Columnist Steve Guiremand: Tennessee, Florida State earned trips to Tempe

Steve Guiremand

Friday, Dec. 11, 1998 | 10:21 a.m.

Memo to the football fans at Ohio State and Kansas State: Quit the whining.

When the final Bowl Championship Series standings came out this week and pitted undefeated Tennessee (11-0) against once-beaten Florida State (11-1) in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 4 for the national championship, folks in Columbus, Ohio, wondered out loud why the Seminoles should be headed to Tempe instead of a 10-1 Buckeyes squad that was No. 1 for much of the season.

The reason is simple. Bobby Bowden's club deserves it.

After somehow stumbling against Micron PC Bowl-bound North Carolina State, 24-7, in their second game of the season, the Seminoles have rattled off 10 straight wins

They defeated seven bowl-bound teams, including two that are in the Bowl Championship Series -- Sugar Bowl invitee Texas A&M (11-2) and Orange Bowl-bound Florida (9-2). Even without injured star quarterback Chris Weinke, they still found a way to beat quality teams like Virginia (9-2) and the Gators (9-2) down the stretch, thanks in large part to the best defensive unit in the nation.

Ohio State? Once again the John Cooper factor came into play down the stretch. The Buckeyes controlled their own destiny and blew a big lead at home to a mediocre Michigan State (6-6) team before losing, 28-24. They have no one to blame but themselves for spending New Year's Day in New Orleans.

Kansas State also had a great chance to play for the national title, but the Wildcats blew a 15-point lead in the last ten minutes before losing in double overtime to Texas A&M in the Big 12 championship game, 36-33.

Yes, K-State probably deserved better than to be bounced all the way down to the Alamo Bowl against Purdue. But again, the Wildcats can look in the mirror for the reason why they're not playing in a more prestigious BCS game.

Tennessee, meanwhile, found a way to win its big games this year even though it lost arguably the top player in college football a year ago, Peyton Manning, to the NFL.

The Vols held off turnover-prone Florida, 20-17, in overtime and rallied for key SEC wins over Arkansas (28-24) and Mississippi State (24-14).

Maybe Ohio State or Kansas State would beat the Vols in a head-to-head matchup this year. But Tennessee is a rightful No. 1 at this point because it went out and took care of business.

"This team has so many guys with the will to win," Tennessee defensive tackle Darwin Walker said. "We seem to play our best when the pressure's on."

That's something the folks in Columbus or Manhattan, Kan., cannot say. And that's why their teams be watching, not playing in, the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 4.

Elsewhere ...

Judging by Michael Bishop's game and sideline demeanor -- does anybody in college football yell more at his teammates or pout after a miscue? -- I think Kansas State coach Bill Snyder did the right thing in keeping his star QB off limits from the media most of the year. Bishop may be very talented, but he looks like he could be a loose cannon at times. ...

Worse bowl game of the year without a doubt is USC (8-4) vs. TCU (6-5) in the Sun Bowl on New Year's Eve day. If the Trojans can't win this one by four touchdowns, Paul Hackett and company should resign on the spot. ...

By the way, if Hackett is supposed to be such an offensive genius, how come the Trojans managed just 17 points and 387 yards in total offense against that woeful UCLA defense despite having two weeks to prepare? ...

Word is new South Carolina coach Lou Holtz is trying to lure at least two of his old Notre Dame assistants, defensive ends/outside linebackers coach Charlie Strong and wide receivers coach Urban Meyer, to Columbia, S.C. Strong, one of the nation's top recruiters, would be a huge loss for the Fighting Irish. ...

UCLA's 49-45 loss at Miami cost the Bruins more than a spot in the Fiesta Bowl and a shot at only the second national championship in school history. It also cost each Pac-10 school about $500,000 in unbudgeted extra revenue because the conference would have had two teams in the BCS (Arizona would have taken UCLA's spot in the Rose Bowl) instead of one. ...

Rumor has it that Washington's Jim Lambright could get the axe if the 6-5 Huskies lose to Air Force (11-1) in the Oahu Bowl on Christmas Day in Honululu. ...

Don't be surprised if some NFL teams make a run at Oregon head coach Mike Bellotti. ...

The West Coast's top offensive line prospect, Shane Lehmann (6-5, 275) of Corona (Calif.) High, is scheduled to visit Notre Dame this weekend. Lehmann has been rumored to be leaning heavily to UCLA. Nebraska and USC are among the other schools in the running. ...

Those headed to Southern California this weekend may want to catch the CIF Southern Section Division I title game between unbeaten Long Beach Poly (13-0) and Santa Ana Mater Dei (12-1) on Saturday night at Edison Field.

Jerry Jaso's Poly Jackrabbits have about a dozen Division I prospects, including Stanford-bound quarterback Chris Lewis, USC-bound wide receiver Kareem Kelly and USC-bound corner Darrell Rideaux.