreaking losses to rivals prevented them from playing for the national title. Nebraska’s lone defeat was a 17-7 home loss to Oklahoma while FSU’s sole blemish was a 26-25 loss to Miami in Tallahassee earlier in the year. They certainly took their frustrations out on the field.

This game was oddly a tale of four quarters. Nebraska opened up with a long drive and punt return haymaker, taking a 14-0 edge going into the second stanza. Florida State then roared back with 21 unanswered points and went in to the locker room feeling good about its 21-14 lead. The Cornhuskers weren’t done yet, and notched two more touchdowns in the third quarter while FSU could only muster a field goal. The pivotal play happened in the fourth quarter, with Nebraska on the Florida State 2-yard line and looking to close the book. Running back Tyreese Knox took the hand-off and proceeded to fumble, with the Seminoles diving on it and preventing the clincher.

Game MVP and FSU quarterback Danny McManus then took FSU all the way down the field and hit Ronald Lewis in the end zone for the winning score. Nebraska’s final drive was a dud, and the Seminoles went home with a 31-28 victory. McManus had the best game of his career, passing for 385 yards and three touchdowns. The victory gave FSU a No. 2 final ranking and began a string of 14 consecutive top 5 finishes.

One down, four to go.