Sports: Slouching Towards Mediocrity

Clemson's 27-20 victory over FSU at Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday was not surprising, other than the fact that Florida State remained close in a game in which it was largely outplayed. If not for a blocked extra point returned for a safety and a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown, the 'Noles would have found themselves down 17-0 at halftime, and likely would have lost by at least two touchdowns. Six years ago, an FSU loss at home to a good (but certainly not great) opponent at home would have been a shock. This year, it was expected, as most people I spoke with last week expected FSU to lose, including myself. A sort of malaise has hit the fans, who are resigned to the fact that Bobby Bowden will not remove his son Jeff from the Offensive Coordinator's job. I would not call it indifference, but most people have come to terms with the fact that FSU is no longer an elite program. This may not be a wholly bad thing, as there are more important matters in life. One positive is that circumventions of the Florida law that guards against nepotism in state hiring practices are now in public disfavor, as the wisdom of that statutory provision is demonstrated during most Saturdays during the fall.