Clark: Don't worry, FSU fans ... this won't become another Nebraska

If you were bored this weekend, or more accurately just starved for the start of college football season, you probably tuned in to watch that scintillating Nebraska-Illinois showdown on Saturday afternoon.

I won't go into all of the gory details (how about that punt return safety though?), but let's just say the Cornhuskers were terrible. Again. And head coach Scott Frost's future seems to be very much in doubt as Nebraska fans wonder what in the world their wunderkind coach is doing with their beloved program?

Watching that play out got me thinking about this Florida State program. And I bet I'm not alone. Because in the late 1980s and 1990s, Nebraska and FSU were so intertwined at the top of the sport that it could be easy to wonder if the Seminoles are going to suffer the same fate as the spiraling Cornhuskers.

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After all, it's not like FSU has been giving Alabama a run for its money lately either. The Seminoles have been drastically underachieving for a half-decade now. Who's to say that drought doesn't continue for another decade and a half?

Well, I am, since you asked.

Mike Norvell has a say in it as well, and we'll get to that in a moment, But for now, let's just focus on what Florida State has going for it. And why I'm not worried FSU is going to become a corn-less version of Nebraska.

It's pretty simple, really.

The Seminoles have far too much talent in their backyard.

The reason I don't expect Nebraska to get back to what Nebraska was -- and it was a glorious run for a good, long while -- is because there isn't enough home-state talent. And unlike two or three decades ago, when a national power could go convince a kid from Texas or California to leave home to play in the cornfields -- because of the TV appearances, bowl destinations and a rabid fan base -- the world has changed.

Every school is on TV. Every game. Half the country goes to a bowl. And Tommie Frazier was a quarter-century ago. So the teenagers today have no memory of Nebraska being great at football. Or even good.

So, no, I don't expect Nebraska to ever get back to dominance again. Which is a true shame, because those are great fans and the sport is better when the Huskers are good.

But they haven't been good for a while now. And one game into Year 4, it wouldn't appear that's changing under Frost.

Now let's focus on the other program that could legitimately claim to be the "Team of the '90s."

Florida State, too, is in a serious rebuild. The Seminoles are coming off their worst year since 1974, and Las Vegas has their season win total set at 5.5, so it's not like FSU is in dynasty mode right now either.

But Florida State still has a chance to get back. Maybe not all the way back to a 14-year run of Top 5 finishes (that won't ever happen again, by anyone) but back to national relevance and championship possibilities.

Which brings us to back to Norvell.

I really think he has a chance to be a very good coach here. Getting to watch practice for the last three weeks, I'm definitely a believer in his organization and structural skills. And given the way he hammered the transfer portal and is currently hauling in high school recruits (including the No. 1 prospect in the country, Travis Hunter) there's a reason to be optimistic that he is going to flip this roster quickly.

And what's more, and really the point of this column, is this roster CAN be flipped into an elite one. We saw it earlier this decade.

I know to some of you it might seem like it was a lifetime ago, but that 29-game winning streak happened relatively recently. That Orange Bowl win over Michigan was less than five years ago.

Dalvin Cook and Jalen Ramsey are currently superstars in the NFL. Jameis Winston looks like he's going to be a starting quarterback again.

Florida State still resonates. Not as loudly as it once did, perhaps, but it's still there. The name still matters. It's not dead and buried in some cornfield somewhere. It's still an iconic brand!

If it wasn't, Travis Hunter wouldn't be committed. Neither would A.J. Duffy. And the other high-level recruits would have said, "No thanks, Mike!" months ago. But they didn't. Because many of them are genuinely interested in playing in the garnet and gold.

That's not going to change. Not as long as Florida State remains in the state of Florida, which has the most high school talent in the country.

Now don't get me wrong. It's not as if it's an automatic that FSU is great. Or that Florida State hauls in great recruiting classes every year. The last few seasons have humbled us all in that regard.

But think about what had to happen for this slide to take place: A head coach had to completely check out on the recruiting trail and have a ridiculous run of quarterback signings before bolting for the tumbleweed, another head coach had to take the mess that was left and set it on fire so quickly that he was gone after 18 games. And then the next head coach had to deal with a wounded, not-all-that-talented roster to go along with a global pandemic.

And even after that ugly 3-6 record in Year 1, Norvell currently has the No. 3 recruiting class in the country. Read it again. Let it sink in. Number. Three. In. The. Country.

That says a lot about Norvell and his staff, of course.

It also says a whole lot about Florida State. (For what it's worth, Nebraska is currently No. 65 in the recruiting rankings).

Here's the truth: At a place like FSU, if you have a good coach, one that can identify, evaluate and develop talent, you will win and win big.

I don't know if Mike Norvell is a better coach than Scott Frost, but I do that he has a much better chance of actually adding some more hardware to that crowded trophy case. Because Florida State isn't Nebraska.

And because no matter how this season goes -- and there's a chance a few of these Saturdays could get ugly -- Florida State will get itself right and start winning championships again. It won't be this year. We know that. But it's coming.

It has too much going for it to stay stuck in the mud, face first, struggling to breathe forever.

It has too much going for it to not get back up.

It's not going to happen overnight. Clearly. But it will happen.

For all of our sakes, let's just hope it's sooner rather than later.

Contact senior writer Corey Clark at corey@warchant.com and follow @Corey_Clark on Twitter.

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Talk about this story with other Florida State football fans in the Tribal Council