Ranking FSU’s best-ever games: 40-31

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Across 898 games and 80 seasons in the books, there have been plenty of memorable moments in the story of Florida State Seminoles football.

The challenge we issued to you was helping narrow them down, establishing the 50 best Seminole games. It was a difficult task, but one that you all helped make happen.

Now, week by week, we’ll be revealing each of the games that you voted as the best in Florida State football history. Last week, we revealed the first 10 in the series.

Today, we cover wins marking first-ever achievements, multiple rivalry wins, including a Heisman-clinching matchup and a game that still holds high value in fan minds even with all that followed.

FSU’s best-ever games: 40-31

• No. 40: Inaugural ACC Championship, 27–22 over No. 5 Virginia Tech (2005)

After starting the 2005 season with a 7-1 record, the Noles would go on to drop the next 3 games (NC State, Clemson, and Florida) and get bounced from the polls, but it was good enough to earn a spot in the inaugural championship game by virtue of winning the Atlantic Division of the newly expanded Atlantic Coast Conference.

FSU would be trying to snap their first 3-game losing streak in 22 years (1983) against the Coastal Division winner, the 5th-ranked Virginia Tech Hokies, who were trying to repeat as ACC Champions.

After a 3-3 halftime tie, the Noles exploded in the 3rd quarter for 24 unanswered points. However, the Hokies, behind Marcus Vick, responded in the 4th quarter with one passing and two rushing touchdowns before the FSU defense held, giving the Noles an upset win, 27-22, and earning the Orange Bowl berth to face Penn State.

• No. 39: ‘Bowden Bowl 2,’ 54–7 over No. 10 Clemson (Weinke 521 yds) (2000)

Unlike the previous year’s 17-14 Bowden Bowl 1 win, which was the Seminoles’ lowest margin of victory on the way to their wire-to-wire national championship season, #4 FSU destroyed the #10 Tigers with 771 offensive yards, the most ever given up by Clemson, while the Nole defense held them to 262 total offensive yards on the night.

In that game, Chris Weinke’s 521 passing yards cemented his Heisman Trophy-winning campaign, while FSU improved to 37-0 in ACC home games and clinched its ninth straight ACC Championship. Three Seminoles went over 100 receiving yards, including Snoop Minnis, the recipient of Weinke’s beautiful highlight fake and play-action pass for a 98-yard touchdown bomb.

This win over Clemson was a crucial stepping stone on FSU’s path to the Orange Bowl to play for the National Championship for the third consecutive year.

• No. 38: 36–27 at No. 10 Ohio State (1981)

The unranked FSU “Road Warriors” entered the game as underdogs to the undefeated and seventh-ranked Ohio State for the first-ever meeting between the teams. This game was part of a grueling five-game road stretch known as “Oktoberfest”, which also featured games against Nebraska, Notre Dame, Pitt, and LSU.

After a back-and-forth first half and 5 lead changes, the Seminoles took the lead for good in the 3rd quarter and shut down the Buckeyes in the second half before 87,000 stunned Ohio State fans.

The teams combined for 992 yards, exactly 496 yards each; however, the Seminole defense held Ohio State’s self-proclaimed “3 yards and a cloud of dust” rushing offense to 38 yards on 31 rushing attempts.

• No. 37: 30–7 over No. 4 Florida (Weinke’s Heisman-clinching game) (2000)

On the Friday before gameday, FSU QB Chris Weinke suffered severe flu symptoms, and after spending 8 hours taking IV’s in the hospital, he slept at the team doctor’s house to make sure he was well enough to lead FSU in a game that could send the Seminoles to their third consecutive BCS National Championship Game.

Third-ranked FSU’s 28-year-old quarterback came through to the delight of the Doak Stadium record crowd of over 83,000 by dismantling the 4th-ranked Gators. Weinke completed 23 of 44 passes with 3 TD’s, the second of which was a 34-yarder to Snoop Minnis in the third quarter, which made him the ACC’s career passing leader.

Minnis, who had eight catches for 187 yards, helped Weinke lock in the Heisman Trophy by blowing past Florida defenders for an explosive 51-yard touchdown in the third quarter, for his 2nd TD of the night.

The Seminole defense held the Gators scoreless in the second half to seal the win that extended FSU’s unbeaten streak at home to 52 games (51-0-1), dating to 1991, and its home winning streak to 35 games, dating to 1994.

• No. 36: 45–17 at Miami (2010)

The 45-17 blowout of #13 Miami at Doak South was new FSU Coach Jimbo Fisher’s first signature win, validating his hiring and easing the minds of those who were ‘not so sure this Jimbo fella was the right man for the job’ to follow the legend Bowden and bring the Noles out of their “Lost Decade”.

FSU running back Jermaine Thomas scored three touchdowns in the first 21 minutes of the game, and Christian Ponder managed the game well, building the Nole lead to 38-17 halfway through the 4th quarter, and the Noles were happy to continue pounding the Miami defense with a running attack that would gain almost 300 rushing yards on the night to run out the clock.

Any thoughts UM had of a comeback were destroyed when Chris Thompson sprinted 50 yards deep into Miami territory to what many felt was the knockout blow for UM. However, the run was called back, and Jimbo called the same exact play, but this time no Cane would catch Thompson, whose 90-yard touchdown on the very next play, which stood as the longest run ever allowed in Hurricanes football history, was now the real knockout punch for Miami.

In addition to being Jimbo’s first signature win, it ended Miami’s dominance between 2000-2009 when the UM won 8 of the 10 previous games, it reset the rivalry and became the beginning of the Seminole’s own 7-game win streak (2010-2016) against the Canes.

Thrashing UM on a prime-time nationally televised stage, and in a stadium full of South-Florida recruits, was a catalyst that ignited what would become FSU’s recruiting dominance both in-state against their rivals, and nationally relevant, for the next 6 years.

• No. 35: 18–0 at Georgia, birth of the Sod Cemetery tradition (1962)

FSU entered the game as heavy underdogs against Georgia and left Athens with an 18-0 shutout of the Bulldogs, which remains the largest Nole margin of victory in the series’ history.

However, this game is best remembered for launching a legendary Florida State tradition, The SOD Cemetery.

Before the team left for Athens, Dean Coyle Moore, an FSU sociology professor and athletic board member, challenged the team to “bring back some sod from between the hedges at Georgia” if they won.

The Seminoles pulled off an 18-0 upset victory, and team captain Gene McDowell plucked a piece of the field to present to Moore. McDowell presented the turf to Moore at the next practice, and Coach Peterson then buried the grass on the FSU practice field, marking it the first “sod game”.

• No. 34: 23–12 over Florida (Outzen-to-Warrick) (1998)

About 30 minutes before kickoff, Gator players, being gaturds, stomped the mid-field Seminole logo, and a massive brawl followed. During the chaos, UF QB Doug Johnson tried to hit Bobby Bowden with a football he threw directly at Bowden. Again, just the Gators being gaturds.

In the first half, Florida hit the trifecta with a TD, safety, and FG, while holding FSU to just two Seabass field goals to take a 12-6 halftime lead. The FSU defense, which did not allow a Florida 3rd-down the entire game, then proceeded to shut out the Gators in the second half as the game turned into the Peter Warrick show.

With starting quarterback Chris Weinke out for the remainder of the season with a neck injury, backup Marcus “Rooster” Outzen stepped up and targeted receiver Peter Warrick, who caught a deflected 32-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter to give FSU its first lead.

Then on an end-around trick-play, Warrick threw a 46-yard TD strike to Ron Dugans, followed by another Janikowski field goal to close out the scoring and seal the 23-12 victory.

With the victory, FSU moved up to #2 in the polls, which put them in their first of three straight National Championship game appearances, extended their home unbeaten streak to 40 games, and kept UF coach Steve Spurrier winless at FSU for his coaching career.

• No. 33: 38–3 at No. 4 Miami (eight sacks) (1984)

The defending National Champion Miami Hurricanes were dominated by the Noles, 38-3, despite first-year head coach Jimmy Johnson proclaiming his “team had enjoyed its best practice week of the year, and that he would be shocked if it did not play its best game of the year.”

Instead, it became another signature moment in Bowden turning FSU football a national brand and powerhouse, while spoiling Johnson’s home debut at the Orange Bowl. The Noles dominated every phase, with the defense overwhelming Miami’s quarterbacks with 8 sacks and forcing 2 interceptions, allowing only 10 rushing yards on 32 attempts, while holding the Canes to a 4th-quarter field goal kicked to avoid an embarrassing home debut shutout.

The first half was a defensive battle with FSU kicker Derek Schmidt drilling 3 field goals, including a school-record 54-yarder, sending the Seminoles into halftime with a 9–0 lead.

FSU’s offense broke the game open in the third quarter with a Jessie Hester 77-yard reverse for the game’s first touchdown, followed by two Rosie Snipes rushing touchdowns and a Hassan Jones 25-yard TD pass completion from QB Eric Thomas.

The blowout became a defining moment in FSU’s and Bowden’s rise toward national prominence and further reinforced the Seminole reputation for fearless scheduling and being competitive, and proved able to dominate elite opponents on the big stage.

Aside from the lopsided score, this specific game holds a unique place in college football history. Frustrated by the continuous “Tomahawk Chop” from a massive contingent of visiting FSU fans, a Miami student named Juan Valladares began flashing a hand gesture to represent the “U” on Miami’s helmets. The gesture spread through the stands and eventually became the iconic “Throwing up the U” sign used by the program today.

• No. 32: First win over Florida, 16–7 (1964)

This was the first time the rivalry game was played in Tallahassee due to the Gators’ demand that the first 6 games be played in Gainesville. The Gators were 5-0-1 against FSU at this time and came out on game day wearing “Go For 7” (to signify keeping FSU winless against UF) stitched onto the front of their jerseys, helmet stickers reading “Never FSU Never”, and a private plane hired by UF that buzzed Doak Campbell towing a banner with a single word: “Never!”

It all backfired. Badly. In the 2nd quarter, FSU struck first when Steve Tensi hit Fred Biletnikoff on a 55‑yard touchdown bomb, giving the Seminoles a 7–0 lead. The Noles tacked on 3 field goals while holding the Gators to a 4th-quarter touchdown goal for a 16-7 final score.

This win over the Gators was a turning point that helped transform FSU from “the other school” into a rising football power. Following the game, FSU accepted an invitation to its first major bowl appearance, where they went on to defeat Oklahoma 36-19 in the Gator Bowl. The Seminoles finished the 1964 season with a 9-1-1 record and earned their first-ever final national ranking.

• No. 31: Season-opening upset win over Alabama (2025)

Well, that was something.

Florida State firmly sent all memories of 2024 to a deep, dark place in everybody’s brain in its season opener — not just beating Alabama, but firmly dominating the Tide through four quarters after jumping out to a 14-7 lead.

Heading into the matchup as two-touchdown underdogs, FSU utilized explosive plays and consistent defensive pressure to execute a nearly-flawless performance, the lone slip-up coming in the form of a muffed punt.

Then the rest of the season happened, and well, that was something too.

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