NCAA Football miami (fl) Hurricanes

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- The telephone conversation between brothers, as always, was friendly and upbeat.

The noise in the Miami bowling alley, however, made it difficult for Bryan Pata to hear, so he quickly squeezed his feet into a snug pair of bowling shoes and walked outside for better reception. Edwin Pierre Pata was 400 miles away in Florida's Panhandle, standing near his car, but their bond was not diminished by distance or time. Or school allegiance.

Bryan was a Hurricane; Edwin a Seminole.

It seems as if C.J. Spiller's career has been punctuated by big decisions and big plays.

Spiller selected the Clemson Tigers over childhood favorite Florida State and others out of Lake Butler (Fla.) Union County. A frustrating freshman season nearly prompted him to transfer to Florida. Spiller could have entered the NFL Draft last year as a possible first-round selection. Known as a quiet leader, Spiller promised to speak up this season.

Check, check and check -- Spiller has made all the right moves.

"It has gone by so fast," Spiller told FanHouse Tuesday morning. "It seems like I just got here, and now ... these last five [regular-season] games I am going to enjoy the best way I can with my teammates. Coming back was the best decision I've made in my life. You don't have a better experience than your college one."

It has reached this point at Florida State: panicking Seminole fans are searching for victories.

At 2-4, FSU and head coach Bobby Bowden need to find four more victories in their remaining six games to become bowl eligible. That challenge starts Thursday night in a nationally-televised game at North Carolina. The Seminoles close October against North Carolina State and tangle with Clemson, Wake Forest, Maryland and Florida in November.

FSU has played in 27 consecutive bowl games dating back to 1981, when the Seminoles went 6-5.

With the exception of injured Tim Tebow, the top-ranked Florida Gators are right where they want to be one month into the college football season. The same could be said further South, where the Miami Hurricanes survived a brutal four-game stretch to merit top-10 consideration.

The mood in Florida's Panhandle, however, is far different. Slumping Florida State and its iconic coach, Bobby Bowden, are off to their worst start in more than a quarter of a century, creating an uncomfortable predicament that has left Bowden defending his program and fending off critics who are demanding immediate change in Tallahassee, Fla.

MIAMI -- Dressed in a cap, an Oklahoma T-shirt and shorts, all Sam Bradford could do was watch and wonder. He had to be impressed, too.

With the 17th-ranked Miami Hurricanes, that is.

Miami can now catch its breath knowing it merits national relevance in the college football landscape -- no second-guessing -- after ending its four-game gauntlet to open the season Saturday night with an exciting 21-20 victory over the Bradford-less No. 8 Oklahoma Sooners. For Bradford and Co., they must regroup and turn their attention to next week's Big-12 opener against Baylor knowing they won't get another chance at a national title.

MIAMI -- Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford or mustachioed Landry Jones?

Miami coach Randy Shannon has said all week that it doesn't matter which Oklahoma quarterback starts against the Hurricanes on Saturday because they are both dropback passers. Of course, that was settled Thursday, when Sooners coach Bob Stoops announced Jones would make his third consecutive start in place of the recovering Bradford. Truthfully, that might be the least of UM's concerns.

The Hurricanes' showdown with No. 8 Oklahoma at Land Shark Stadium represents their fourth consecutive game against a ranked opponent. No team in ACC history has opened its season with four games against nationally ranked teams.

Tom O'Brien teams traditionally get better as the season goes on -- as North Carolina State did in winning four of its last five games last year. With Wake Forest, Duke and Boston College coming up in the next three weeks, the surging Wolfpack could be 6-1 going into its bye week prior to an Atlantic Division showdown at Florida State.

O'Brien, however, isn't about to get caught up in such nonsense. He's a game-at-a-time head coach, and Saturday's meeting at Wake Forest is N.C. State's first ACC game and first road game.

"All I know is what team I got this week against the team I am going to play," O'Brien said. "I don't know who is going to be here next week. We continue to march on and try to be the best we can weekly."

Crazy as it sounded but a few weeks ago, there is a chance neither Tim Tebow, Colt McCoy or Sam Bradford will win the 2009 Heisman Trophy. Maybe that's a good thing. Their journey of inevitability has taken on some water surprisingly early this year.

When BYU's Coleby Clawson slammed Bradford to the turf causing a shoulder injury, Bradford's repeat hopes were finished. He has still yet to play a down since then. Last Saturday against Kentucky, Tebow also sustained a concussion injury while being driven to the ground. It is unclear whether he will play Saturday against LSU in Florida's first real test this season.

Meanwhile, Colt McCoy already has five interceptions although he completed 80 percent of his passes Saturday against UTEP as the Longhorns appear to have turned a corner offensively in pouring 64 points on the Miners.

Matt Daniels doesn't even want to think about the repercussions if Duke loses to North Carolina Central University on Saturday.

The two campuses are just five miles apart, and locals in Durham, N.C., have been chatting for months about whether the Eagles can compete against a Blue Devils team that already this season has lost to a Football Championship Subdivision school.

"A lot of heads are going to be turning," said Daniels, Duke's sophomore safety.

A quick glance at Miami's opening month of the college football season generated raised eyebrows. At Florida State, Georgia Tech, at Virginia Tech and Oklahoma, oh my. Many believed the Hurricanes would be OK if they split the games, two up and two down.

Don't look now but the expectations in Coral Gables, Fla., are rocketing skyward. UM players appear to have once again taken ownership of the program, pointing to opening victories over Florida State (38-35) and last Thursday against Georgia Tech (33-17).

While the undefeated Hurricanes are getting love from fans and the media, stoic UM head coach Randy Shannon says the hype won't affect his players. Shannon believes his team has learned its lesson from the past few years. He also credits players for their ability to stay focused and demonstrate a trait that some may not associate with UM teams -- humility.