COLLEGE FOOTBALL SPOTLIGHT / THE BOWL GAMES : STATING THEIR CASE

Notre Dame Coach Lou Holtz made a point before the Cotton Bowl of noting that Texas A&M; fans had been angry when the fifth-ranked Irish, instead of third-ranked Florida State, were selected to play the fourth-ranked Aggies.

His point was well taken by his players.

“(Texas A&M; supporters) were talking about how they wanted to play Florida State,” guard Aaron Taylor said after the Irish’s 28-3 victory over the Aggies. “Now I see why they wanted to play Florida State. You saw what happened today. They got their butts kicked. They were a great team. They played hard. But we saw who the better team was.”