Their friendship will be put to the test again this Saturday when these two football gypsies meet in South Bend, Ind. Bowden is the coach of the No. 1-ranked Florida State Seminoles. They will play No. 2 ranked Notre Dame, coached by Holtz. It’s a classic match of undefeated teams–one of those Games of the Decade that happen but a few times each year. it also looms as one of the biggest games in both their long, successful careers. Despite being the only two coaches to have led their teams to top 20 rankings in each of the past six seasons, both Holtz and Bowden entered the current season heavily criticized for their football programs. Whoever wins will emerge 10-0 and pointed toward a Game of the Century in a New Year’s Day bowl game for the national championship. And as all coaches know, there’s just about no problem that a national championship won’t solve.
That’s particularly true for Bowden, who began the season with only one rap–that he couldn’t win the Big Game. In Bowden’s case the Big Game has inevitably been with cross-state rival, the University of Miami. During the past six years Florida State has won 64 games and lost only nine. But five of those losses were to Miami. Football is a bottom-line business, and for Bowden it reads: Miami, three national championships; Florida State, none.
It’s Bowden’s bad luck that after A-inning the Big Game this year, trouncing Miami 28-10, he discovered that the Really Big Game was still to come. No wonder Bowden disdains football polls. He argues–justifiably, if unsuccessfully–that rankings should reflect difficulty of schedule, not just won-lost records, Many famous football powers spend most of their seasons beating up on weak teams. They don’t play anybody their own size, if they can help it, until the bowl games. That’s not Bowden’s style: Notre Dame will be Florida State’s fourth highly ranked opponent this season. And later this month he’s scheduled to play the University of Florida–which is also ranked in the top 10. “Most people never even play a top team,” says Bowden. “There ain’t but 10 of them. If you’re trying to schedule to win a national championship, you’d have to drop two or three of the folks we play.”
For Holtz, another national championship–he won one in 1988–would be the perfect balm for what has been his most difficult season. Before it began, a book–“Under the Tarnished Dome: How Notre Dame Betrayed Its Ideals for Football Glory”–made headlines, charging Holtz and the university with big-time hypocrisy. It alleged that Notre Dame recruited academic misfits, ignored steroid use, pressured team members to play hurt and condoned rowdy behavior on and off the field. Notre Dame athletic director Richard Rosenthal denounces the book as “sinister” and “nonsense.” Holtz turns ashen when asked about “that book” and deflects questions by reiterating that he hasn’t read it.
Holtz and the university clearly view this season’s unexpected success as vindication. “If you want to say this gives me great satisfaction,” Holtz demurs, “I’m happy for the players.” But he adds pugnaciously, “if somebody can show us how to run a better football program, I’ll be happy to listen to them.” Rosenthal raves about Holtz’s performance this season, given the distractions. Holtz’s players, however, insist that the book has actually helped the team. “All the controversy,” says quarterback Kevin McDougal, “has brought us together.”
And two old friends, too. Holtz apparently was thrilled to add Florida State to his schedule. “It was like you said to him, ‘You’re going to get a pony for Christmas’,” says Rosenthal. Now that Holtz has his pony, he just has to hope he doesn’t get kicked.
