It’s No. 1 Thing on Their Minds : College football: Showdown between top-ranked Florida State and second-ranked Miami has anxiety level at a peak.

This is what today’s Florida State-Miami game has done to people:

--West Virginia Coach Don Nehlen thanked his school’s schedule maker for giving the Mountaineers this particular Saturday off. Nehlen plans to settle in front of his television and watch the next-best thing to a national championship game.

“I’m glad we’re out,” he said. “I’m anxious to see it.”

--Miami Coach Dennis Erickson, whose stomach percolates even during a spring scrimmage, is more nervous than ever. He said he couldn’t remember the last time he had been so excited about a game.

“This is a big game,” he said. “Big games get everyone tuned in a little more.”

--Florida State Coach Bobby Bowden, a showman who would probably invite reporters into the Seminole huddle if he could, has shut off media access to his team--a bit of a shocker.

And for the first time all season, Bowden said the locals in Tallahassee are a bit apprehensive about the future of Florida State’s No. 1 ranking, of its chances of a national championship appearance in the Orange Bowl, of the prospects of beating second-ranked Miami.

“The town is nervous,” Bowden said. “You actually sense that when you walk around town. It is exciting, though. It think it will get more and more (exciting).”

Nervousness prevails because of recent Seminole-Hurricane history. Miami has done well against Florida State, beating the Seminoles five of the last six years. And two of Miami’s victories have been scored here at Doak Campbell Stadium, home of the war chant, the flaming spear and all of that other Florida State psych-out stuff.

“In the first place, you don’t intimidate a Hurricane,” Bowden said. “You can’t intimidate those guys. They’ve been around and you can’t intimidate them up here. When people win ballgames, people look for secrets. (In Miami’s case), they’ve just got good football players.”

Where would Bowden prefer to defend his top ranking?

“They’ve won more games in Tallahassee than we have, but we’d still rather play them here,” he said.

If Florida State wins, the Seminoles will receive an Orange Bowl invitation and an opportunity to play on New Year’s Day for a national title--that is, if they beat Florida Nov. 30 in Gainesville. If Florida State loses, the Seminoles will go to the Cotton Bowl and think about what might have been--again.

If Miami wins, the Hurricanes are bound for the Orange Bowl and a national championship shot of their own--that is, if they can beat Boston College and San Diego State in their two remaining games. If Miami loses, it’s off to the Blockbuster Bowl, where Alabama awaits.

Said Miami Coach Dennis Erickson: “The bottom line is, this is an in-state rivalry, it’s a game against Florida State, the No. 1 team in the country and it’s an opportunity for us to stay in a national championship race. That’s what this game is all about.”

It is also about matchups. The most obvious one is Florida State’s balanced offense, which features quarterback Casey Weldon and running backs Amp Lee and Edgar Bennett, against Miami’s physical and fast defense, which leads the nation in fewest points given up, 7.3 per game, and is third in total defense, 251.1 yards per game.

Next comes Florida State’s ability to stop Miami wide receiver and return specialist Kevin Williams, who is averaging nearly 20 yards on punt returns and has scored three times.

And follow that with Miami’s chances of finding a weakness in the Florida State secondary, which includes cornerback Terrell Buckley, who is tied for the NCAA Division I-A lead in interceptions.

Syracuse Coach Paul Pasqualoni saw his Orangemen lose to Miami in the last game of the 1990 regular season and to Florida State in the fifth game of this season. Without picking a winner, he said he sees the matchup as the Seminoles’ skill and finesse on offense vs. Miami’s defensive speed and toughness.

“I think it’s going to be awful close,” he said. “I think both teams will score a lot of points.”

West Virginia’s Nehlen, whose team lost to Miami last Saturday, said the key to beating Miami is to keep the ball away from the Hurricanes.

“They’ve got so much skill at the wide receiver position,” he said. “They’re going to get mismatches against you.”

Denying Miami the ball is easier said than done. However, Florida State’s offense, balanced enough to rank 23rd in rushing at 211.3 yards a game, and 14th in passing with a 258.1-yard average, is capable of doing exactly what Nehlen suggested.

“I think Miami is an excellent team,” he said. “But I think (the Hurricanes) will have their work cut out for them.”