Florida State insists it really is eligible to play in the Independence Bowl

In a way, this is kind of the perfect end to the Florida State football season.

This is what it’s come down to for the Florida State Seminoles.

Entering the season as a College Football Playoff contender, the ‘Noles lost quarterback Deondre Francois early and then entered into a dizzying spiral that saw them finish above only Syracuse in the ACC Atlantic, hit rock bottom in a 35-3 loss to Boston College in late October, then watch as coach Jimbo Fisher left for the greener pastures of Texas A&M.

Adding insult to injury, after rallying to win their final three games and finish 6-6, the Seminoles even saw their invitation to the Independence Bowl — already a tough pill to swallow for a team with sky high preseason expectations — questioned by a Reddit investigation wondering whether FSU had failed to meet an obscure NCAA rule that would have meant a victory over FCS Delaware State shouldn’t have counted toward the team’s bowl eligibility.

After everything the program has been through in 2017, one would have expected Florida State would have just pulled a Frozen and let it go, particularly since the NCAA and ACC didn’t much seem to care.

One would be wrong.

While this might make other schools that could have gone to the Independence Bowl feel a bit better that they didn’t get hosed (and any school in that situation probably could use the bowl payout, but alas), let’s run this back one more time to emphasize this is where FSU ended up this season. It felt the need to respond to people on Reddit questioning its bowl eligibility, because it needs that Delaware State victory to count just so it can make the Independence Bowl and take on mighty Southern Miss.

Next: Wyoming QB Josh Allen declares for 2018 NFL Draft

It’s safe to say that for Florida State fans, the 2018 season can’t get here fast enough.