Bowden will announce retirement tomorrow, ESPN reports.

[Skull and Bones]

FSU is hardly a top 20 program anymore, much less a top 5, OBF. I dunno where you get that from.

but it has the potential to be once again.  it's a big time program with great history of winning and producing NFL talent and is in a very strategic location for recruiting.  10-15 years ago they were getting all the big time recruits they had scholarships for.

restrictions only count if we can recruit enough players...and with the expected blow-up of our defensive staff I am thinking our recruiting might take a hit.

[John Galt?]

FSU is hardly a top 20 program anymore, much less a top 5, OBF. I dunno where you get that from.

They have a state full of talent. They have players in that state that want to play there. They have a good fan base and what I understand good facilities. They play in a conference they can dominate.

1)Florida/USC
2) Texas
3) ?


You could turn FSU around very fast

Top 5... as in places to coach.

If all you have to be is in a state full of talent UCLA and Texas A&M would be great jobs. It can easily be argued that being the top dog in a second tier talent state like UGA, Alabama, LSU, Ohio State, and Oklahoma, is better than being second fiddle to an undisputed hegemon in a first tier talent state behind UF, Texas, and USC.

UF did pretty good back when FSU was the undisputed hegemon .... The talent pool in Florida has shown yo be plenty large enough to sustain 3 top notch programs, although the difference now is that you've got other Div 1 programs in the state to bleed off some of the talent that would have otherwise provided the depth for the Big 3.

And more scholarship restrictions...

That too .... although when did they actually start those restrictions?

In 1991 the limit was lowered from 95 down to 85 but it was staggered between '91 and '94 (92, 90, 88, 85).

Don't see how that affected FSU since some of their best years were after '94.

I think USF becoming a serious program had a much greater effect. USF got a lot of good players that might have gone to FSU.

Not sure but the question may be about the latest scholarship sanctions related to the academic fraud penalties.

[BucsBullsBolts]

[I think USF becoming a serious program had a much greater effect. USF got a lot of good players that might have gone to FSU.

Honestly, although I'm not a recruiting cultist, I don't recall that many players where USF was going up against FSU for players. If they were competing against any of the Big 3 it was UM and/or UF, and they usually lost.

By my dim recollection we lost 1, maybe 2 guys at most to USF.  We lose more to UF than anyone these days and I think our recruiting in Miami/Dade might take a hit again which means we will lose out of players to Miami.

Surprisingly FSU still puts a lot of effort in national recruiting when there is a huge pool of regional talent.  Not sure that plan isn't backfiring as more west coast conferences (PAC-10, etc) programs are gaining viability and gaining success in recruiting. 

[Biggs3535]

CHIP KELLY - DUDE you gotta be kidding me CMON MAN I know you are a homer but Chip Kelly is not a top flight head coach!!

Good call.

[Col. Klink]

CHIP KELLY - DUDE you gotta be kidding me CMON MAN I know you are a homer but Chip Kelly is not a top flight head coach!!

Good call.

  .... You haven't been able to dig up any Gene Chizik ones?