There's enough blame to go around at FSU

It's way beyond blaming Jeff Bowden at Florida State.

Can't get on the coach's son after FSU led NC State 20-10 late in the third quarter last week.

Backup QB Xavier Lee just isn't ready to start. (US PRESSWIRE)

Stop the discussion about whether Drew Weatherford has "plateaued" as a quarterback. If the more mobile Xavier Lee was ready to replace him, he would.

He's not.

Injuries? Don't even lean on that crutch. Injuries hit everyone. Some teams cope better than others. Wake Forest started 5-0 and led Clemson by 11 in the fourth quarter after losing its starting quarterback, tailback and left tackle.

So, no, that excuse won't work either.

Tailback Lorenzo Booker said something the other day about the state of the FSU program that made your eyes hit the brakes on the page.

"We've just got to focus," Booker said after the latest loss to North Carolina State, "on beating Duke."

We're willing to bet that sentence has never been uttered before January or after March at Florida State.

The latest FSU loss almost got lost in the weekend's events. But four days later, after sorting through the results of Week 6, it's clear Florida State's decline is one of the biggest stories of the first half.

Of this decade.

We know that a bar graph of FSU's offense since 2001 would resemble the performance of Enron stock. That was the year Mark Richt left for Georgia. So much blame has been put on Jeff Bowden that he needs a backpack to carry it around.

Here's a unique thought: Get over it.

FSU isn't getting Mark Richt back. Georgia took care of that with a poison pill buyout clause. Bobby Bowden -- and by extension, Jeff -- isn't going anywhere as long as T.K. Wetherell is president.

In situations like this, it's always wise to revert back to the root problem: Florida State isn't good enough anymore.

Not good enough to compete for a national championship.

Yes, we know. Duh.

Pretty much since a washed-up minor league baseball player led the 'Noles to the 2000 BCS title game, the program hasn't competed for a national championship.

The current 3-2 record ties the worst five-game start for Bowden since 1986. Now, how does FSU start meeting the standard it set for itself?

Like a substance abuser, first the program has to admit it has a problem. Twice this decade, FSU has won the ACC while losing five games overall. The ACC that was expanded to profit off the excellence of FSU and Miami has turned on its meal tickets.

N.C. State and Georgia Tech are undefeated in the league. Clemson is 5-1.

More ominous for the 'Noles in its own state: For the first since 1982, neither FSU nor Miami is ranked this week.

Meanwhile, Florida's name gets broadcast on every station, in every poll, pretty much everywhere. Good luck getting your mojo back, 'Noles.

You see, this not about what is at FSU (multiple Bowdens, etc.), it's what isn't: players.

Players good enough to dominate. Players good enough to replace those who are injured. One eyewitness close to the program said both lines aren't up to par, which might be the worst indictment of all.

You can't win without players. Before hoping to win, you have to move the ball and stop it.

Where are those dominant defensive ends?

Where are the ball-hawking cornerbacks?

More to the point: Where is Florida State headed?

In the Seminoles' minds, no further than to Duke for Saturday's game. Defending the ACC title?

"I don't want to get into that with the kids," Bowden said.