W October 6, 1999- The Michigan Daily - 15 Around the Horn Seminoles would be unnatural choice or champs a orida State paid Duke $800,000 to play its game last week in Jacksonville, Fla. instead of Durham, N.C. Yesterday, the school renegotiated coach Bobby Bowden's contract for $500,000. What the Seminoles owe college football fans can't be calculated that way. By the time the sixth game of the year rolls around, the No. I team in the country should not be earning praise from its half-million dollar coach - not for the reasons the Seminoles do. "This time we played two quarters nstead of one," Bowden said after his keminoles did to Duke what Godzilla Rick does to sushi. Freeman Despite such heady praise, the Seminoles showed signs of weakness. With the starters removed, the backups allowed 13 unanswered points from the Blue Devils.- Two quarter performances are a way of life for the Seminoles, whose con- ference, the ACC, is more shooting *allery than rogues' gallery. Is this a FREEMA tr championship performance? Two THE PRESS quarters - and that's an improve- ment? "I don't mind them (offense) not doing anything, but I don't like letting the other team get points!; Bowden said. "They're sitting over there with their shoes off rubbing their toes in the dirt and then they have to go back into the ballgame." Such a shame. Starters at lesser schools sometimes don't have a conference win assured until the third, even the fourth quarter. Then again, most other contenders have a schedule *Tougher than Andy Katzenmoyer in summer school. Florida State has only lost two conference games since joining the ACC in 1993 - to Virginia and last year to North Carolina State. And, while including such natural, in-state hazards as the Hurricanes and the Gators on your schedule every year is admirable, there would be something unnatural about a national title for the Gators. It would cheapen the term. Kind of like Katzenmoyer's degree. How 'BOUT THEM TROJANS?: Everyone who thought Wuthern Cal would be the only ranked team in the Pac-10 by October, raise your hand. Not you, Mr. Marinovich. The conference's collapse puts it right up there with the ACC and Little Debbie as cream filling purveyors. But the rubble that remains of the once-proud conference is just the aftermath of the destruction wreaked by Penn State in August and Wisconsin in November. Back in the day (read: the '80s) coaches named Bo and Woody took big, slow teams to the West Coast and were left in a three-yard cloud of dust by halftime. The Midwest has risen again. * Earthquakes, mudslides, and two undefeated Rose Bowl champs in the past five years have discredited the Left Coast. When Wisconsin shocked everyone by outrunning UCLA last year, the Bruins' porous defense took the blame. But when Penn State dismantled Arizona, they exposed more than a weak defense, they exposed a conference on the decline. SPEAKING OF THE PAc-10: Despite an 0-2 start, this sea- son's Rose Bowl rep could be Rick Neuheisel's Washington Huskies. And they could hit back. Led by speedy junior quarterback Marques Tuiasosopo, 4e Huskies have mushed back into the heart of the squishy Pac-10.... Alabama's Shaun Alexander threw his name into the Heisman ring with his performance last week in Florida. First a touchdown run on fourth down deep in Florida tern- tory, and then a 25-yard slither on the Tide's first snap in overtime - would you vote against Warrick if he turned in a similar performance on Nov. 20? ... When Wisconsin pun- ished Ohio State 42-17 last week, they were flying in some rare air. The last time a team scored 42 points in Ohio Stadium - Illinois in 1958?? -- it lost, 49-42. The last time a team scored 42 on the Buckeyes in the Horseshoe and #on? 1946, when Michigan won 58-0. - Rick Freeman can be reached via e-mail at rickfree@cumich edu. Rivalry brings out best and worst -i RIVALRY Continued from Page 13 "It could," the senior linebacker said. "\\e could be 9-0; we could be No I and No) 2m the country." And with all the media attention --including the first visit from ESPN's GameDay crew since 1997's Michigan-Michigan State game - Saban may get his wish. He has said he hopes that the two programs don't need to succeed at the expense of each other, and pointed to the mutual, long-term success of rivals Florida and Florida State. He - and nearly everyone else associated with this game - would like Saturday's game to be more than a Big-State-School-rumbles- with-ag-School matchup, a la Texas-Texas A&M, or Iowa-Iowa State. The way both teams have looked this season, it has the potential to transcend those preceptions, the way Alabama- Auburn has. "The country may not see it that way, but we do," Gold said. And Gold, who sees it from a far closer level than the national media, said it means more than just national recognition. "To me, it means a lot," the Belleville native said. "Last year, I didn't get to play in this, game. I want to go out with a win. I don't want to hear 'You lost to State in your last game.' None of the seniors want that. And none otf the underclassmen -- on whose shoulders that -i both teams "I don't want to hear 'You lost to state in your last game. Y" - lan Gold Michigan senior linebacker burden is to an extent - want to let them down. That goes for both teams, which may explain why there's extra woofing - and more - between players. "Oh my God, my first Michgan State game, I almost was taken off on a stretcher," Gold said, recalling an incident on special teams. Gold was running downfield to cover a kick, until... "He just leveled me," Gold said. "I just laid there for about five seconds, and I started to think 'Well, this is going to be on film, and Coach Carr is going to notice, and I'll get pointed out in front of the whole defense." Gold has learned from that first, brutal intro- duction to this rivalry. Now he and his defei- sive teammates are looking forward to sharing his knowledge with some young Spartans, in particular, true freshman tailback and line- backer T.J. Duckett, a fellow in-stater from Kalamazoo. "He's a freshman and he doesn't have too much experience, so we're looking to break him into Big Ten football," Gold said. LOUIS BROWN/Daiy Fullback Aaron Shea is among a crop of Michigan seniors that have yet to be on the field for a loss against arch-rival Michigan State. YESTERDAY, NEW YORK 7, Texas 0; Yankees lead 1-0 Houston 6, ATLANTA 1; Astros lead 1-0 Ri The University of Michigan New York at Arizona, inc. TODAY: Boston at Cleveland, 8 p.m. Fox Houston at Atlanta, 4 p.m. ESPN New York at Arizona, 11 p.m. ESPN TOMORROW: Boston at Cleveland, 4 p.m. ESPN Texas at New York, 8 p.m. Fox. FRIDAY, Ocr. 8: Atlanta at Houston, TBA Arizona at New York, TBA SATURDAY, OCT. 9: New York at Texas, TBA Cleveland at Boston, TBA Atlanta at Houston, TBA * Arizona at New York, TBA * SUN., OCT. 10: New York at Texas, TBA * Cleveland at Boston, TBA * Houston at Atlanta, TBA New York at Arizona, TBA * MONDAY, OCT. 11: Texas at New York, TBA * Boston at Cleveland, TBA *if necessary More major-league playoff coverage, page 16 BASKETBALL BAND AUDITIONS Auditions will consist of scales and sight-reading. Drum Set players will also need to demonstrate various styles. REHEARSALS for both Bands will be on. Positions open for: Drum Set Electric Bass Electric Guitar Piccolo Clarinet Alto Saxophone Tenor Saxophone Trumpet Horn Trombone Euphonium Tuba Tuesday evenings. PLAYING AUDITIONS WILL BE HELD OCTOBER 6, 7 and 11, 1999 Sign up at Revelli Hall anytime between 1 and 6 pm. For more information call 764-0582 after 1 pm. **Those selected for Women's Basketball Band will receive an honorarium** --.j 'o);,im rC ZS Assc firm pr nmanag pie ent. so uto101s ociates is a global management consulting oviding world-class expertise in salesforce ement and marketing issues. PRESENTATION October 7th, 6:00 pm Business School * D1270 Hale ZS will be at University of Michigan recruiting: Operations Research Analysts