FSU Football Legend Bobby Bowden Earns High Praise From CBS Sports
There are few football programs that can define a decade and even fewer head coaches that can define an era.
Florida State's dominance during Bobby Bowden's 34 seasons continues to receive national recognition decades later, as he further cements his legacy in the history books.
In a recent look back at college football's greatest teams by decade, CBS Sports named the Seminoles and Nebraska as co-champions of the 1990s, arguing that separating the two programs was simply too difficult.
Rather than choosing one unanimous winner of the golden years, CBS decided the decade belonged to both schools after historic runs that helped define the era.
Florida State's Decade of Dominance
For an audience that may not remember the Bowden era, Florida State finished in the AP Top five for 14 consecutive seasons (1987-2000).
It means that for 14 straight years, Florida State ended the season among the nation's top five teams, a feat no program has matched in the AP Poll era. The Seminoles won 10 or more games every season during that streak and brought home two national championships while accomplishing feats that will likely remain unrivaled in history.
"It was in the 1990s that the spear was planted in the sport and the Seminoles became synonymous with college football at the highest levels." Chip Patterson wrote.
Florida State joined the ACC for football in 1992 and immediately became the league's dominant program. The Seminoles won or shared every ACC championship from 1992-99, opened their ACC tenure with 29 consecutive conference wins, and finished the decade with a 62-2 record against conference opponents.
On the national level, Florida State won national championships in 1993 and 1999 and never finished lower than No. 4 in the final AP Poll during the 1990s. The larger Bobby Bowden run stretched from 1987-2000, when the Seminoles posted 14 consecutive seasons with double-digit wins and top-five finishes.
Between 1982 and 1995, Bobby Bowden set an NCAA record by going 14consecutive bowl games without a loss.
Why Nebraska Wasn't Left Behind
Nebraska's case was just as strong; however, both teams took different turns after the 1990s. The Cornhuskers went 60-3 from 1993-97, winning three national championships during Tom Osborne's Hall of Fame run.
Even after Osborne's retirement, Nebraska remained a top-tier program under Frank Solich, finishing the 1999 season ranked No. 3.
Nebraska's three national championships ultimately prevented Florida State from standing alone atop CBS Sports' list; the Seminoles' unmatched week-to-week performances throughout the decade made them impossible to overlook.
More than 25 years later, Bowden's teams remain the standard by which many of the sport's greatest dynasties are measured.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/fsu as FSU Football Legend Bobby Bowden Earns High Praise From CBS Sports.
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This story was originally published July 7, 2026 at 5:00 PM.