October 16, 1976, 50 years ago today: A loss that actually foreshadows a record streak of winning seasons, as No. 12 Florida holds off Florida State 33-26. It was a sign of hope for first-year FSU head coach Bobby Bowden, whose team would go 5-6 that year. In 1977, the Seminoles rolled off a 10-2 record (including a 37-9 thrashing of the Gators) and would begin their run of 41 straight winning campaigns that ended in 2018. Bowden was at the helm for the first 33 of them and led FSU to 20 bowl victories, 12 ACC titles and two national championships.
By 1981, Florida State was trying to take root as one of the nation’s elite programs. And if there were remaining doubters, Bowden’s ‘Noles, then an independent, scheduled what they called a “Death March” that included consecutive road games—that’s road games—against Nebraska, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, and LSU. Florida State went 3-2 in that stretch, earning its stripes in the national conversation. The “Death March” was alternately named an “Oktoberfest”. The biggest upset was a 36-27 takedown of the Buckeyes in Columbus.
Halfway through Florida State’s winning seasons streak was what is called the Seminoles’ Dynasty Era from 1987-2000. All 14 campaigns produced 10 wins and top 4 finishes in the AP Poll and included both of FSU’s national championships. The winning seasons continued through the Jimbo Fisher years following Bowden’s forced retirement after the 2009 season. The streak ended in Willie Taggart’s first season (after he bolted from Oregon before Boise State beat the Ducks in the 2017 Las Vegas Bowl). Taggart was still coaching the ‘Noles when the Broncos beat them in the 2019 opener in Tallahassee—the “Hurricane Hank” game.
Which gives us an excuse to talk about the nation’s longest current streak of winning seasons, which belongs to Boise State, of course. The Broncos’ run of 28 straight dates back to 1998 and is officially considered the fourth-longest in FBS history. Behind Florida State’s record come Nebraska, with 40 consecutive winning seasons from 1962-2001, and Michigan’s streak that ended a century ago—39 straight from 1888-1926. Not to get ahead of ourselves, but Boise State can get to Year 29 with victories over Washington State next week and Texas State on Halloween.
(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment during the football season on KTVB’s Sunday Sports Extra. He also anchors four sports segments each weekday on 95.3 FM KTIK and one on News/Talk KBOI. His Scott Slant column runs every Wednesday.)