Sunday Centerpiece: How FSU Football Has Fared All-Time Against Every Current Power 5 Team

Conference affiliation has been a hotter topic of football discussion over the last decade than in recent years with much of that largely due to Southeastern Conference schools winning 10 of the last 16 national championships. College football in general has undergone some formula changes going from the Bowl Alliance to the BCS to the current College Football Playoff system.

Under the new system, implemented in 2014, changes shrank the number of major conferences from six to five. While there are fewer major conferences, the number of schools in major conferences is larger as each Power 5 conference has undergone changes since 2011. The lone major conference to shrink was the Big 12, which now has 10 members.

In this piece, we look at how Florida State has traditionally fared against every current Power 5 program and how it has done against each conference as it is currently configured. The records reflect the all-time series and not just how teams have fared against the Seminoles while a member of their current conferences.

ACC

Duke: 20-0 (1.000)
Virginia: 15-3 (.833)
Syracuse: 10-2 (.833)
Wake Forest: 30-6-1 (.824)
North Carolina: 15-3-1 (.816)
Louisville: 15-4 (.789)
Boston College: 12-5 (.706)
NC State: 26-13 (.667)
Virginia Tech: 23-13-1 (.635)
Clemson: 20-12 (.625)
Georgia Tech: 14-10-1 (.580)
Miami: 30-33 (.476)
Pittsburgh: 4-5 (.444)
TOTAL: 234-109-4 (.677)

Overview: Despite a rough 2018, Florida State has been dominant against the current ACC. Many of these match-ups predate conference membership. FSU didn’t join the ACC until 1992 and the conference had just nine members through the Seminoles’ first 12 years as a member. The conference added Miami and Virginia Tech in 2004 and then Boston College in 2005. The ACC expanded again in 2013 with additions of Syracuse and Pittsburgh. In 2014, Louisville replaced Maryland.

The only teams in the ACC that FSU has losing records against are Miami and Pittsburgh. Since the Hurricanes joined the ACC in 2004, FSU holds a 10-5 edge. The Seminoles beat the Panthers 41-13 in the 2013 opener in the only ACC contest between the schools.

Big 12

Kansas State: 3-0 (1.000)
West Virginia: 3-0 (1.000)
Oklahoma State: 4-1 (.800)
Texas Tech: 4-1 (.800)
Kansas: 5-2 (.714)
Iowa State: 1-1 (.500)
Baylor: 1-2 (.333)
TCU: 1-2 (.333)
Oklahoma: 1-6 (.143)
TOTAL: 23-15 (.605)
Never Faced: Texas

Overview: Florida State hasn’t faced a current Big 12 team since the 2014 opener against Oklahoma State and not in a bowl game since 2009 when it met West Virginia in the Gator Bowl. The Mountaineers at the time were a member of the Big East. FSU has a losing record against Baylor, TCU and most notably Oklahoma.

The Seminoles beat the Sooners in the 1964 Gator Bowl to clinch its first-ever AP-ranked finish. Oklahoma has won the last six, including the 2001 Orange Bowl for the national championship. The most recent meeting was a 23-13 victory for Oklahoma in 2011 in Tallahassee. FSU hasn’t faced Baylor since 1974 or TCU since 1965.

Big Ten

Ohio State: 3-0 (1.000)
Michigan State: 2-0 (1.000)
Indiana: 1-0 (1.000)
Wisconsin: 1-0 (1.000)
Maryland: 22-2 (.917)
Nebraska: 6-2 (.750)
Michigan: 2-1 (.667)
Penn State: 1-1-1 (.500)
TOTAL: 38-6-1 (.856)
Never Faced: Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Northwestern, Purdue, Rutgers

Overview: The two current Big Ten opponents that FSU has faced most often are Maryland and Nebraska, but all of those meetings came before those two schools joined the Big Ten. 22 of the 24 meetings came when both the Seminoles and Terrpains were members of the ACC. Penn State is the only current Big Ten school that does not own a losing record against the Seminoles as the teams have split three meetings, 1-1-1.

Michigan in 1986 and Penn State in the Orange Bowl at the end of the 2005 season are the only two teams to defeat FSU while members of the Big Ten. Of the 45 meetings between FSU and the current Big Ten, 10 have come in bowls, including the only meetings with Indiana and Wisconsin.

Pac-12

Colorado: 3-0 (1.000)
USC: 2-0 (1.000)
UCLA: 1-0 (1.000)
Arizona State: 3-1 (.750)
Oregon: 0-1 (.000)
TOTAL: 9-2 (.819)
Never Faced: Arizona, California, Oregon State, Stanford, Utah, Washington, Washington State

Overview: Florida State has only faced five of the 12 members that make up the current Pac-12. The three match-ups against Colorado came while the Buffaloes were members of the Big 12. FSU’s only two losses to current Pac-12 schools came in bowl games. The Seminoles fell to Arizona State in the 1971 Fiesta Bowl and to Oregon in the Rose Bowl at the end of the 2014 season.

FSU’s lone contest against UCLA was a 44-27 victory in the 2006 Emerald Bowl. FSU defeated Colorado 39-21 in Jacksonville in 2008 — its last regular season contest against a current Pac-12 school.

FSU has faced rival Florida more often than any other opponent ever. (Mike Ewan/FSU athletics)

SEC

Texas A&M: 4-0 (1.000)
South Carolina: 16-3 (.842)
LSU: 7-2 (.778)
Mississippi State: 7-2 (.778)
Ole Miss: 1-1 (.500)
Tennessee: 1-1 (.500)
Florida: 26-35-2 (.429)
Georgia: 4-6-1 (.409)
Alabama: 1-3-1 (.300)
Auburn: 5-13-1 (.289)
Kentucky: 1-4-1 (.250)
TOTAL:73-70-5 (.510)
Never Faced: Arkansas, Missouri, Vanderbilt

Overview: Florida State has faced 11 of the 14 teams that currently make up the SEC. Unfortunately, FSU has a losing record all-time against five current SEC programs and a winning record against four, but the margin is wide enough for the Seminoles to have a winning record all-time against the conference. All wins against Texas A&M and all but one against South Carolina came before those schools joined the conference.

While those numbers may skew the numbers in FSU’s advantage, it should be noted that the Seminoles are 37-27-1 against the SEC over the last 40 years. Against members of the SEC in bowl games, FSU is 4-3-1. The last bowl contest against an SEC school was Florida State’s thrilling 34-31 win over Auburn for the BCS National Championship to cap the 2013 season. FSU is 9-3 against the SEC this decade.

Others

BYU: 4-0 (1.000)
Notre Dame: 6-3 (.667)
TOTAL: 10-3 (.769)

Overview: Both BYU and Notre Dame count toward playing a Power 5 program, according to the ACC. Notre Dame is a “partial” member of the ACC as it plays four ACC teams per season. The Fighting Irish smacked FSU last season 42-13 in South Bend en route to the College Football Playoff. FSU is 6-3 all-time against Notre Dame and 3-0 on neutral fields with two of those coming in bowl games.

FSU is 4-0 all-time against BYU with two of those meetings coming in neutral-field Pigskin Classic openers. BYU ascended to No. 7 in the nation in 2009, but was handled by the Seminoles in Provo by a 54-28 margin.

Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson. Like The Daily Nole on Facebook. To pitch an idea, author a post or to learn more about The Daily Nole, email Mike Ferguson at Mike@TheDailyNole.com.