Last updated December 8, 2000
Florida State Finishes The Season At Number One
Written By Tony Rossmiller
[ Rankings ]
You have to hand it to the Creminoles. They are consistent, piling up National
Titles and ACC victories with the greatest of ease. But, off the field, they are
equally tenacious. Every fall, and sometimes even in the off-season, it seems
inevitable that a certain series of events will transpire:
1) A FSU football player gets into trouble.
2) He is mildly disciplined, no matter what the offense, with a few exceptions
depending of course on whether the Seminoles have a tough game coming up.
3) Back to event 1)
These actions aren't new. They happen every year. And unfortunately, FSU fans
seem to be looking the other way, because the on-field accolades keep piling up
for Coach Bobby Bowden. For these reasons, and the player actions below, FSU wins
the 2000 Tarnished Twenty Title.
Following off-the-field events involving players from the 1999 season, the
2000 squad has firmly planted Free Shoes U atop Mount Tarnish for a second consecutive
year. Take, for example, lineman David Warren's September arrest for allegedly
pushing his girlfriend to the ground, or All-American safety Derrick Gibson's
August incident, in which he is said to have offered an undercover police officer
$10 for sex. There was also 2000 graduate and Oakland Raiders' number one draft
pick Sebastian Janikowski, who was reportedly picked up outside a Tallahassee
night club with the date rape drug GHB. And let's not forget backup quarterback
Marcus Outzen, who was charged with simple battery for reportedly fighting with
his off-campus neighbors.
According to head coach Bobby Bowden, "I think one of the most misused conceptions
in college football is the 'suspension thing'…Suspending doesn't hurt (them) at
all. It hurts your team." Bowden's preferred remedy: Making players run the stadium
stairs. Perhaps that's why FSU is such a dominant team….
FSU will likely be in the National Title game once again. However, they've
already got some hardware heading into the game. A repeat performance. While FSU
should be proud of its victories, it shouldn't necessarily be proud of its entire
team. For this rationale, the Tarnished Title stays in the Seminole camp, for
now…
Congratulations, Chicken Little!
FSU's Derrick Gibson (AP)
| Football's Tarnished Twenty | |||
|
As of December 8, 2000 |
|||
| Team | AP | Coaches | |
| 1. | Florida State | 3 | 3 |
| 2. | U.S. Naval Academy | N/R | N/R |
| 3. | Duke | N/R | N/R |
| 4. | Missouri | N/R | N/R |
| 5. | Wisconsin | N/R | N/R |
| 6. | Miami-FL | 2 | 2 |
| 7. | Georgia | 24 | 24 |
| 8. | Alabama | N/R | N/R |
| 9. | UNLV | N/R | N/R |
| 10. | Tennessee | 21 | 21 |
| 11. | CSU - Northridge | N/R | N/R |
| 12. | Oregon State | 5 | 6 |
| 13. | Georgia Tech | 15 | 17 |
| 14. | Colorado State | 23 | 22 |
| 15. | Kansas | N/R | N/R |
| 16. | U. of Tennessee - Chattanooga | N/R | N/R |
| 17. | Clemson | 16 | 13 |
| 18. | Auburn | 20 | 20 |
| 19. | U. of South Florida | N/R | N/R |
| 20. | East Carolina | N/R | N/R |
Findlaw's Football Tarnished Twenty is intended to raise awareness of big-time college football's troubled relationship with the law. The Tarnished Twenty rankings are based on the number and severity of ongoing or recently concluded criminal, civil, NCAA and other administrative proceedings and investigations involving players, coaches, boosters or other persons or entities associated with a program. In short, the Tarnished Twenty takes into account everything from murder to the smallest of recruiting and on-campus violations.