FSU to Forfeit the 2007 Season?

by BSD on Jan 15, 2009 2:07 PM EST Comment 35 comments

Interesting tidbit from SBN's Florida State blog, Tomahawk Nation. They claim to have some inside information from the Seminole athletic department saying Florida State will have to forfeit their games from the 2007 season as a result of the academic scandal that saw nearly 30 players suspended at the begining of this season.

I now hear that FSU will lose 4 more scholarships than they recommended, almost doubling the penalty. The 2007 season will be vacated. The scholarship restrictions will be over 3 years and not two.

Of course this will effectively seal the all time Div I wins record for Joe Paterno.

WHAT: FSU will vacate the entire 2007 season (including the Bowl game).

IMPACT: From a football standpoint, this means nothing. This won't impact how the team plays. This doesn't matter in recruiting. Recruits don't care about your historical record in 2007.

This does impact Bobby Bowden. FSU went 7-6 in 2007. Bobby is currently one win behind Joe Paterno. When the sanctions are finalized, he will be eight wins behind Paterno. He will still be the second winningiest coach of all time. This move ends the race between these two coaches. Eight wins is not a gap he can close playing in the ACC while Penn State crushes the Big 10 and their pathetic out of conference schedule.

If true, this will make it nearly impossible for Bobby Bowden to catch up to Paterno again. Losing an entire season cannot be overcome the way these two teams are playing right now. And add to the fact that Florida State is looking at major scholarship reduction only makes it harder.

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winning by default

Scientist: [resigned] Well, Homer, I guess you’re the winner by default.
Homer: Default? Woo hoo! The two sweetest words in the English
language: de-fault! De-fault! De-fault!

by gbd106 on Jan 15, 2009 2:21 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

RIVER BOAT GAMBLER

Ahahahahahaha!!! That old snake finally is getting a little bit of karma. Bowden never had sight of Joe’s record anyway, 31 wins while coaching for Samford, against D-1AA teams I’ve never heard of not to mention counting forfeits when Joe does not.

History will remember Bowden as an imposter, who had a fantastic run in the 90’s but who never could match Joe on the field or off. BTW I believe Joe is something like 7-1 against Bowden all-time in head-to-head matchups. That includes Bowden’s WVU days when he never beat Paterno despite facing him every year he coached WVU.

by millzners on Jan 15, 2009 2:23 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

FreeShoesUniversity

PSU Softball

by QBsneak12 on Jan 15, 2009 2:47 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Felon State University Criminoles!!

For the glory

by Paige2PSU on Jan 15, 2009 8:28 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Eh..

Take a look at Joe Paterno’s wins in the 1960’s, it was not exactly a murders row of top flight competition. Yeah, Bowden never beat Paterno while at WVU, but when the talent and the resources were even, it’s one/one, and our one carries the asterik of we were 11-1 and they were 8-4.

On the other hand….

Eight wins is not a gap he can close playing in the ACC while Penn State crushes the Big 10 and their pathetic out of conference schedule.

This is the stupidest think I’ve read in a very long time.

"I honestly think the "Spread HD" is going to work pretty well, and we’ll be just fine this year". - 8-27-2008

by jesse. on Jan 15, 2009 2:29 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I think the dumbest thing about that comment

is that it is doable, especially if Bowden can somehow get another year out of the administration. I think Jimbo lurking in the background is gonna make that hard to do, though. I wonder if some other school would be willing to take Bowden on as “head coach” for a year or 2 while they get 8 or so wins just to draw in some crowds. I doubt any self-respecting program would do it, plus Bowden probably wouldn’t really be up for it then, and no one would likely ever look at the record in seriousness if that did happen, but it could be possible…

by The JuggerNitt on Jan 15, 2009 3:30 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

FSU owes Jimbo $2.5M

If he isn’t the coach in two years. If all this is true, Bowden is out by then I think. Bowden isn’t exactly cheap either, he’s making ~$2.5M himself.

BSD

by Kevin HD on Jan 15, 2009 4:19 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

One thing.

Can’t Bowden just coach one more year than Paterno to make up the 8 wins?

by Cairo on Jan 15, 2009 2:39 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Possibly

But I think this the beginning of the end for Bowden. The administration was willing to put up with him to get the record if it only meant a few more years. But now Paterno is back on top and going strong with no signs of letting up anytime soon. They aren’t going to put up with three more years of sanctions and scandals. And they have Jimbo Fisher waiting in the wings who will collect a nice $2 million check if he’s not the head coach in 2011.

Mike
Black Shoe Diaries

by BSD on Jan 15, 2009 2:47 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I think definitely.

It’s a pretty big advantage when they are playing 12 games, a CCG game, and then a bowl game…that’s 14 total.

But, like Mike said, he has to be around to do it. With a coach in waiting who is due a ridiculous bonus if he is not the coach in a couple of years, this should pretty much seal the deal.

BSD

by Kevin HD on Jan 15, 2009 2:52 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

And can we all admit that this record is the single biggest reason Bowden hasn’t given up?

With Joe, I think it’s more complicated. But during that NCAAF awards show this season, they had Corso sit down with Bowden to present Bowden an award, and you could tell it was PAINFUL he lost that record this season; it is eating up inside, and you could see it even in a scripted interview. It was almost like when the award show was set up they still expected Bowden to have the most wins…

by millzners on Jan 15, 2009 2:58 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Nice.

Also, I’m not sure it’s a good move to make a baseless claim about SOS just a couple of months after your team finished playing two D1-aa teams in one season.

BSD

by Kevin HD on Jan 15, 2009 2:50 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

everyone knows

western carolina and chattanooga play tough in september

by jigalion on Jan 15, 2009 2:58 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I know!

and at least our Carolina team was from the coast…not in that mountainy western range

by The JuggerNitt on Jan 15, 2009 3:27 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Technicalities

I wonder if Joe would accept the record as being his if this ends up being the difference, at least I don’t think he would publicly “out of respect fpr Bowden.”

by Roland86 on Jan 15, 2009 4:21 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

balance

The NCAA giveth (31 I-AA wins) and the NCAA taketh (7 wins from 2007) away.

by Cairo on Jan 15, 2009 4:41 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I'm not sure

you’ll ever get Paterno to specifically acknowledge that he “owns” any record, streak or achievement.

BSD

by Kevin HD on Jan 15, 2009 4:45 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah

Even the guys at Tomahawk Nation admit the real record goes to Eddie Robinson.

Mike
Black Shoe Diaries

by BSD on Jan 15, 2009 5:01 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

As they should.

All your base are belong to JoePa.

by mushdamma on Jan 15, 2009 8:31 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

25

Of course, Joe is 25 wins away from Robinson’s all-time wins (408 via Wikipedia), so if he actually stays these next three years, he’ll outright own that record.

by dawsonPSU10 on Jan 16, 2009 1:29 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Well techincally

John Gagliardi has more wins than Eddie Robinson, and he is still coaching. Neither Paterno or Bowden has a snowballs chance in hell of catching him.

Paternos record is most D-1A wins. He has that record easily, because neither Robinson or Gagliardi ever coached D-1A ball, and Bowden has a substantial number of D-1AA wins and Samford, WVU and Fla. State. Paterno has a few, but not nearly as many.

It’s as impressive as that, not more not less. More wins at college football’s highest level than anybody else than any other coach.

"I honestly think the "Spread HD" is going to work pretty well, and we’ll be just fine this year". - 8-27-2008

by jesse. on Jan 16, 2009 9:37 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Ole no whistles at parctice Gags...

My best friend from home went to St. Johns (not the one in NYC), where John Gagliardi coaches, and never misses a chance to remind me about that whenever the coaching wins record is brought up.

Onward to the Rose Bowl...Again!!!!!
Trapped in the SF Bay area.....nothing like kickoff at 9 am.

by bconway6 on Jan 16, 2009 2:05 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

You know these wins will still count for Bowden

Even if they don’t count for FSU. They’ll find a way.

--
Mr. Bob Dobalina

by Run Up The Score on Jan 15, 2009 9:49 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

And God bless Joe

You know whenever someone brings up the record he’ll point out that Bowden lost some wins because his kids did some stupid things and probably really deserves the record.

Mike
Black Shoe Diaries

by BSD on Jan 16, 2009 9:18 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

stupid things like lose games?

cuz technically Bowden doesn’t even have his fake record right now :-p

by The JuggerNitt on Jan 16, 2009 1:06 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Bobby B

by letsgopsu on Jan 16, 2009 5:24 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

????

I wonder what the likelyhood of this actually happening is?!?!?!?!

I don’t know much about the situation and what the NCAA is thinking, but if I had to guess, I would put it somewhere between 0% and 1%.

When was the last time they took wins away from a team? I could see them reprimanding FSU but not taking wins away. That doesn’t prove anything. If they took the wins away, they should also take the money the University made for the football games.

WE ARE.......PENN STATE!

by Nick7 on Jan 16, 2009 2:38 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Taking wins away isn't THAT infrequent

I think just 1 or 2 years ago they made Oklahoma forfeit their entire 2005 season back during that scandal about 2 of their players getting paid to work at a car dealership that they didn’t actually work at.

by The JuggerNitt on Jan 16, 2009 2:51 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Maybe they'll compromise 50/50.

FSU forfeits their six losses, but doesn’t forfeit their seven wins. I think I’d travel to Indianapolis and leave a flaming bag of poo on their stoop if they did that.

by Cairo on Jan 16, 2009 3:08 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Or worse yet

FSU forfeits the wins, but Bobby gets to still count them toward his win total.

Mike
Black Shoe Diaries

by BSD on Jan 16, 2009 5:00 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

It's pretty common actually

Any game that an ineligible player was used is forfeitted. That’s the rule, and it is imposed pretty rigerously so far as I know.

"I honestly think the "Spread HD" is going to work pretty well, and we’ll be just fine this year". - 8-27-2008

by jesse. on Jan 16, 2009 3:47 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Happened to the University of Minnesota's

basketball team. Their Big11Ten Championship and Final Four run in 1997 was cleared from the books due to academic sanctions.

Onward to the Rose Bowl...Again!!!!!
Trapped in the SF Bay area.....nothing like kickoff at 9 am.

by bconway6 on Jan 17, 2009 12:00 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Look

I hate Bowden as much as you all, but the Samford wins were before there was a I-A/I-AA split. Just because the program he once coached at decided not to make the I-A leap when the split occured doesn’t mean the wins were not in the “major” college category. Why is it ok for us to count wins against YSU and CC now, but wins for Bobby with lesser talent when it was only Div – I shouldn’t? Argue about all of the cheating, shoes and whatever you want, but the Samford thing is just uninformed.

JoePa in '09

by JGuiher on Jan 16, 2009 5:30 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

While I agree with your point

about him being at Samford before the split, therefore how can you really make it different, there’s still something that just doesn’t seem right about it.

As for PSU & JoePa getting credit for YSU and CC wins…well I don’t think they should count, either.

I suppose I like Jesse’s record statement the best. JoePa has the most wins over division 1-A teams than any other coach in history. It actually sounds more impressive than “most wins” and is more accurate, because of both Robinson and Gagliardi

by The JuggerNitt on Jan 16, 2009 5:37 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

It's not Samford, it's the D III schools Samford played

It’s who Samford played. We played CC last season. Maybe once a season we play a D1-AA. That sucks, we shouldn’t count that toward our record or Joe’s, period. Officially we were 10-2 last season, so long as Florida was 11-1.

But look at Bowden’s record:

cfbdatawarehouse.com (Great site)

He was playing D1AA teams at best: teams like Millsaps (MS) and Sewanee (TN) (Bowden played them each twice) are now classified as Div III, teams like West Alabama are a D II school now. When was the last time Paterno played even a D II school much less a D III school?

Those 31 wins are BS, Bowden and any claim he ever had to the record is a farce.

"We hugged as grown men do. It was a great moment. Then, it was business as usual." -- LJ Sr.

by millzners on Jan 17, 2009 12:22 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs