COLLEGE FOOTBALL / GENE WOJCIECHOWSKI : Colorado State Convinces Coach

His heart rate down to medically accepted levels, Colorado State Coach Sonny Lubick issued an apology of sorts Monday to his undefeated and 13th-ranked Rams, who upset heavily favored Arizona, 21-16, last Saturday at Tucson.

In short, Lubick said he was sorry he ever doubted his team.

“They were genuine and they were convinced they could beat those guys,” Lubick said. “But I’m still thinking, ‘Geez, I hope we don’t get blown out.’ I mean, that’s a great team we were playing. But after a while I’m saying, ‘What the hell am I doing? Am I really selling our kids short?’ ”

If it makes Lubick feel any better, everyone doubted Colorado State’s chances of beating the Wildcats. In fact, days later Lubick still can’t completely understand how a second-year coach with a Western Athletic Conference team that finished 5-6 a season ago defeated Desert Swarm.

“You ask me for the truth and I’ll give it to you: I was surprised,” said Lubick, a former Miami defensive coordinator who left Coral Gables for Ft. Collins and a considerable rebuilding project.

So hyped was Lubick after the victory that he stayed up nearly all night watching an ESPN replay of the Hurricanes’ victory over Florida State. “I got in bed and my heart was still pounding,” he said.

The next day he talked to several Miami assistant coaches and even received a congratulatory fax from the owners of a hole-in-the-wall bar where the Hurricane staff used to go for a few pops.

Meanwhile, Ft. Collins is just now regaining its composure. Police had to be called in during the wee hours of Sunday because of dancing in the streets by Colorado State students and fans.

“We’ve never had that here,” Lubick said.

Get used to it, especially if Colorado State, which already has beaten two ranked teams (Arizona and Brigham Young), can squeeze past No. 21 Utah on Oct. 22 at Ft. Collins.

SPURRIER VS. THE BOWDENS

It doesn’t seem that Florida Coach Steve Spurrier is too fond of Auburn Coach Terry Bowden, or the entire family, for that matter.

Spurrier bristled at comparisons between him and Bowden, especially when it came to offensive sophistication. Read between the smug look and here’s the translation: Florida’s attack is state of the art, while Auburn’s is--to steal a line from Howard Cosell--from the age of Magellan.

“It’s not real fancy, but they take care of the ball real well,” Spurrier allowed, adding later that Auburn runs Florida State’s “old” offense.

Spurrier did praise Auburn defensive coordinator Wayne Hall.

“I’m coaching against Wayne Hall this week,” Spurrier said. “(Gator defensive coordinator) Bob Pruett will be coaching against Coach Bowden.”

No. 6 Auburn, winner of its last 17 games, travels to Gainesville for a Saturday game against the No. 1-ranked Gators. Auburn upset Florida last season, which means Spurrier has lost four of his last five games against Bowdens.

And speaking of the Bowdens. . . .

According to Terry, there is no truth to the report that his mother, Ann, is rooting for Florida to win Saturday, thus keeping alive the possibility of No. 1 Florida against once-beaten Florida State, coached by husband Bobby Bowden.

“My brother and brothers-in-law are coaching on this team, too,” Terry Bowden said. “I’d put money on it: She couldn’t stand watching us lose Saturday. You’re talking about a momma who used to make daddy sleep on the couch when dad wouldn’t put me in a game.”

Terry used to play for his father.

CLIP-AND-SAVE CHECKLIST

And now, 10 reasons to attend an exciting Pacific 10 Conference game:

1) Chance to root for your favorite Western Athletic Conference team. The Lack-10 is a combined 2-6 against the supposedly lesser WAC.

2) Get really good deal on leftover Sports Illustrated issues naming Arizona preseason No. 1.

3) Make beeline for pregame rummage sale of J.J. Stokes, Steve Stenstrom and Rob Johnson Heisman publicity stills.

4) Submit nickname entry for Washington State defense. Apple Swarm?

5) Calculate possibility of Lack-10 unable to fulfill postseason bowl commitments. There are four bowls available--Rose, Alamo, Freedom and a coalition choice (probably the Hancock)--but might not be enough teams with the NCAA-required six Division I-A victories to qualify. Washington can’t go anywhere because of probation. Stanford (1-3-1), Oregon State (1-4), Oregon (3-3, but one of the victories is over Division I-AA Portland State), Arizona State (2-3) and probably UCLA (2-4) are cooked. USC (3-2) is doomed if it doesn’t win its next two against Stanford and California. With no Dave Barr, Cal (3-2) becomes a bubble team. The only sure things: Arizona and Washington State.

6) Chance to ask Stanford Coach Bill Walsh if electroshock scene from “Brubaker” is his favorite.

7) Listen to Teflon Coach Terry Donahue explain how a team one season removed from a Rose Bowl can fall to pieces because of no Stokes. Nebraska is down to a third-string quarterback and the Cornhuskers still are winning.

8) Root for Washington tailback Napoleon Kaufman. He’ll be the only Husky making a postseason appearance.

9) Sign petition requesting Pac-10 to forget about future plans to recruit Texas to league; instead, push for Colorado State.

10) Mock USC for insisting on no-repeat Freedom Bowl rule. The arrogant Trojans will be lucky if they’re playing anywhere after the regular season.

THE LUMBERING GOURMET

Back by popular demand--and because the NCAA said it wasn’t against the rules--Florida offensive tackle Anthony Ingrassia has resumed his weekly restaurant review column in the student newspaper.

Called “Anthony Digests,” the column doesn’t waste time on fine dining, but instead explores the world of all-you-can-eat buffets and 30-minute-or-less pizza deliveries. Using the helmet rating system (five helmets means culinary excellence), the 6-foot-2, 296-pound Ingrassia is picky about his tastes. When a pizza arrived in unsatisfactory condition, Ingrassia wrote that the toppings were so covered with oil and grease “that pictures of workers rescuing sea otters and birds come to mind.”

The column was suspended in September as violation-sensitive Florida officials checked to make sure Ingrassia wasn’t violating the NCAA’s business-endorsement rule. He wasn’t, which is why Ingrassia, who once ate 13 bowls of spaghetti in a single sitting, is back in print.

“People still don’t really know who I am,” Ingrassia said. “But once I place the order, I see people peeking out of the kitchen once in a while.”

For pure volume, the all-you-can-eat spaghetti restaurants are his favorite. However, he did visit a Taco Bell once and ordered every item off the menu. Teammate Donnie Young witnessed another eat-fest when Ingrassia ate an entire chicken. “There was nothing but bones left,” he said. “He ate the cartilage and everything.”

READ IT AND WEEP

Things we thought we’d never see: Duke at 5-0, Colorado State at 6-0 and, of course, Kansas State ranked No. 16, followed by Notre Dame at No. 17.

What’s next, Joe Paterno wearing contacts?

For the moment, Irish Coach Lou Holtz scrambling for explanations to a 4-2 record and another upset loss to Boston College will have to do.

“I think that I have mentioned I think our talent level is down,” he said. “I don’t think there is any doubt about that. Our problem on offense is not running the ball up the middle. Our problem is maybe we are trying to please other people. Maybe we are trying to say, ‘OK, we got this talent and that talent, let us do this and that.’ We don’t execute and we don’t take a physical approach.”

This is Notre Dame’s lowest ranking since 1991. The Irish are out of the national championship race and are considering a handful of lineup and philosophical changes. Here’s a prediction: Even with fullback Ray Zellars definitely sidelined and tailback Lee Becton questionable for Saturday’s game against BYU, look for Holtz to run the ball until the Cougars drop. And if you’re quarterback Ron Powlus, expect Holtz to be in your face every time you make a mistake in practice. The cooler, calmer Holtz is history.

“I speak from the heart,” Holtz said this week. “I have not spoken with the staff yet and we haven’t had a staff meeting yet. I have just studied the film in depth, made a lot of notes and got to talk to the staff, but we need to evaluate everything from top to bottom; what we are doing and how we are doing it and why we are doing it, including our approach in practice.”

THE REST

Kansas State’s No. 11 ranking in the coaches’ poll is its highest ever. The previous best was No. 12 in the Associated Press poll in 1969. Reason for the rise: Coach Bill Snyder’s decision to pursue quarterback Chad May, who wanted out of Cal State Fullerton when the Titans switched to an option offense. May, who hasn’t thrown an interception in his last 166 passes and has at least one touchdown pass in each of his last 15 games, is the Big Eight Conference’s best passer. Snyder also made a recruiting run at Brook Berringer, whose status is up in the air for Nebraska against Kansas State on Saturday.

A loud annoying noise briefly interrupted a conference call with Miami Coach Dennis Erickson. “Is that Lee Corso on the line?” Erickson said of the ESPN analyst. “I’ve had enough of him.” Erickson shouldn’t be so hard on the former coach--Corso picked Miami to beat Florida State. . . . Hurricane quarterback Frank Costa didn’t know it, but he was close to losing the confidence of his teammates. “He needed to prove to us he could win a big-time football game,” Hurricane tackle Zev Lumelski said, “and he did.”

The Orange Bowl Committee had no choice but to move its bowl game from the historic but outdated Orange Bowl to the more comfortable Joe Robbie Stadium on the Dade-Broward county line. If the committee had voted otherwise, the bowl alliance would have cut the Orange Bowl off at the knees and replaced it in the new national championship rotation with the Gator Bowl. “The soul of Miami is being sold down the river,” Miami City Manager Cesar Odio told reporters. “You don’t see the Rose Bowl moving. I’d like to see them run the Kentucky Derby somewhere else.” Nice try, but facts are facts: The Orange Bowl, dedicated in 1937, has crummy parking, is in a so-so neighborhood, is luxury suite-poor, has tiny locker-room facilities and a press box to match.

Top 10

As selected by staff writer Gene Wojciechowski

No. Team Record 1. Florida 5-0 2. Nebraska 6-0 3. Colorado 5-0 4. Penn State 5-0 5. Auburn 6-0 6. Michigan 4-1 7. Washington 4-1 8. Miami 4-1 9. Texas A&M; 5-0 10. Colorado State 6-0

Waiting list: Alabama (6-0), Florida State (4-1), Texas (4-1), Arizona (4-1), Syracuse (5-1).