FSU Football: 10 Historically Most Common Non-Conference Opponents

Florida State has traditionally had no problem scheduling big-name non-conference opponents, but it sees some much more than others.

With the Willie Taggart era underway, it will be interesting to see who the new head coach of the Seminoles looks to schedule in the coming years. We decided to take a look at the non-conference opponents that FSU has seen most often over its 72 years of football.

Opponents from the old Dixie Conference, in which the Seminoles played from 1948-50 weren’t counted as conference games. Omitted are current ACC teams like Miami and Virginia Tech, who Florida State saw regularly in the non-conference before the schools joined the ACC.

The other omission was Maryland, who left the ACC for the Big Ten following the 2013 season. 22 of the 24 meetings between the Seminoles and Terrapins came with both teams being members of the ACC.

T-9. Tulane
Meetings: 10
Most Recent: 1992
FSU Record vs.: 9-1
Technically, Florida State is 10-0 against Tulane, because the Green Wave ended up forfeiting a 34-28 victory in the Superdome in 1983. Since then, the Seminoles have won nine straight with none of the contests being closer than 18 points. The teams played 10 times in a row from 1983-92, but didn’t before and haven’t since.

T-9. Furman
Meetings: 10
Most Recent: 1987
FSU Record vs.: 8-2
Furman took the first two match-ups between the schools, winning 9-0 in 1952 and 14-7 a year later. Since then, FSU has won eight straight, with the closest contest being decided by 19 points in 1954. The Paladins haven’t scored more than 10 points in any of the last seven match-ups. The last contest came in 1987 with FSU winning 41-10 during a season where the Seminoles would begin a streak of 14 straight top-5 finishes.

T-7 Tampa
Meetings: 11
Most Recent: 1959
FSU Record vs.: 9-2
The University of Tampa hasn’t fielded a football team since 1974, but was a common opponent for FSU during its infancy. From 1948-59, the teams played every year except in 1956. The only two wins for the Spartans came in 1951 and 1952. Three of the nine wins for the Seminoles were shutouts.

T-7. Georgia
Meetings: 11
Most Recent: 2002
FSU Record vs.: 4-6-1 (0-1-1 in bowls)
Florida State and Georgia — despite being separated by less than 300 miles — haven’t met in the regular season since 1965. The last two meetings between the teams have been bowls. The two schools tied 17-17 in the Citrus Bowl to round out the 1984 season and the Bulldogs got the better of FSU in the Sugar Bowl to close the 2002 campaign, 26-13. Georgia also won in Jacksonville in 1958, 28-13. The teams are an even 2-2 against one another both in Athens and Tallahassee.

Marquez White and Florida State was defeated by Houston in the 2015 Peach Bowl, 38-24. (Jeff Romance/FSU athletics)

6. Houston
Meetings: 17
Most Recent: 2015
FSU Record vs.: 2-13-2 (0-1 in bowls)
Prior to Houston’s 38-24 upset over Florida State in the 2015 Peach Bowl, the two schools had not met since 1978. Throughout the series, the Cougars have simply had their way with the Seminoles. The only two victories for FSU came in Jacksonville in 1968 and at Houston in 1975. The teams have met in five different cities. The Cougars topped FSU in Tampa in 1970, 53-21. Houston is 6-0-1 in Tallahassee.

5. Memphis
Meetings: 18
Most Recent: 1990
FSU Record vs.: 10-7-1
The last contest between Florida State and Memphis was a 35-3 triumph for the Seminoles in Orlando in 1990. The Tigers dominated the series early on, winning six straight from 1969-76. FSU is 8-0-1 since then. The lone tie was a 17-17 contest in 1984 — the last meeting between the schools in Memphis.

T-3. South Carolina
Meetings: 19
Most Recent: 2010
FSU Record vs.: 16-3 (1-0 in bowls)
The 2010 Chick-fil-A Bowl, which Florida State won 26-17, was the first meeting between the Seminoles and Gamecocks since FSU joined the ACC. Over the years however, the teams have met plenty and it’s a series that FSU has dominated. Two of the three South Carolina wins came in consecutive years in 1972 and 1973. From 1982-91, the teams met every year except in 1987. FSU was 8-1 during those nine meetings.

T-3. Auburn
Meetings: 19
Most Recent: 2013
FSU Record vs.: 5-13-1 (2-0 in bowls)
Prior to a memorable BCS National Championship contest in which the Seminoles emerged victorious, 34-31 to cap 2013, FSU and Auburn had not met since 1990 in Auburn. Historically, Auburn has had the upper hand in the series, but FSU has won four of five after starting off 1-12-1 in the first 14 match-ups. Prior to 1987, the lone FSU win came by a 24-3 score in 1977. Two of the five FSU victories in the series have come in bowls. In addition to the 2013 title game, FSU beat the Tigers 13-7 in the Sugar Bowl to conclude the 1988 season. The schools were scheduled to meet in 1999, but Auburn later backed out.

James Blackman passed for four touchdowns in Florida State’s 42-13 Independence Bowl win over Southern Miss in December. (Mitch White/FSU athletics)

2. Southern Mississippi
Meetings: 23
Most Recent: 2017
FSU Record vs.: 14-8-1 (1-0 in bowls)
Florida State recently topped Southern Mississippi in the Independence Bowl, 42-13, to conclude the 2017 season. It was the first meeting between the teams since 1996. The Golden Eagles went 2-6-1 in the first nine match-ups, but FSU has gone 12-2 since. The lone blemishes came in 1981 and then in 1989 when a quarterback named Brett Favre led Southern Miss past No. 6 FSU in Jacksonville, 30-26. From 1960-71, the teams met three times in Mobile.

1. Florida
Meetings: 62
Most Recent: 2017
FSU Record vs.: 26-34-2 (1-1 in bowls)
It’s no surprise that rival Florida tops the list as the teams have met in every season since 1958. The state legislature threatened to force the Gators to play the Seminoles on the gridiron, but the schools later came to terms before a bill could be passed and fans of both schools are probably happy they did. Florida dominated the rivalry early on, going 16-2-1 in the first 19 meetings. Since then, FSU has held 24-18-1 edge and has won five straight and seven of eight in the rivalry. Twice, the teams met in the Sugar Bowl. The Seminoles beat Florida 23-17 to end the 1994 season after FSU rallied from 28 points to force a 31-31 tie in Tallahassee during the regular season. After Florida State won 24-21 to cap the regular season in 1996, Florida was given a second shot at its rivals and won 52-20 in New Orleans for the national championship. Both teams were ranked in the top 10 every season they met from 1990-2000,

Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson