European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 19, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 38 the stars and stripes prod Fly. November 19. H o press International remember the Good of Days a when the Way to determine a a. Tonal Champion was to take the two top undefeated teams if available and match them up in a Bow game it was All so easy then. You earned your shot at a National title by winning All your game sin the regular season. If you stumbled and lost you prayed everybody else in the country would stub their toes at least once so maybe maybe your loss would t look As bad As any body else s. Otherwise see a next year. Now it s turned into a Politi Cal Campaign shamelessly stumping for votes and rallying support. Not that it was t that Way before of course but Noth ing so blatant As the performance put on by Florida state s Matt Frier after the so minolts 31-24 loss. Please give us the Chance Frier begged writers several of whom vote in the associate press poll in the flu locker room. We deserve another Shotat it. That was too Good a football game not to have a ugh. Break out the Straw hat Sand Campaign buttons. Next thing you know accusations will surface that de Rollin used $50,000 in Street Money to us press support for Florin state in the coaches poll. Sorry. Florida state had its Opportunity. There should be nosecone chances especially with other Quality i teams waiting in the wings Nebraska is sitting no. 3, need ing Only to beat Oklahoma next week to Complete its regular sea son at 11-0. West Virginia also has a Chance to finish with a perfect Mark though it faces a Battle with games remaining against Miami and Boston College. And Auburn will finish Li-0 if it beats Alabama of saturday prompting some to believe the tigers deserve consideration de spite being under Mcaa sanctions. Under the old system you could have taken unbeaten no. 1 arid paired it against unbeaten no. 3 and Call it a National championship game once beaten no. 2 be damned. In fact that s exactly what the fiesta bowl did five years ago when it pitted top ranked notre Dame against no. 3 West Virginia in Battle of unbeaten. No. 2 Miami was left in the cold that year despite its Only loss coming in a 31-30 setback to notre Dame when the Hurri canes two Point conversion Pas with 45 seconds left was knocked Down in the end had its Chance it was time to give West Virginia its Opportunity. But thanks to the current sys tem set up by the bowl coalition an unbeaten Nebraska or West Virginia very Likely will be shut commentary Rizpha sem Nolet Bobby his butt beat out of the debate without eve getting to the podium. That s because their agreement mandates that no. 1 must play no. 2 if the matchup can be arranged even if it produces a rematch or shuts out a unbeaten team for a once beaten that is ranked higher. Why should Florida state receive special dispensation would the voters be demanding rematch if it was the seminoles batting away a Notredame pass on the goal line to preserve a seven Point win some conspiracy theorists have speculated that there i overwhelming sentiment particularly among the writers to do everything possible to give Seminole coach Bobby Bowden the National championship he so narrowly has missed. All of a sudden for the Las three or four years it s this lets do it for Bobby mentality Iowa state coach Jim Wai Den said. He got his butt beat. Why should notre Dame have to regroup and do it All Over again actually the argument i starting to make a lot of sense. Writers like anybody else have their biases. And Bowden one of the most accessible and quo table coaches in the game ranks High on most everybody s list. Then there is the anti Nebraska sentiment expressed so eloquently by the Washington Post s Michael Wilbon it a Good thing i no Longe have a vote he wrote. I d make sure personally Nebraska had no Chance of fouling up the National championship picture by voting the huskers,say,no.68/ How Many voters share his thinking How Many May be dropping Nebraska a couple extra notches to help ensure Hecor huskers get no shot i know of one a panellist Tennessee at 7-1-1 third ahead of Nebraska. Most of the complaints against Nebraska have to do with. Their six straight bowl losses although every one of them came to an opponent that finished either no 1 or no. 2 in the final , that s like punishing a son for the sins of the fact is the Cor huskers have beaten As Many top 25 opponents three this year As notre Dame or Ohio state Andone More than Florida Tennes see and Texas am have combined. And Only one of those wins came at Home Nebraska beat Urcla at Pasadena and Colorado in Boulder. What happens if All three teams run the table through the final weeks Florida state knocks off notre Dame in the fiesta bowl and Nebraska Ham mers the Miami West Virginia Winner in the Orange bowl Florida state and notre Dame will both stand at 11-1, wit their series even 1-1, and Nebraska winds up the Only 12-0team in the land. Would voters turn to Hecor huskers despite the fact they themselves shut Nebraska out of a showdown of upbeat ens or would they finally Grant Bobby Bowden his overdue National title despite a loss just like in the movies some sequels never should be made. Notre Dame Florida state ii be Longs in this category. Of course there is another Way to solve the Issue but no body in charge seems to want to consider it. It s called a playoff. Mountaineers biggest game boosts mania Morgantown . A students Camp out overnight in the rain for a Chance at handful of tickets left for West Virginia football games. It s a weird scene at a school with a63,500-seat stadium and Only 20,000 students. Saddled by a Coal Miner s strike and High unemployment the state of West Virginia has gone bonkers Over its unbeaten team. And on Bat urday the no. 9 mountaineers 9-0 Are preparing to Host no. 4 Miami 8-1 i think it s the biggest game of the whole pro Gram s history of 103 years alumni director Steve Douglas said. A i be had Calls this morning from Honolulu Las vegas new York. I be been in the alumni business for 11 years and this is the hardest ticket i be Ever had to try to get for a Chance at a big bowl game saturday brings an Opportunity for True recognition. This place is going to go crazy on saturday West Virginia Sophomore Trey Eno said. Every body s looking Forward to it to earn respect. Like this morning i was watching did a rundown of All the College games and they started with the top 10, and they did t eve show highlights with our game last week. Not since West Virginia beat Syracuse to finish an 11-0 season in 1988 has there been such excitement for a game in Morgantown. A statewide rads advertisement Calls on Mountaineer fans to attend a Friday night Pep rally. On wednesday callers jammed phone lines at a Charleston radio station that was giving away two tickets. Even West Virginia football Secre tary Lori Rice is having trouble. .,."i told my daughter i could t get her tickets for this game Rice said. She said that s Allright i la stand outside until halftime then want in i m not sure i d want my children in this crowd especially if we respect in route to Auburn but West Virginia still waiting by Rick Warnera football writer Auburn and West Virginia have been searching for respect All season. If they win their next games they 11 a both undefeated teams face their toughest tests sat urday. Sixth ranked Auburn plays no. 11 Alabama the Southeastern conference and no. 9 West Virginia meets no. 4 Miami in the big East. Although Auburn 10-0 and West Virginia 9-0 replaying at Home the tigers Are Only a 1-Point favorite and the mountaineers Are a set Post underdog. That understandable considering that Alabama is the de fending National Champion and Miami has won four titles in the last 10 years. Alabama is going to the Sec championship game on dec. 4, but Auburn is barred from postseason play be cause of Mcaa probation. So the always intense game will mean even More to the tigers who Are playing Al Obama at Home for Only the second time since these Ries started in 1892.Auburn has made a remarkable turnaround under first year coach Terry Bowden who took Over a Tea that Nad posted consecutive five win seasons. The tigers Don t have any superstars or Eye popping stats but they find a Way to win. Alabama 8-1-1 has struggled since quarterback Jay Barker Hurt his shoulder against Mississippi on oct. 23.barker, who is 23-0-1 As a starter will play against Auburn but the tide will still struggle. Auburn 21-17. West Virginia is off to it Best Start since 1988, when i lost to notre Dame in the fiesta bowl. But the mountaineers Haven t played anyone like Miami 8-1which must win to keep alive its slim Hopes of another nation 8 West Virginia s Jake Kelchner the nation s leading passer is expected to play after missing last weeks came against Temple with a strained hamstring. How Ever he May get banged up again by Miami s aggressive defense which is giving up Only 12 Points a game. Miami 28-21. No. 17 Boston College plus l4vi at no. I not a Irish beat eagles 54-7 last year. Notre Dame 44-24. College predictions North Carolina so plus 31v at no. 2 Florida have won is straight acc games. Florid a St. 45-10 no. 5 Ohio so plus 1 at Michigan buckeyes Haven t beaten wolverines since 1987michigan 21-17. No. 7 Tennessee minus 16 at Kentucky vols Haven t lost Sec game in november since 1984 Tennessee 28-21. Vanderbilt plus 23 at no. 9 Florida gators Clinch trip to Sec title game. Florida 42-10. No. 10 Texas am minus 25 at Texas Christi naggies have won 20 straight Over thu. Texas am 44-17. No. 12 Wisconsin minus Ivi at Illinois badgers Lead big ten in total offence. Wisconsin 24-21. No. 14 Penn St. Minus 17vi at Northwestern first meeting Between the schools. Penn St. 38-14. No. 16 Urcla no line at no. 22 Southern Cal Winner goes to Rose bowl. Southern Cal 24-21. No. 18 Colorado minus 16 at Iowa a buffaloes have won nine straight Over cyclones. Colorado 34-17. No. 20 Kansas St. Minus 6vi at of Kathoma St wildcats heading for second bowl in school history. Kansas St. 27-14. Purdue plus 13 at no. 21 Indian hoosiers win old Oaken bucket. Indiana 24-10. No. 25 Virginia tech plus Svi at no. 23 Virginiac avs have won five of last six against homies. Virginia 45-38. No. 24 Clemson minus 1 at South Carolin gamecocks Haven t beaten tigers in Columbia since 1987.-. Clemson 17-14.last week 13-7 straight 9-8 spread. Season 157-39 straight 89-81 spread
