Weekend Watch List: Bowden's historical matchup vs. 'Bama

What exactly is Alabama-Florida State? Weekend Watch List turned the Neutral Site Knockdown sideways and upside down and came up with this label: an exhibition game.

Bring a picnic basket and a blanket. It should be ... nice.

Bobby Bowden came close to coaching Alabama in '86. (Getty Images)

There's not any particular bad blood built up. The programs haven't met in 33 years. Bobby Bowden looooves 'Bama. Only Alabama is ranked, and only then in the bottom five of the polls. Neither team is going to win the national championship. Can we all agree, too, that neither will win its conference?

It's a lot about where these two proud programs go from here. We're still in limbo about the new assistants at FSU. Reality smacked Alabama last week. Nick Saban isn't going to go undefeated in his first season and the defense is a bit, shall we say, thin in spots.

We're left with history -- lots and lots of history.

Did you know ...

• Bobby Bowden once recorded a song with former FSU president Bernie Sliger. The Seminoles of FSU is still available today on CD. One question: Who was the rapper and who was the DJ on that bad boy?

• Bowden once had lunch with the mayor of Stuttgart, Germany. Manfred Rommel is the son of the infamous Erwin Rommel. According to FSU, Bobby always had a "special admiration" of the Nazi field marshal's "renowned tactical brilliance."

OK, maybe we should have left that one alone. Still, Bowden did grow up in Birmingham with an ear cocked to the radio listening to the Crimson Tide every Saturday. He came close to coaching Alabama in 1986. Bowden decided to stay and a year later started a run of 14 consecutive seasons in the AP top four.

Good move, Bobby. Alabama in recent years has resembled the Richter Scale needle during a 9.8 quake. Consistency matters. Five years ago Bowden surpassed his idol, Bear Bryant, on the I-A victories list.

There's that nagging question, though. What would happen if Alabama had hired Bowden? Jeff Bowden would have been fired/bought out/given a golden parachute long ago.

Hope that's comforting.

Scouting the nation

Dennis Dixon (AP)

• A year ago Oregon was 4-0, was ranked 11th, had beaten a marquee opponent (Oklahoma) and had a pinball offense led by quarterback Dennis Dixon going into the Cal game.

Cal won 45-24.

This year Oregon once again is 4-0, is ranked 11th, has beaten Michigan and has the Pac-10's best offense going into the Cal game.

The difference on Saturday might be Autzen Stadium where the No. 6 Bears haven't beaten the Ducks since 1987.

This might end up being one of the best games of the season considering the offensive storylines:

Dixon is making a legitimate push for the Heisman. During a brief flirtation with minor league baseball this summer he brought his playbook, game tapes and threw passes to teammates in the outfield. Part of the credit for the offensive explosion goes to Chip Kelly. The Ducks' new offensive coordinator came from I-AA New Hampshire where his offenses averaged 400 yards per game. Cal might have the best weapons in the conference (USC included). Receiver/returner DeSean Jackson is right up there with Dixon as the conference's most dangerous. Freshman tailback Jahvid Best is being sprinkled into the lineup while averaging 12.4 yards per carry.

RB Darren McFadden (US Presswire)

• No. 1 rusher Darren McFadden is the Hog Hoss we all thought he'd be. D-Mac is leading the country in rushing -- but his team is 1-2 heading into the North Texas game.

Question: Can McFadden win the Heisman playing for an 8-4 team?

• May God strike Bevo dead if Texas utters the word "revenge" before its Big 12 opener against Kansas State. Last season, the Wildcats mashed Colt McCoy's shoulder, then victimized the 'Horns secondary in a 45-42 victory that ruined Texas' season.

For Orangebloods to admit a revenge motive, they would first have to admit last year's game was a loss. But Kansas State has a 3-2 edge since the Big 12 began, and these Cats are unknown enough to be dangerous.

It's time to man up, 'Horns. Make that Texas-Oklahoma game in eight days mean something.

• Defenseless Nebraska opens the Big 12 season against Iowa State, which has shown the ability to break out with up to five field goals in a game.

• Defenseless Louisville opens the same old wounds again if it can't win at North Carolina State. The last five touchdowns from scrimmage against the Cardinals have gone for 57, 79, 42, 60 and 17 yards.

Mike Hart (AP)

• Michigan's Mike Hart probably won't have to carry it 44 times against Northwestern like he did against Penn State. Still, Lloyd Carr could have been a little less creepy in explaining why he isn't concerned.

"If I have any worries, I tell them to my pillow," Carr said.

Thanks for that visual, Lloyd.

• Ron Zook is a screamer. Not on the Mike Gundy scale and not as bad since that unfortunate frat house incident at Florida.

Anyway, since learning to internalize, the Zooker is 3-1 at Illinois going into the Penn State game. Take the decibels and the Illini.

• Wisconsin is getting little attention for having the nation's longest winning streak (13) maybe because, so far, it's still Wisconsin.

The Badgers (hosting Michigan State) have failed to impress much this season. A convincing win over the Spartans would help. But then again this is the Big Ten. Who is not in contention?

• Upset special: The Pac-10 is back to its old point-a-minute reputation. Wait a minute, that's not entirely accurate. The five league games last week averaged 1.23 points per minute.

"This is probably the most talented group of offensive players in the Pac-10 ever assembled," Arizona's Mike Stoops said.

That's why it's possible that Stanford knocks off Arizona State this week. Like all Pac-10 teams, it can score.

• Crazier things have happened than Massachussets beating Boston College this week. The Minutemen are No. 2 in Division I-AA and Eagles coach Jeff Jagodzinski says UMass has 17 I-A players.

• Inconsistent Brandon Cox will be the quarterback when Auburn visits Florida. There had been speculation that freshman Kodi Burns was on his way to taking over the job.

Something tells WWL that the Tigers still have some fight left.