In a stunning blow delivered to Florida State message boards everywhere, the Tallahassee Democrat is reporting that former Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops is no longer being considered for the head coaching vacancy at Florida State. The paper cites "two sources familiar with the search," saying that while the school had been in contact with Stoops' representatives, he is no longer considered a candidate for the job.

Shortly after firing Willie Taggart, Florida State athletic director David Coburn revealed that Stoops was "on the list" of candidates the school was considering.

The possibility of Stoops in Tallahassee made plenty of sense for Florida State. There aren't many coaches out there with a better resume than than former Oklahoma coach. In 18 seasons with the Sooners, Stoops won a national title in 2000 as well as 10 Big 12 championships. He also left the program in excellent shape before stepping down and handing over the keys to Lincoln Riley, who has won two Big 12 titles and earned two College Football Playoff berths since taking over.

Compare that to the condition Jimbo Fisher left Florida State in when he left for Texas A&M, and you can see another reason Stoops would be so appealing.

Also, even if it was a long shot, one of the benefits of dismissing Taggart in November was that it allowed Florida State time to go through candidates. There's no firm deadline as no sitting coach is going to leave before the season ends. Taggart was fired amid his second season at Florida State after posting a record of 9-12 in his first 21 games, as well as just 6-9 in the ACC.