Florida State-Clemson wasn’t always one of the country’s most crucial rivalries

It’s finally Florida State-Clemson week.

What was once one of the bigger rivalry games for the teams’ fan bases has now become a game of national significance that’s on the entire country’s radar every year.

Let’s take a look at how this rivalry has developed and increased in importance over the years, and why this year is as important as ever.

The teams played a few times before FSU joined the ACC in 1992, with the Noles holding a 3-2 lead in the ’70s and ’80s.

This game was no fun whatsoever for Clemson fans in the ’90s, and even back into a series in the late ’80s. Florida State went 12-1 against Clemson from 1992 through 2004, but the Noles were doing that to pretty much everybody in the ACC at the time.

While FSU was busy becoming the team of the ’90s, Clemson finished ranked just twice in the decade.

In 1999, the game was dubbed the Bowden Bowl, due to Bobby’s son Tommy becoming the head coach at Clemson that season. From our deeper history of the rivalry:

From 1992-99, in the wake of [legendary Clemson head coach Danny] Ford’s forced resignation, the Seminoles were either ACC champions or co-champions every season. They won national championships in 1993 and again in 1999, when the first of the Bowden Bowls between Tommy and his father ended in a closer-than-expected 17-14 Florida State victory. That was the eighth straight Florida State win in the series, and the run would continue through Bowden Bowl II (a 54-7 Florida State victory against a Clemson team that had started the season 8-0) and Bowden Bowl III (41-27 Florida State) and Bowden Bowl IV (48-31 Florida State).”

Tommy was able to get his Tigers back on track later. Clemson won four out of five games during the 2003-07 stretch.

After tenacious recruiter (of players and eventually of elite assistant coaches) Dabo Swinney took over at Clemson in 2008, and longtime top offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher succeeded Bowden as the Noles’ head coach in 2010, the rivalry began to mean more than just bragging rights.

For each of the last seven seasons and likely including this year, if Clemson wins, the winner of this game has advanced to the ACC Championship.

The 2013 game, played in Death Valley, was one of the first in the series to feel like a season-defining moment. Spencer Hall describes this game perfectly.

Oh, that was a bad thing, a game in 2013 starting with two undefeated teams and the best team the Tigers had in years and the worst thing of all: Legitimate hope to win the ACC and plan for a national title run. That was a real thing until Jameis Winston’s first pass landed in the arms of Kelvin Benjamin for a touchdown, and then another, and then there’s No. 3 Clemson, losing 51-14 at home to a freshman quarterback and blowing up again under the national spotlight.

In 2014, Florida State was without star quarterback Winston, who was serving a one-game suspension. Even with his backup, Sean Maguire, FSU pulled it out, 23-17, in overtime.

Last season, Clemson finally got past the Noles, and thus began the country seeing the Tigers as a legitimate national title contender. Clemson’s offense shined in the second half, scoring 17 points after facing a 10-6 deficit at halftime, and holding the Noles to just a field goal. This game’s second half from Hall, again:

Watson rushed back into the game, scrambling for first downs before passing for more. Clemson ratcheted up the play count, nibbling away until the inevitable breaking point. A screen pass broken for a Deon Cain touchdown in the third quarter to take the lead; a field goal in the fourth to take it again. Wayne Gallman breaking tackles for a game-clinching touchdown with 2:34 left? It came through a Florida State defense running several millimeters below empty.

Clemson would go on to beat North Carolina in the ACC Championship and earn a College Football Playoff bid. The series record is now 20-9, FSU.

Even the losing team in this rivalry tends to make a bowl against a prominent opponent, these days. The last five seasons, for example:

No. 3 Clemson has yet to lose and sits comfortably in first place. Louisville is in second with a hard-fought loss to Clemson. No. 12 Florida State’s in third and likely stuck with the role of playing spoiler.

Clemson is just a one-score favorite in Tallahassee, and while a win by FSU likely wouldn’t mean a Playoff trip or even a division win, it could still boost the Seminoles to a New Year’s Six game.

Bill Connelly sums up a preview of this year’s game:

Spread: Clemson -4

S&P+ projection: Clemson 33, FSU 25 (win probability: 68%)

FSU is seasoned and rested. Clemson’s had offensive line issues the Noles might be able to take advantage of, and the Tigers’ willingness to sacrifice the occasional big play for defensive efficiency could result in Cook roaming free.

But the game will come down to pass protection, third-and-medium, and closing out scoring chances. Can the Noles overcome deficiencies in these areas?