Against the protests of a substantial portion of the fan base, some members of the media, at least one influential trustee and a very patient head coach-in-waiting, Bobby Bowden has given every indication that he intends to return next year for Season 35 as Florida State's head coach before ceding the reins to current offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher. If Bowden is back, though, it will be for the first time in a quarter-century without the perpetually scowling, chomping, raging architect of some of the most intimidating defenses of the last three decades -- as expected, defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews said today he's calling it a career at the end of the season.

This year, unquestionably the worst in Andrews' tenure, is a tough one to go out on. FSU's defense has been Andrews' baby since 1984, and for a while it was consistently the fastest, most feared, almost predatory D in the country. Andrews produced 26 full-fledged All-Americans (excluding honorable mentions, all-freshman teams, etc.) in 25 years, the vast majority in the nineties, when he specialized in converting linebacker recruits into a line of unstoppable edge rushers -- Derrick Alexander, Peter Boulware, Reinard Wilson, Andre Wadsworth and Jamal Reynolds -- who specialized in knocking quarterbacks out of the lineup.

The 'Noles have only produced six defensive All-Americans since 2000 (compared to 14 in the nineties), with only one terrifying pass rusher in the old mold (Everette Brown), and this year's slide is the sobering culmination of the long decline: Florida State ranks last in the ACC in rushing, passing, pass efficiency and total defense and next-to-last in scoring D, having given up at least 27 points in all five ACC games to date. The Seminoles have lost games while scoring 34 points against Miami and 44 against Georgia Tech, and had to score 30 at North Carolina and 45 against N.C. State to pull out narrow wins in the final minute the last two weeks. Duke has been significantly better in every respect, a terrible indictment for one of the best in the business for so long.

Andrews' departure also opens up plenty of intrigue on the coaching staff, where another longtime Bowden hand, assistant head coach (and former N.C. State head coach) Chuck Amato, could be Bowden's choice to fill the coordinator role. Some insider speculation regards Amato's potential promotion as one of the major sticking points of Bowden's return in 2010, which may only happen if he agrees to cede personnel decisions to Fisher, who's likely to seek out his own coordinator hire with an eye toward hitting the ground running when he officially assumes Bowden's chair in 2011. Even if Bowden is still nominally the boss in December, Andrews' eventual successor could be a clue to how much control already rests with the next generation.