Bobby And Terry Show Bowdens Lead Top-Ranked Florida State, Sixth-Ranked Auburn

The new bowl alliance is designed to produce a true national championship game. It might have another effect: the Bowden Bowl four years early.

Florida State, the champion two years ago and No. 1 heading into this season, is expected to find its way to Tempe. Coach Bobby Bowden adorned his freshmen with Fiesta Bowl shirts in the early days of practice, certainly a realistic goal for a team that has won 13 straight bowl games and hasn’t finished a season ranked lower than fourth since 1986.

Then there’s Auburn, where Terry Bowden has lost once in two years while his team served time in the NCAA prison. With a cupcake schedule and its two toughest games at home, the sixth-ranked Tigers are likely to be making some January travel plans now that probation is over. All of which could turn the battle for No. 1 into a family affair: father vs. son.

“He is as confident on being No. 1 now and as ready to be No. 1 now as he’s ever been,” Terry said of his father, whose team hasn’t lost an Atlantic Coast Conference game in three years.

“He is as talented as he’s ever been. He lines up at least seven games, probably eight, a year where he’s favored by 21 points.”

Florida State (10-1-1 last year) made its schedule a little easier by replacing Notre Dame with I-AA Central Florida, but still has intrastate rivals Florida and Miami in addition to the ACC opponents. Of course, everyone concedes those games to the Seminoles, 24-0 since joining the conference.

“We’ve got to the point now where we have to make a national championship our No. 1 goal,” said Bobby Bowden, who must replace 10 players taken in the NFL draft.

Auburn, 9-1-1 while serving out NCAA sanctions that barred post-season play, is primed for its first bowl trip since 1990. The Tigers have Stephen Davis, who rushed for 1,273 yards and is expected to be a leading contender for the Heisman Trophy, plus 12 other returning starters.

Not to mention a schedule that ranks extremely low in degree of difficulty. The two stiffest opponents, Southeastern Conference powers Florida and Alabama, must travel to Jordan-Hare Stadium (Auburn went 11-0 two years ago with a similar setup) and the non-conference slate is downright embarrassing: Tennessee-Chattanooga, Western Michigan and Northeast Louisiana.

Auburn is planning to upgrade its schedule, starting with a home-and-home series against Florida State in 1999. It was a major concession for both father and son, who had insisted they didn’t want the pressure of playing each other.

Of course, there’s no guarantee the Bowdens will be in their current posts four years from now, especially because Bobby turns 66 in November. Terry wouldn’t mind going ahead and playing his father this season, with a national championship to the winner.

“I’d like to play anybody” for No. 1, Terry said. “But are we going to? We’ll see. They’re going to be there.”

One team that could upset the Bowdens’ apple cart is No. 5 Florida, which has both powerhouses on its schedule.

The Gators (10-2-1) have won the SEC title three of the past four years, and they don’t expect a quarterback controversy this season. Danny Wuerffel, deliverer of 40 touchdown passes the last two years, has a solid hold on the job with the departure of Terry Dean.

No one else in the West stands a chance against Auburn. Mississippi State (8-4) has just 10 returning starters; LSU (4-7) is rebuilding once again with new coach Gerry DiNardo; Arkansas (4-7) continues to slowly build under Danny Ford; and Mississippi (4-7) was hit hard by the NCAA in yet another case of an SEC school running afoul of the rules.

Over in the East, No. 8 Tennessee (8-4) is Florida’s principal rival. As usual, the Volunteers must get by a brutal early schedule but they have a star-in-the-making with sophomore quarterback Peyton Manning.

The race in the ACC is for second. No. 17 Virginia (9-3) became the first ACC team to score more 300 points in six straight seasons; still, the Cavaliers lost to Florida State 41-17 in the closest thing to a big game the ACC produced in ‘94.

Among the independents, East Carolina (7-4) is coming off a trip to the Liberty Bowl, while Louisville (6-5), Memphis (6-5), Southern Mississippi (6-5) and Tulane (1-10) are preparing to join the new Conference USA in ‘96.