Holtz Stunned by No. 2 Ranking

Shortly after learning that his team came up short in its bid for a second consecutive national championship, Notre Dame Coach Lou Holtz asked for a glass of water so he could take some aspirin.

Holtz appeared stunned this morning when informed that the Fighting Irish (12-1) had finished second to Miami (11-1) in the final Associated Press poll. The Hurricanes received 39 first-place votes to 19 for Notre Dame.

“It’s very depressing,” Holtz said at a news conference. “I wear my feelings very poorly.”

Miami beat Notre Dame 27-10 on Nov. 25, but Holtz said the Fighting Irish still deserved to be No. 1 because they had the nation’s best record and played the toughest schedule ever.

“I want somebody to justify why they didn’t pick us,” Holtz said.

“Doggonit, we played nine teams that were in a bowl. We played everybody when they were at an emotional peak. We beat the ACC champ, we beat the Big Ten champ, we beat the Pac-10 champ, we beat the Big Eight champ and we beat the top two independents in the East.”

Notre Dame knocked Colorado out of the No. 1 spot with a 21-6 victory Monday night in the Orange Bowl. Miami climbed from second to first by beating Alabama 33-25 in the Sugar Bowl. That, and a 27-10 victory over Notre Dame on Nov. 25, was what earned Miami the national championship.

When asked if Notre Dame is better than Miami, Holtz said, “There isn’t any best team. It’s who did the best against the toughest schedule over the period of time. . . .

“Who accomplished the most in 1989? That’s how I look at it.”

Holtz declined to say whether he supports a playoff system that would take the decision about the national champion out of the hands of the sports writers and broadcasters who vote in the AP poll.

“I really don’t know,” Holtz said. He later said the national championship “should be determined by computer.”

Under the current system, the tough schedule the Irish play doesn’t pay, Holtz said.

“It’s just Notre Dame’s way of doing things,” he said. “I don’t think any team has ever played a schedule as difficult as ours was this year.”

The Irish have one change in their 1990 schedule--they drop Southern Methodist and pick up Tennessee.

Colorado coach Bill McCartney joked that he is now a strong proponent of a playoff.

“That’s why we lost,” he said. “We wanted to increase the controversy.”