Miami-Florida State Clash Now Comes Far Too Early

The Miami-Florida State game tonight is still important enough that Hurricane Katrina evacuees who sought refuge in hotel rooms here are required by state law to leave to make room for incoming people with standing reservations.

Miami at Florida State is still a big deal because ABC says it is and, a couple of years ago, asked the schools to move it up into prime time to cap the Labor Day weekend.

Never mind that, in hindsight, the schools would prefer not to be playing so early, now that Miami has left the Big East Conference to join Florida State in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

“You don’t really see Ohio State-Michigan opening the season, which is also a league game,” Miami Coach Larry Coker said. “Or Oklahoma-Texas.”

The game matters in the historical sense because it’s still Miami and Florida State, which means another chance for Seminole Coach Bobby Bowden to look forlornly to the sky after another heartbreaking defeat and ask, “Why me?” yet you wonder if the shine is wearing off this rivalry and how much longer it will be a must-see.

Each school has won a national title since 1999, but it used to be that the winner of Miami-Florida State would be among the clear-cut favorites to win the national title.

Anyone get that sense today?

Florida State, which had a remarkable 14 consecutive top-four finishes in the Associated Press poll starting in 1987, was 14th in this year’s preseason AP poll.

Miami was No. 9.

Consider:

* Florida State did not win the ACC last season -- Virginia Tech did.

* Both schools are breaking in starting quarterbacks -- Kyle Wright for Miami and Drew Weatherford for Florida State.

* Coker, inheriting former coach Butch Davis’ players, won a national title in 2001. Then came this pattern: He lost one game the next year, two the year after that and three games last year.

* Bowden has won 351 games but only nine last year. He’s also 75, has lost six consecutive games to Miami and is the first coach in memory to lose a starting quarterback (Wyatt Sexton) to Lyme disease. And if things don’t get better on offense, Bowden may have to cut a final check to the offensive coordinator -- his son Jeff.

Also, can anyone remember a Miami-Florida State game that did not feature a serious Heisman Trophy candidate?

It may be that the numbers have finally caught up with Coker and age has caught up with Bowden.

How big can it be, now that the ACC has split into two divisions, with Florida State on one side and Miami on the other? No matter tonight’s winner, wouldn’t it be a bigger game in December if the teams met for the ACC championship, with a bowl championship series bid on the line?

It’s still Miami at Florida State because, as Miami offensive tackle Eric Winston said, “You have to win that one to win all the other ones.”

A game worthy of perusal?

Yes.

But you wonder whether those are the facts talking or just the sentiment.

*

Weekend Wrap

Had he not fudged facts on his resume, Central Florida Coach George O’Leary presumably would have been starting his fourth season as Notre Dame coach and perhaps basking in the Irish-green limelight.

Instead, O’Leary trotted onto the field Thursday night in South Carolina to serve as fodder for Steve Spurrier’s triumphant return.

O’Leary was 0-11 in his first year at Central Florida and, after Thursday’s loss, is 0-12. At least he hasn’t lost his sense of humor.

Standing on the field before the game at Williams-Brice Stadium, O’Leary approached a few national writers, stuck out his hand and said, “You all came to see me?”

Everyone’s a critic, including Charles Weis, the 11-year-old son of first-year Notre Dame Coach Charlie Weis. The kid’s reaction after his father’s debut win over Pittsburgh, a 42-21 romp at Heinz Field?

“Sloppy second half, Dad,” he said.

Saw it coming: USC over Hawaii (63-17), Texas over Louisiana Lafayette (60-3), Iowa over Ball State (56-0), Arizona State over Temple (63-16), California over Cal State Sacramento (41-3).

Did not see it coming: Texas Christian over Oklahoma (17-10), Georgia Tech over Auburn (23-14), Clemson over Texas A&M; (25-24).

Oklahoma has played in three bowl championship series title games since 2000, and Auburn, at 13-0, thought it should have playing in last year’s. And both lost Saturday, at home?

Oklahoma’s first September loss under Bob Stoops has to be encouraging for UCLA, which plays host to the Sooners at the Rose Bowl on Sept. 17, and Texas, which has lost five in a row to its archrival.

Commissioners will meet in Chicago this month to discuss the options for this season’s Sugar Bowl, which almost certainly will not be played in the Superdome because of Hurricane Katrina.

The probable scenario is moving this season’s game to Baton Rouge, La. You have to wonder whether the Superdome (and New Orleans) will be ready when the Sugar Bowl is scheduled to play host to two games in 2007: its own game and the BCS title game.

No wonder Spurrier was giddy about being 1-0 at South Carolina. He is the third Gamecock coach who has led another team to a national title, joining Paul Dietzel (Louisiana State) and Lou Holtz (Notre Dame). Spurrier led Florida to a national title in 1996.

In their first seasons at success-starved South Carolina, Dietzel and Holtz were a combined 1-20.