While FSU lost the game 24-9 (Tomahawk Nation recaps the scoring on their blog), they fought valiantly with inferior talent in Norman that day. It was a game Bill McGrotha, famed Tallahassee sports writer, thinks the Noles could have won.
"A game in which Florida State seemed to have no chance was one it might have won," wrote McGrotha in his book Seminoles! The First Forty Years.
What's the significance, you ask?
Well, it was Bobby's first year as head coach of the Seminoles. Hopes did not run very high in Tallahassee that year. In fact, the football program was on the brink of extinction after a four-season record of 4-29. That didn't scare Bowden.
He took a young, 0-2 team into Norman and nearly came out with a victory. Some consider this the start of the Bowden Era at Florida State. Will this weekend be the start of the Jimbo Fisher era? It very well could be.
Oklahoma is only a three-point favorite right now and they'll be facing one of the best FSU defenses in a long time. Saturday nights in Doak can be quite exhilirating for fans, yet daunting for opponents. It will be loud and raucous. You may not hear a break in the Warchant all night.
According to ESPN Columnist Mark Schlabach, tickets are already demanding upwards of $1,000 and, as of Monday, hotels are sold out for 60 miles around Tallahassee. To show just how long its been since Tallahassee has played host to this big of a game, it is College Gameday's first trip back in nine years!
So to say that I'm excited is a BIG understatement! I mean here it is Tuesday and I'm already gearing up for the matchup of Top 5 powerhouses. This weekend we get a glimpse into what made FSU football so great in the first place. The foundation of the Bowden Era was laid upon bedrock games like this one. The stones which pay homage to this lie across the parking lot from Doak in the famed "Sod Cemetery." Let's hope we see the dawn of a new era for Seminole Nation!
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