As scrutiny intensifies, so does Florida State's focus on winning

TALLAHASSEE — Enemies are an inevitable byproduct of success, Winston said — Churchill, that is, not Jameis.

Take the latter's Florida State, for example, the defending national champion, owner of the longest active winning streak in the Football Bowl Subdivision, the undefeated, second-ranked team in college football: FSU has become the most villainous team in the country, quickly drawing even more attention, ire and scrutiny than its Saturday night opponent, Notre Dame.

Consider as evidence a tweet directed Friday at Notre Dame's official account by the University of Florida, an in-state rival whose well wishes might be echoed by the non-Tallahassee portion of the college football nation: "Have a great weekend."

"I think when you get to winning and you're doing big things that some people prefer to see you maybe less successful," former Florida State defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews told Paste BN Sports. "That has a tendency to make people not like the team."

Yet beyond the natural attention inherent in being a defending national champion, Florida State, and Winston in particular, face far greater scrutiny for a series of off-field controversies that have overshadowed the program's on-field performance. Included is the perception from some quarters that the university has placed a higher value on football success than its reputation as an academic institution.

Beginning last November when allegations surfaced of a sexual assault involving Winston and a female student that now has him facing four school Code of Conduct charges, Florida State's handling of its Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback has been under a microscope. Winston's actions since, including a recent vulgar outburst on campus and an ongoing investigation into a flood of signed memorabilia, have only raised more questions.

In addition, a report last week by The New York Times detailed instances in which the Tallahassee Police failed to aggressively pursue potential criminal actions by a number of Florida State players.

"With all the negative stuff that's come out, you know, the last year or two, maybe that turned some people off," Andrews said.

Yet rather than battle against national perception, Florida State's fan base — and even, to a degree, coach Jimbo Fisher — has chosen to ignore the criticism.

"I think anytime you're successful people are aware of what you do, but that's part of the territory," Fisher said. "That goes with the territory, and that's part of today's world.

"Embrace winning. Embrace being successful. That's what we do. We do things the right way and keep moving forward."

FSU notched 14 top-five finishes in a row from 1987-2000 before winning 10 or more games just once during the next decade; it wasn't until Fisher's ascension from the offensive coordinator position in 2010 that the program regained its perch among the nation's elite.

Since 2010, the Seminoles have earned 41 victories, two Atlantic Coast Conference titles, two Bowl Championship Series berths and one national championship, the program's third. The scrutiny has grown in lockstep with each marker, fed exponentially by any Winston-fueled controversy.

It's possible Florida State is even feeding off the negative attention.

"Well, you'd rather be talking about that than trying to build your kids up to the point where, you know, 'You're really better than you think you are,' " Andrews said. "That's a great position to be in. Just like right now. Just keep winning."

Stronger takes can be found among Florida State's fan base, many of whom spent the Friday before the program's first top-five matchup since January's national title game milling on the grass fields surrounding Doak Campbell Stadium.

Van Galloway, an FSU fan from South Carolina, said the disdain from outsiders comes with being college football's current kingpin.

"To me, I embrace it," Galloway said. "There is no such thing as bad publicity. Publicity is good, one way or the other, and I personally don't have a problem with being the villain. I hope the team embraces it. As far as being the villain, I think it's kind of funny."

And it's not as if FSU is the first program — or houses the first fan base — to fail the popularity test. For every Boise State, the lovable underdog, there's been an Alabama, the most recent FBS dynasty; for every Mississippi State, this year's darling, there's a Florida State, which hasn't lost a game in nearly two years.

Clyde Turner, 65, makes the four-hour trek from his home in St. Petersburg for every FSU home game. He knows that cheering the Seminoles also means cheering Winston. But, Turner said, "I think a kid like Jameis in his position has to be a lot smarter about where he's at and what he's doing.

"When you put yourself out there, it sort of comes with the territory. So you've got to be smarter about it and not put yourself in situations where the public or the media are going to come down on you."

While missteps have plagued the team off the field, the Seminoles remain unbeaten and firmly in the running for a spot in the College Football Playoff.

"When you're at the top, people always want to knock you off," Turner said. "They either do it through words or accusations.

"We get so much of it, I just ignore it. I try to make a joke out of it. The accusations, the whole thing. I don't want to make a joke out of the team, but all the negative publicity around it, I try to joke about it. What else can you do?"

Just win, Galloway said, and enjoy playing the heel.

"Until somebody beats us, I hope we're the villains for the next 10 years. I'm fine with it."