Notes on a Scorecard - Nov. 23, 1993

The college football polls drive me crazy. . . .

Notre Dame is 10-1. Florida State is 10-1. Notre Dame defeated Florida State earlier this month, 31-24. . . .

But Florida State is ranked No. 1 and Notre Dame No. 4 in the Associated Press poll and Florida State No. 2 and Notre Dame No. 4 in the CNN/USA Today poll. . . .

Apparently, what counts most is what you did the previous Saturday. . . .

Another factor could be the popularity of Bobby Bowden among voters and the dislike of Lou Holtz. . . .

The worst example of a poll ignoring a head-to-head meeting occurred in 1978. USC defeated Alabama in Birmingham, 24-14. USC finished the season 12-1 and Alabama 11-1. However, Alabama was voted No. 1 and USC No. 2 in the AP poll. . . .

If you go strictly by record, shouldn’t unbeaten Nebraska, unbeaten West Virginia and unbeaten Auburn be the top three in any order? . . .

Jack Franzi, oddsmaker at the Barbary Coast in Las Vegas, says he would make Florida State a 14-point favorite over Nebraska in the Orange Bowl. . . .

This is another year that makes a great case for a national championship tournament. . . .

Something I do like about college football is that most of the important games are high scoring. . . .

It will be interesting to see which team is more focused Friday at Chestnut Hill, Mass., Boston College, coming off a victory over Notre Dame, or West Virginia, coming off one over Miami. . . .

Again, the Coliseum scoreboard gave us a multitude of commercials and testimonials and a minimum of information during the USC-UCLA game. . . .

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Sunday was the first time since the second week of the season that both the Raiders and Rams won. . . .

For the record: The Raiders have won three of their last four games at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium. . . .

Best thing about this week’s NFL schedule is that nobody has a bye. . . .

The New England Patriot uniforms resemble something out of the USFL. . . .

The well-balanced Cincinnati Bengals have scored the fewest points of any NFL team and allowed the second-most points. . . .

Five of the 14 AFC teams are 6-4. . . .

Kansas State Coach Bill Snyder says Chad May, the Wildcats’ transfer from Cal State Fullerton, is the best quarterback in the Big Eight. . . .

I wonder why it took Texas Christian only 57 years to retire Sammy Baugh’s number. . . .

Pedro Martinez’s lack of size is one reason the Dodgers felt they could afford to trade him to Montreal for Delino DeShields. Martinez was among the best middle relief pitchers in baseball last season, but how long would he have remained happy in that role and is he strong enough to become a starter? . . .

Martinez is listed as 5 feet 11 and 164 pounds, but appears to be smaller. . . .

The Dodgers made one mistake by trading Sid Fernandez to the New York Mets in 1983 and another by not signing him as a free agent this year. This is a team in need of a left-handed starting pitcher. . . .

King TV announcer Bob Miller will speak on “Humor in Sports” Dec. 1 at a luncheon at the Westin hotel on Century Boulevard near LAX. Tickets are available from the Canada California Chamber of Commerce. . . .

David Gordon, who kicked the winning field goal for Boston College against Notre Dame, is the son of Hartford Whaler owner Richard Gordon. . . .

A week before the Big Ten football championship is determined at the Tokyo Dome, North America’s horse-of-the-year title probably will be determined by the performance of Kotashaan in the $3.4-million Japan Cup on Saturday. . . .

Rights to McSorley have been returned to Inglewood. Hollywood Park trainer Jim Buss recently claimed McSorley, the horse, at a cost of $50,000 for his father, Jerry Buss. . . .

“Blue Chips” director Bill Friedkin visited a 6 a.m. USC basketball practice session. . . .

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It will be father vs. son in the Continental Basketball Assn. when Bill Musselman’s Rochester, Minn., Renegades play Eric Musselman’s Rapid City, S.D. Thrillers. . . .

Miami Heat guard Harold Miner has bought new basketball uniforms for Inglewood High School. . . .

You know how badly things are going for the Lakers when a three-point loss to the Nets at New Jersey is described as a moral victory.