With title hopes in tow, Sooners and Seminoles are ready to put it …

Steve Guiremand

Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2001 | 10:35 a.m.

MIAMI -- Picture this.

Florida State defeats Oklahoma tonight in the Orange Bowl to claim at least a share of its second consecutive college football national championship.

Bobby Bowden, the Seminoles' 71-year-old head coach, certainly has.

Bowden used to keep an empty picture frame in his office for his first undefeated national championship squad, but that was filled nicely last year by Peter Warrick and company after they went 12-0 and whipped Virginia Tech, 46-29, in the Sugar Bowl.

But during the off-season, Bowden decided to put another empty picture frame in his office.

"That's true," Bowden said at his final pregame press conference on Tuesday afternoon. "Yes, I have another empty frame in my office for the first Florida State team that wins back-to-back national championships.

"I can pick up other frames, too."

If the Seminoles (11-1) knock off No. 1 Oklahoma (12-0) tonight at Pro Player Stadium as expected -- FSU is a 10 1/2-point favorite to boomer the Sooners -- then Bowden will have tomake a date for another trip to Aaron Brothers.

Tonight's winner is guaranteed at least a share of the national title per the agreement with the Bowl Championship Series.

"You're always looking for something to motivate your boys with," Bowden said of the Empty Frame II, not to be confused with Wide Right III. "Last year (the frame) was for the first team to go undefeated and win the national title. We had had undefeated (regular) seasons before, but we could not win the bowl game.

"Now we mentioned to our players that they could be the first team to win back-to-back national championships here and that's why we have that frame there. Naturally, you use it for motivation."

It's the third straight year and fourth time in the last five years that the Seminoles find themselves playing for the national championship in their bowl game.

To fill that picture frame this time around they must find a way to stop a revitalized Oklahoma squad led by quarterback Josh Heupel that surprisingly rolled through Big 12 Conference play and finished the year as the nation's only unbeaten Division I squad.

"As a team we're extremely confident going into the game," second-year Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops said. "I wouldn't trade one day of preparation for this game. We're very confident and excited to compete against Florida State."

Despite a controversial finish in the BCS ratings formula that found the Seminoles (11-1) rated ahead of a Miami (10-1) team that defeated them, 27-24, earlier in the season, Florida State is an overwhelming favorite tonight.

"That tells you something," said Bowden, clearly tired of having to defend his team's Orange Bowl selection. "To me, it tells you the BCS must be correct. You mean, they took us, the No. 3 ranked team (in the polls), and they put us in over the No. 2 team (Miami) and we're favored by 12? Maybe the BCS is correct..

"There's so much made over the fact that Miami beat us. That proved one thing. The day we played Miami, they were better. I'll admit that. They were better the day we played them. But it doesn't prove anything past that. You know, I beat them three years ago. That doesn't mean we're better today.

"How come head-to-head has gotten to be big in football all of a sudden?," Bowden continued. "(Do they use it in) basketball when they pick the teams going to the playoffs? I don't think so."

Bowden's Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, Chris Weinke, says how the Seminoles got picked for the national title game won't mean much if FSU can knock off Oklahoma.

"Fifteen years from now nobody will remember that," Weinke said.