It's becoming clear that Florida State's Bobby Bowden, who turn 80 on Sunday, wants to coach the Seminoles in 2010. The feisty Bowden has tipped his hand many times since coming under fire from high-level boosters, fans and the media following a 2-4 start.
Consecutive victories over North Carolina and North Carolina State have helped quiet restless critics -- and a victory Saturday at Clemson would vault FSU into second place in the ACC Atlantic Division -- and Bowden said Wednesday he will make the final call on who replaces retiring Mickey Andrews as defensive coordinator.
However, Bowden also stressed that head coach-in-waiting Jimbo Fisher will make a strong contribution to the process, so don't expect a disagreement conspiracy between the pair.
"I think [Fisher] definitely has to have a say-so because he's the future here. You know it?" Bowden said. "And it's one of those things I'll make the final decision on. But I'll definitely get his input, and very strongly."
Fisher is scheduled to become the next FSU coach no later than Jan. 1, 2011. If he is not, his contract calls for him to be paid $5 million.
Florida State president T.K. Wetherell said in a statement last month that Bowden's status will be evaluated after the season, and the university would have no comment until then.
In his weekly conference on the Monday with the media, including FanHouse, Fisher said that he anticipates a smooth process with Bowden in hiring the defensive coordinator. Andrews had indicated prior to the season, his 26th at FSU, that this would be his last. He made it official on Wednesday.
Fisher said he keeps a working list of prospects for all position coaches. A timetable has not been set for naming a new defensive coordinator.
"I'm glad to have the input on what we're going to do in the future and what we want to do," Fisher said. "[There] are some outstanding guys [that] will be out there, I'm sure. This is a great job. That's why I don't want to go anywhere.
"I love it here."
FSU fans, however, appear to need coaxing to rally behind their team.
In last Saturday's homecoming game against N.C. State, the Seminoles played before their smallest crowd since 1993. A noon game on Halloween combined with rainy weather, a slow economy and the team's poor performance this season added up to just 67,712 tickets sold in a stadium that seats 82,300.
Quite frankly, judging by the huge pockets of empty seats, it's also unlikely that all ticket holders attended. The athletic department lost out on more than $700,000 in potential ticket revenue, according to school officials.
The Seminoles, who haven't beaten Clemson in Memorial Stadium since 2001, have remaining games at Wake Forest, home against Maryland and at top-ranked Florida.
"We can only take care of what we can take care of, and that's who we play," Bowden said. "This ballgame coming up is the biggest one. However, if you win it, the next one becomes the biggest one."
Stop the Bleeding
Virginia Tech is looking to avoid its first three-game losing streak since 2003 when the Hokies travel to East Carolina Thursday night. Tech head coach Frank Beamer has had only two three-game losing streaks during the Hokies' 16-year bowl run (1997, 2003).
A victory on ESPN would make Tech bowl eligible for the 17th-straight season.
How the Hokies rebound from consecutive defeats to Georgia Tech and North Carolina last Thursday will rely in large part on what their defense can do to reverse a recent trend of poor play on third down, when opponents have converted 18-of-34 the last two games.
"There hasn't been a game this season that we haven't played hard, but sometimes we have to play better and more consistent," Beamer said. "These guys care and we are going to move forward with that in mind."
Epic Battle
Duke and North Carolina meet on Saturday in what normally translates into an epic battle on the basketball court. But we're talking football at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill, N.C
Don't be fooled. This is a huge game for the Blue Devils, who will become bowl eligible for the first time since 1994 with a victory. Duke is also looking for its first victory over UNC, which is coming off an emotional and dramatic win at Virginia Tech, since 2003 and just its second since 1989.
Duke quarterback Thaddeus Lewis has posted four consecutive 300-yard passing games. UNC coach Butch Davis went as far as to compare the Blue Devils offense to that of the Indianapolis Colts.
"After I saw [those comments], I called (Colts President) Bill Polian and asked if I could borrow his five offensive linemen," Duke coach David Cutcliffe laughed.
He turned me down."
Unlucky Deacs
Just 4-5 overall with a 2-3 ACC record entering Saturday's conference showdown against host Georgia Tech at Bobby Dodd Stadium, Wake Forest has nearly run out of wiggle room. The Deacs need two wins in their remaining three games to become bowl eligible.
Four of Wake Forest's five losses have been decided by a combined 10 points. Making matters worse, senior quarterback Riley Skinner, who suffered a concussion in last Saturday's defeat against Miami, has been listed as questionable for this week's game.
Skinner is just one of three quarterbacks in ACC history to throw for 2,000 or more yards in each of his four seasons. That list also includes N.C. State's Philip Rivers and Duke's Thaddeus Lewis, who reached that milestone last Saturday.
"We're capable of winning," Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe said.
"That's the thing that we know. We've got to have things go right and not much has gone right for this football team. Unfortunately these guys have had some really bad breaks along the way. Obviously we've had some plays we could have made that would have made the difference without needing a break. But this is just about the most unlucky football team I've coached."
After watching film of Wake Forest's games this season, Tech head coach Paul Johnson agrees with Grobe.
"I think a lot of [their troubles] can be attributed to just bad luck," Johnson said.
