The last time Michigan faced Florida State, the Seminoles rode into Ann Arbor and (literally) scalped a piece of the Michigan Stadium turf – it was still grass back in 1991 – to take home with them after a 51-31 win in Ann Arbor.
The Wolverines gave up two defensive touchdowns in that game, threw another pick at the goal line just before the half to go into the locker room down 31-23 and were run out of their own Big House.
Jim Harbaugh was not on that team. In fact, Harbaugh is 2-0 against the Seminoles, having beaten them as the starting quarterback in 1986 (20-18) and – unofficially – in 2015, when he did what Tallahassee police apparently couldn’t and cracked the case of FSU quarterback Jameis Winston and the stolen crabs.
Winston was issued a civil citation for shoplifting on April 29, 2014, after he walked out of a Tallahassee, Florida supermarket without paying for $32 worth of crab legs and crawfish. At that time, someone in the FSU PR department … er, we mean Winston … reportedly said in a statement:
“I went to the supermarket with the intent to purchase dinner but made a terrible mistake for which I'm taking full responsibility. In a moment of youthful ignorance, I walked out of the store without paying for one of my items.”
Harbaugh, of course, is nothing if not diligent. So he reopened the investigation, in a way, on ESPN’s Draft Academy show that aired in April 2015, asking for more details.
"How I'm supposed to handle, like, if I just got them for free? I just say, 'I just messed up?'" Winston asked.
When asked by Harbaugh to elaborate on the incident, Winston said he had previously received free food from someone working at that store.
"Well, a week before, it was my buddy's birthday and we had got a cake. And we met a dude that worked inside Publix and he said, 'Hey, anytime you come in here, I got you.' So that day we just walked out and he hooked us up with that," Winston said.
“And when I came in to get crab legs, I did the same thing and he just gave them to me and I walked out. And someone from inside the store had told the security that I didn't pay for them. And that's how the whole thing started.”
It also reopened a can of worms for Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher, who of course was asked about it shortly thereafter during the ACC spring teleconference. He borrowed a page for former Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel’s book in his response.
“It was totally news to me,” he said, adding that the Seminoles’ compliance department was “looking into the matter. I had no knowledge of it until I came in this morning. But FSU, we did make contact with Publix back then to make sure there was nothing going on.”
We can neither confirm nor deny that Fisher has secretly been plotting his revenge on Harbaugh ever since, but our highly questionable FSU sources say Fisher has had Harbaugh's face on a dartboard in his office for over a year.
Our final staff picks winner gets dinner for two at the Ann Arbor Joe’s Crab Shack and a souvenir program from this year’s Quick Lane Bowl autographed by Maryland head coach and former U-M assistant D.J. Durkin, just because.
The picks:
Chris Balas: Florida State is no joke and will be a bear to move the ball on. Florida flat out quit in last year’s Citrus Bowl, but the Seminoles will play with heart. The seven-point spread seems too high, but … Michigan 27, FSU 20
John Borton: The only salt water the Wolverines experienced this week came from the glasses out of which they gargled. The only parts they tanned were those not covered by a football uniform. Fun? Winning football games is fun. Just ask James Joseph Harbaugh. Michigan 34, Florida State 24
Brandon Brown: Last year against Florida, Jim Harbaugh proved that he can get his team ready when he has a month to do so. He’ll get the same opportunity with Florida State and, while I don’t expect a 34-point victory over the Noles, I do believe that Harbaugh and his staff will put a plan in place allowing Michigan to come away with a win. Michigan 34, FSU 23
Doug Skene: Can Michigan’s offense find a way to tough out a victory in the fourth quarter? Yes. Michigan 24, FSU 17
Leland “The Intern” Mitchinson: Michigan will have to overcome Florida States' athletic defense and strong run game to come home from Florida with a win the second year in a row. The defense will have a big game against the Seminoles' young quarterback and power the Wolverines to victory. Michigan 28, FSU 20
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