California Dreaming

Florida State Coach Bobby Bowden wants to play in the Rose Bowl and we say, why the dadgum not?

Bring granddaddy to the Granddaddy.

When the winningest coach in major college football history says he wants one whiff of roses before, well, you know, his last big event, Pasadena should take heed.

“It would be just an amazing thing,” Bowden said this week of the prospect. “No. 1, Florida State has never played in the Rose Bowl. If Florida State is playing in it, it means they have made the circuit. They’ve gotten them all.”

Under Bowden’s watch, Florida State has won the Sugar, Fiesta and Orange bowls.

The only souvenir missing is a Tournament of Roses watch.

For a man who turned 74 in November, a trip to Rose Bowl bountiful would complete his coaching circle.

“When you are in the twilight of your career like I am, how many more shots are you going to get at something like that?” Bowden said.

In a recent interview Bowden conducted with the Tallahassee Democrat, playing in the Rose Bowl checked in as No. 5 on his list of top-10 things left to do. It was sandwiched between No. 4, “Attending a football game at Notre Dame as a spectator,” and No. 6, “Go through Hitler’s bunker in Berlin.”

We couldn’t think of a better fit than Bobby in our backyard.

Like gravy on grits, he would pour praise on the Rose Bowl at a time when the venerable bowl could use a little love. The Rose Bowl has been out of sorts since selling a chunk of its soul to the bowl championship series in 1998.

As it appears the Rose Bowl may go a third year in a row without playing host to its traditional Pac-10/Big Ten pairing, the event could use a spiritual infusion.

Enter Bobby the Baptist.

His arrival by plane could rival Notre Dame Coach Knute Rockne’s arrival here by train for the 1925 game.

Bowden would not only be the best Rose Bowl quote since John McKay -- you could make Bobby grand marshal of the parade and let him give the pregame invocation.

To boot, the Florida State marching band is kick-brass.

A Florida State-Michigan game would pit the coach with the most wins (342) against the school with the most wins (833) -- think you could market that?

The Rose Bowl had initial doubts about Florida State because its fans have not traditionally swarmed to bowl sites.

Bowden, though, has assured people in Pasadena that a Rose Bowl trip would be different. The story goes that he once pulled a Rose Bowl official aside and said, “If we ever get selected you won’t have to worry about attendance. I’ll bring the state with me.”

Now, the big problem: getting Florida State here.

Four days before bowl selections are to be formalized, the Rose Bowl remains in limbo.

Last week, there were so many possible scenarios on the table, Chief Executive Mitch Dorger said, “It was futile to try to get very serious.”

Not much has changed.

If USC loses to Oregon State or is squeezed out of the national title spot by Louisiana State, the Trojans will play Michigan.

If USC and LSU lose, USC will play in the Rose but No. 4 Michigan could advance to the national title game.

If it’s No. 1 Oklahoma vs. No. 2 USC in the Sugar Bowl, the Fiesta gets first pick to replace Oklahoma.

There are strong indications the Fiesta wants 10-2 Texas no matter what and might even bypass the No. 3 team, LSU, to get the Longhorns.

In that case, the Rose Bowl would almost be obliged take LSU to pair against Michigan in a game that would match No. 3 vs. No. 4.

Florida State’s best chance of getting to Pasadena is Georgia defeating LSU in Saturday’s Southeastern Conference title game.

Then, if the Fiesta takes Texas, it might make sense for the Rose Bowl to take Florida State over Georgia.

Dorger can’t say much about the possibilities because he simply does not know. He says the Rose Bowl is being lobbied by several schools.

“Any time you start looking at teams that have never been here, an LSU, a Georgia, a Florida State, or a Tennessee, there’s going to be tremendous interest,” Dorger said. “I believe we will get a good game.”

Bobby Bowden in Pasadena would be more than good ... it would be historic.

“We are very familiar with his respect for, admiration of and wanting to be a part of the Rose Bowl,” Dorger said.

In the end, though, events will dictate whether the Rose Bowl can make Bowden’s dream come true.

It’s About Time

It has been 138 years since the end of the Civil War and 71 years since the formation of the Southeastern Conference so, yes, you could say it was big news this week when Sylvester Croom became the first African American football coach in SEC history.

Mississippi State’s hiring of Croom ends an embarrassing blight on the SEC, but Floyd Keith, executive director of the Black Coaches Assn., said there is no sense rehashing the conference’s past.

“Let’s just look forward at the positive part of it,” Keith said. “Let’s look at the good side of it.”

In fact, Keith praised the role SEC Commissioner Mike Slive played in making sure qualified African America candidates were getting a fair shake in the hiring process.

“Mike Slive has been very proactive in this,” Keith said. “A lot of people haven’t recognized him.”

Many were upset last year when Croom, who played at Alabama, was passed over for the Crimson Tide job in favor of Mike Shula, who is white.

Yet, Keith points out the SEC isn’t the only conference with a checkered past on race relations. Croom is only the fifth African American coach in a sport with 117 major college teams.

What’s more, Keith noted there is only one black coach at the Division I-AA level.

“That’s 220 schools and six [minority] coaches,” Keith said. “We’ve got a long ways to go.”

Croom’s hiring, though, was a step forward.

“I think it was a major breakthrough,” Keith said. “I’ve said it all along. This isn’t a sprint. This is a journey.”

Hurry-Up Offense

* It seems almost a cinch that Oklahoma will play for the national title in the Sugar Bowl even if the Sooners lose to Kansas State in Saturday’s Big 12 championship game. Oklahoma has such a big lead in the BCS over USC and LSU the Sooners can likely afford a first loss and still finish No. 1 or No. 2.

If this happens, the Sooners can thank a critical “non-decision” two years ago by BCS commissioners. When Nebraska advanced to the Rose Bowl without even winning the North Division of the Big 12, there was talk of amending the BCS rules to require that a team win its conference in order to qualify for the national-title game.

The commissioners passed on the idea. They must have envisioned a scenario such as this year’s, right?

* Bowl rumblings: Tennessee has suddenly become a player for one of two BCS at-large berths. It wouldn’t be a shock to see the Volunteers replace at-large candidate Ohio State in either the Fiesta or Orange bowls. Why? Ohio State played in the Fiesta Bowl last year, while the Orange Bowl might consider Tennessee a better draw in terms of bringing fans to the game.

It appears the Fiesta Bowl, for economic reasons, may take Texas even if has to pass on 12-1 LSU, which would be interesting.

* How popular is the BCS with college football fans?

Not very, according to a new online survey of college football fans conducted by New Media Strategies. In the survey, 75% of the respondents said they wanted the BCS system eliminated. And even the 25% that supported the BCS said it needed to be improved.

“This is a huge rebuke of the BCS system,” New Media Strategies Chief Executive Pete Snyder said. “To put this in context, even recalled California Gov. Gray Davis had better approval numbers than the BCS.”

The survey did not indicate what percentage of the respondents were USC and LSU fans.

* Some of the names mentioned for the vacant Nebraska coaching job include Tampa Bay Buccaneer defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin (a Nebraska alum), Utah Coach Urban Meyer and Oregon Coach Mike Bellotti.

But the most interesting name being floated is Washington Redskin Coach Steve Spurrier. Could you imagine Spurrier coaching in the Big 12 against Oklahoma Coach Bob Stoops, who worked as defensive coordinator under Spurrier at Florida? The thought is enough to make any Cornhusker fan hyperventilate, and landing Spurrier may be the only way Nebraska Athletic Director Steve Pederson could justify firing Frank Solich.

* You wonder how Texas Coach Mack Brown is feeling these days. He won 11 games in 2001 and 2002 and his team is 10-2 this year and likely headed for a BCS bowl berth. Yet, in a conference obsessed with keeping up with Oklahoma’s Stoops, consider this: Brown became coach at Texas in 1998, the same year Solich replaced Tom Osborne at Nebraska. Solich was fired Saturday with a career record of 58-19. Brown’s record over the same span is 59-16.