1997 Florida State
11–1 (8–0 Atlantic Coast Conference), coached by Bobby Bowden, finished No. 3 in the AP poll. Share
Schedule and results
- Best winBeat No. 5 North Carolina 20–3Nov 8
Over the best-ranked team it beat, on the road.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 6 | at 23USC | W 14–7 | 62% |
| Sep 13 | vs Maryland | W 50–7 | 87% |
| Sep 20 | at 16Clemson | W 35–28 | 65% |
| Oct 4 | vs Miami | W 47–0 | 80% |
| Oct 11 | at Duke | W 51–27 | 87% |
| Oct 18 | vs 21Georgia Tech | W 38–0 | 82% |
| Oct 25 | at Virginia | W 47–21 | 69% |
| Nov 1 | vs NC State | W 48–35 | 91% |
| Nov 8 | at 5North Carolina | W 20–3 | 52% |
| Nov 15 | vs Wake Forest | W 58–7 | 93% |
| Nov 22 | at 10Florida | L 29–32 | 50% |
| Jan 1Bowls & playoff | vs 9Ohio StateSugar Bowl | W 31–14 | 56% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Beat Ohio State 31–14 in the Sugar Bowl; No. 3 in the final AP poll; Atlantic Coast Conference champions.
In program history: The 4th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 78 on file).
AP poll, week by week
- Wk 1: 3
- Wk 2: 3
- Wk 3: 5
- Wk 4: 5
- Wk 5: 5
- Wk 6: 4
- Wk 7: 4
- Wk 8: 4
- Wk 9: 3
- Wk 10: 3
- Wk 11: 3
- Wk 12: 3
- Wk 13: 2
- Wk 14: 2
- Wk 15: 5
- Wk 16: 4
- Wk 17: 4
- Final: 3
Players on this team
Chris WeinkeQuarterback
Sebastian JanikowskiKicker
Corey SimonDefensive tackle
Laveranues ColesReceiver
Dexter JacksonDefensive back- Jamal ReynoldsDefensive end
- Andre WadsworthDefensive line
- Sam CowartLinebacker
- Derrick GibsonDefensive back
- E.G. GreenReceiver
- Bill GramaticaKicker
Before 2004 our records hold honors and the draft; these are the players whose college years here, from their Wikipedia articles or their honors, include 1997.
Atlantic Coast Conference champions8–0 in the conference
2 consensus All-AmericansAndre Wadsworth, DL; Sam Cowart, LB
- Record
- 11–1
- Conference
- 8–0 first in Atlantic Coast Conference
- AP final
- No. 3 peak No. 2
- Points
- 468–181
- Coach
- Bobby Bowden
- Elo
- 1836 +137 this season
- SP+ rating
- 33.9 No. 2 of 112; offense No. 2, defense No. 4
- SRS
- 30.0 No. 1 of 112 in Division I-A
- Recruiting class
- —
- Offensive coordinator
- Mark Richt
- Defensive coordinator
- Mickey Andrews
- Captains
- Kevin Long, Daryl Bush and Shevin Smith
- Offense
- Pro-style
- Defense
- 4–3
Drafted in 1998
The 1998 draft| Rd 1 | Andre Wadsworth DE | Arizona Cardinals |
| Rd 1 | William Thomas OT | Philadelphia Eagles |
| Rd 2 | Sam Cowart LB | Buffalo Bills |
| Rd 2 | Samari Rolle DB | Tennessee Oilers |
| Rd 3 | E.G. Green WR | Indianapolis Colts |
| Rd 3 | Greg Spires DE | New England Patriots |
| Rd 4 | Julian Pittman DT | New Orleans Saints |
| Rd 6 | Shevin Smith DB | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| Rd 7 | Kevin Long C | Tennessee Oilers |
All-ACC
7 first team, 9 second teamFirst team
E.G. GreenWRAP-1- Tra ThomasOTAP-1
- Melvin PearsallTEAP-1
- Thad BusbyQBAP-1
- Andre WadsworthDLAP-1
- Sam CowartLBAP-1
Samari RolleDBAP-1
Second team
- Peter WarrickWRAP-2
- Jason WhitakerOGAP-2
- Kevin LongCAP-2
- Travis MinorRBAP-2
- Greg SpiresDLAP-2
- Daryl BushLBAP-2
- Dexter JacksonDBAP-2
- Shevin SmithDBAP-2
- Sebastian JanikowskiKAP-2
From Wikipedia’s 1997 all-conference team article, with the selectors that named each player (AP-1: the Associated Press’s first team).
1997 Atlantic Coast Conference standings
Conference page| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida State | 8–0 | 11–1 | 3 |
| North Carolina | 7–1 | 11–1 | 6 |
| Virginia | 5–3 | 7–4 | |
| Georgia Tech | 5–3 | 7–5 | 25 |
| Clemson | 4–4 | 7–5 | |
| NC State | 3–5 | 6–5 | |
| Wake Forest | 3–5 | 5–6 | |
| Maryland | 1–7 | 2–9 | |
| Duke | 0–8 | 2–9 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.