The Beginning of the End: Forcing Out Coaching Legend Bobby Bowden

TAMPA—I hate rainy games. Have I ever mentioned that? It seems to bring out the worst in fans, players, and coaches alike. I just dad-gum hate 'em. I'll bet Coach Bowden's getting there too.

Well, it's official. Florida State is 2-3, and Bobby Bowden might be out the door. Yep, there it is. The Seminoles are off to their worst start since 1983. The 'Noles just lost another "must win" in Beantown.

So the coaching staff in Tallahassee is on the hot seat, even if the chair is still soaked...

Florida State needs to fire someone, huh? Well, who did you have in mind?

One guess.

Keep asking for it, Seminole Nation, and FSU will soon find themselves without the one man who built Florida State from nothing. Nothing. (No disrespect to coaches Veller or Peterson, of course.)

Entering his 33rd season at FSU, Bobby Bowden's teams from the '80s and '90s put up cartoon-like numbers, showcased two Heisman Trophy Winners, another Heisman Finalist, won two National Titles, made five championship appearances in eight seasons, strung together 14 straight top-five finishes, 27 straight bowl appearances, and a winning record in every season since 1977 (Bobby's second year in Tallahassee).

That was a mouthful.

The only mouthful that might be bigger, is saying Bobby Bowden is the reason that Florida State is struggling, and that the man should be fired.

Come on, folks—let's get real.

In Bobby Bowden's quest to become one of the winningest Head Coaches of all time, rather than celebrating the man's 30+ years of accomplishments, the topic on the tip of everyone's tongue, year-in and year-out, has become "when will Bobby step down?"

The 2009 version surfaced following this Saturday's close loss on the road at Boston College, FSU's third loss to an underdog opponent.

Boston College. What can you say about a team like Boston College? The heart on display this past Saturday was hard to compete with.

Senior Linebacker Mark Herzlich has been battling a very rare bone cancer called Ewing's sarcoma, and to commemorate his battle, while raising money and awareness for the deadly disease, the game was dedicated to his fight.

Yeah. How's that for inspiration?

As if to place a ceiling on FSU's fading hopes, in as many weeks, FSU faced yet another rain-soaked challenge that now seems to be a growing omen. Perhaps this just might not be FSU's week, month, or, well—entire season!

Breaking down the inconsistencies, there were several moments where FSU looked doomed to falter in the pivotal ACC contest. After allowing Boston College to break the game open in the first half, the skies managed to clear, and FSU came out more poised in the second half.

Christian Ponder managed to extend FSU the length of the field, hooking up with receivers Owens and Reed on several long strikes downfield, and before long, the once struggling offense put FSU back within striking distance at 21-13.

Then, as quickly as FSU managed to knot the game at 21 apiece, the Eagles answered.

A lot of questions still swirl around how this game got away from FSU. Maybe the Seminoles' four-and-out series from inside the five yard line would be the drive that sealed it.

Or maybe it was the missed field goal by Dustin Hopkins that would have put FSU in front. Maybe it was Greg Reid's dropped sure-pick six that did the trick.

One thing is for certain. It could be blamed on any number of things. None of which were Bobby.

Sure, FSU has become the launchpad for budding programs in need of a signature win. Miami's Randy Shannon on the hot seat? Not anymore.

USF's Jim Leavitt begging for the opportunity to catapult past a member of the big three? Check.

Boston College wants to be sure first year Head Coach Spaziani was the right choice to replace Coach Jags? No problem.

Solution—fire Bobby Bowden? 

Before we go and make a political statement like that, maybe we should be asking some more pertinent questions where larger holes loom: Questions like—who will replace Mickey Andrews when he retires this year? Is Jimbo Fisher really the guy that can make our offense potent again? Why does the season seem to be slipping away after all of the season's promising signs?

What happened to the FSU team that beat BYU? Will FSU be able to overcome the present obstacles and get back to an ACC Championship Game? Is FSU ever going to be relevant again? 

Judging by recent events, we may never get a straight answer to many of these questions, because determining whether the most influential man in FSU Athletics history will be standing on the sidelines next year, is more important than all of the preparation that went into this season, or playing the seven games FSU still has remaining.

You're currently logged into Facebook

Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity on Facebook?