The last two national championships have seen once-great programs return to glory in spectacular fashions. Florida State’s dominant 2013 season was capped off with a thrilling conclusion to the BCS bowl system while Ohio State captured the 2014 title after sneaking into the inaugural College Football Playoff as the final of four seeds. Even neutral observers were entertained by the respective journeys each team traveled to get there.
Though the narrative surrounding both teams was the same, their reputations as programs are completely different. Ohio State is one of the blue bloods of college football that has been around since the sport became mildly popular in the 1920’s. Florida State on the other hand, is a new money type of program that only started its rise to the top in the late 70’s. Both have accomplishments that are nothing to scoff at, but because of their respective reputations, these accomplishments are viewed in a different light. For the Buckeyes, it’s business as usual and for the Seminoles, it’s a resurgence. Each perception has a certain merit to it.
As a fun exercise for the offseason nearing an end, we’ve compiled a look at both Ohio State and Florida State over the past 10, 25, and 40 years. While it might look like a competition, (and it sort of is) the intention is just to show how sometimes perception can be a bit off. Here’s a question to consider before reading on: If you were asked “Who is the better program over the past 10/25/40 years” which would you choose?
All data courtesy of cfbtrivia.com
PASADENA, CA – JANUARY 06: Florida State Seminoles head coach Jimbo Fisher (L) holds the Coaches’ Trophy as quarterback Jameis Winston (center) #5 looks on after defeating the Auburn Tigers 34-31 in the 2014 Vizio BCS National Championship Game at the Rose Bowl on January 6, 2014 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
10-Year Outlook
| Florida State Seminoles | Ohio State Buckeyes | |
| Overall Record | 84-38 (.689) | 98-21 (.824) |
| Bowl Record | 7-3 | 5-5 |
| Record vs. Ranked Teams | 16-22 (.421) | 20-15 (.571) |
| Record vs. Top 10 Teams | 5-8 (.384) | 8-12 (.400) |
| NC Appearances | 1 | 3 |
| NC Wins | 1 | 1 |
| Average Class Ranking | 7.4 | 9.1 |
Not surprisingly, Ohio State shows a pretty clear advantage over Florida State since 2005. The beginning of this timeline starts when the Seminoles were in the throes of the “Lost Decade” that signaled the eventual departure of legendary head coach Bobby Bowden.
Meanwhile, Ohio State was beginning a streak of six straight BCS bowl appearances that included two national championship appearances. This would also help explain why FSU had the better bowl record over the time span: It would only go to four total major bowl games (Orange, Sugar, Rose, Fiesta, National Championship) while the Buckeyes went to nine. Tougher competition means more losses.
Ohio State’s overall record is no fluke either. Its opponents’ total win-loss record came out to a .580 percentage while FSU’s opponents finished at a .573 mark. From 2005-2014, the Buckeyes faced tougher competition and performed at a higher level than the Seminoles. Florida State has gained a lot of ground in the past few seasons and that’s why some of the numbers like record vs. top-10 teams are closer than one might expect.
Average recruiting class ranking was included because the data was available for the given years. The comparison used Rivals team recruiting ranking because other sites didn’t have the actual numbers from the earlier classes. The actual numbers aren’t all that surprising as both teams have generally recruited very well in recent years. Interestingly enough, FSU’s classes are much more consistent (standard deviation = 5.4) while Ohio State’s follow a very steep up-and-down trend (standard deviation = 6.9).
Florida State flanker Peter Warrick makes a catch for a first down against Ohio State defenders Antoine Winfield (11) and Gary Berry (1) during the second quarter of the Sugar Bowl on Thursday, Jan. 1, 1998, at the Superdome in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Jay la Prete)
25-Year Outlook
| Florida State Seminoles | Ohio State Buckeyes | |
| Overall Record | 240-68-1 (.778) | 237-65-3 (.781) |
| Bowl Record | 17-8 (.680) | 11-13 (.458) |
| Record vs. Ranked Teams | 66-47-1 (.583) | 49-45-2 (.520) |
| Record vs. Top 10 Teams | 19-26-1 (.423) | 16-27-2 (.377) |
| NC Appearances | 6 | 4 |
| NC Wins | 3 | 2 |
A 25-year timeframe captures the Florida State dynasty that ran throughout the late 1980’s and all of the 90’s. These teams push Florida State ahead in almost every category except the overall record, where the Buckeyes still have a slight edge. A deeper foray into these stats helps FSU’s case even more.
Ohio State’s opponents total win-loss record had a .572 percentage while FSU’s had a .602 percentage. This makes the gap between the two overall records seem fairly inconsequential, and the Seminoles look even better when comparing the record vs. ranked teams and record vs. top 10 teams.
Florida State holds clear leads in these areas and has the national title appearances/wins to prove it. The major bowl record is where it gets close, as the Seminoles went to 15 major bowls and went 8-7 in those bowls while Ohio State went to 14 major bowls and had a record of 9-5. The edge goes to the Buckeyes in that area, but that seems to be the only part where a debate can occur.
Some will point out that conference titles are excluded from this comparison and ask why that is. The reasoning is that since conferences have varying levels of competition during certain years, raw number of titles is not a very good indicator of which program is more successful. While Florida State’s streak of ACC titles is impressive, it’s hard to say if it’s more impressive than any of Ohio State’s.
FSU’s Michael Whiting runs away from Ohio State’s Kelvin Bell during the 36-27 road victory in 1981. (Photo courtesy of Jacksonville.com)
40-Year Outlook
| Florida State Seminoles | Ohio State Buckeyes | |
| Overall Record | 365-116-4 (.757) | 366-111-7 (.763) |
| Bowl Record | 25-10-1 (.708) | 17-20-0 (.459) |
| Record vs. Ranked Teams | 85-74-1 (.534) | 66-76-4 (.465) |
| Record vs. Top 10 Teams | 29-45-1 (.393) | 21-51-3 (.300) |
| NC Appearances | 6 | 4 |
| NC Wins | 3 | 2 |
The final outlook starts in 1975 and looks at the long term trends of each program. It includes both the end of legendary Ohio State coach Woody Hayes’ career and the beginning of Bobby Bowden’s FSU successes. These both signal an overhaul of each program and are the markers for when each team started transitioning into the modern era of football. The numbers follow the same pattern as the previous 25-year outlook, though there still exists some interesting developments.
Once again, Ohio State holds a slight lead in the overall record, but FSU’s opponents were still tougher as a whole. FSU opponents tallied a .598 winning percentage while Buckeye opponents had a .560 percentage. That is an even bigger gap than the percentages during the 25-year outlook. The larger differences extend to the records vs. ranked teams, top 10 teams, and bowls — the latter of which FSU has a very clear advantage in.
As noted in the previous segment however, there is a difference between major bowls and regular “consolation” bowls. Florida State went to 20 major bowl games in this outlook and went 11-9 while Ohio State went to 21 and had a record of 11-10, so both schools were pretty even in this respect.
Oddly enough, the 40-year outlook seems to be the most conclusive one of the bunch. Florida State leads by a healthy margin in pretty much every category. This serves as a testament to just how good Bobby Bowden was and how he might even be a little underrated in historical terms. He turned a program that had won just four total games in the three years prior to his arrival into a powerhouse that rivaled conventional greats…like the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Some interesting tidbits: Ohio State and FSU faced off three times in this time period (1981, 1982, 1998). FSU won all three meetings, including a 1981 match-up that pitted a top-10 Ohio State team against an unranked FSU squad in Columbus. Both teams had the same number of undefeated seasons and each appeared in either the AP or coaches poll’s top 10 a total of 21 times.
It’s no secret that both programs have been regulars among the elite in recent times. What’s surprising is that even in such a broad time-span, Florida State retains that distinction. It’s not really a competition — the comparison could (and might) be done with other teams — it’s just convenient to do the past two national champions because of their familiar narratives. After looking at the numbers, it’s clear that Florida State should not be overlooked when we talk about programs with rich football histories.
