Bobby Bowden, Florida State
The resume
Two-time national champion (1993, 1999).
Finished No. 2 in the polls twice (1987, 1992).
Played in three straight and five of the last eight national championship games
Finished ranked in the Top 5 a record 14 straight seasons.
Ranks No. 1in all-time bowl game winning percentage (.729).
Fourth all-time in coaching victories behind Bear Bryant, Joe Paterno and Pop Warner.
Career record: 35 seasons, 315-87-4 (.781).
At what point in the season -- spring football, two-a-days, November - at what point does it hit you that your team has a legitimate shot at a national championship?
Bowden: I think if you've got a good kicker, a good punter and a solid offense and defense you have a chance. You have to have all those ingredients. Last year with a great kicker, I think we would have won it last year. We couldn't kick last year and you lose close games when you can't kick.
In 1999, when we won the national championship, I really felt like we might. Golly, you had Janikowski, our punter returned, a quarterback who took us to the national championship the year before, an awesome tailback who was a 3-year starter -- we just had all the ingredients. Now last year, we didn't have a kicker. And you see you have a hard time making it without a kicker.
I think after spring as you go thru spring training; you see how the new boys develop and everything. Hmm -- this might be it or this could be it.
What needs to be done off the field, away from football, in a championship season?
Bowden: You have to make sure the kids are behaving themselves. If you have a lot of disruptions, that will be a problem. I mean, when you're dealing with 100 players, there's always somebody who goes too fast or gets in spat with a girlfriend or does something that's going to cause a dilemma, but I'm talking if the whole if a big percentage of the team was doing something like that you can just about count them out. They won't have the character it takes to win this thing.
That's one of the things would happen off the field. Another is if the poor students are doing a lousy job in their classes, this one might flunk out, that one might flunk out, this one does flunk out. Those are things happen off the field where you can tell it's going to be kind of shaky team.
How much does luck play a factor?
Bowden: It is definitely a part. Definitely. I've had teams in the past that should have won a national championship and maybe because of one thing that happened that was out of control, we didn't. 1987 might give you good example. In '87 we won every game, but lost to Miami when we went for two points and didn't make it. At one time we were ahead of them 19-3 in the third quarter and we're driving in, fixing to score and ice this thing up. We're on about their 13-yard line and our quarterback and center fumble the exchange. The ball is still lying there, then gets kicked and goes into their secondary and the safety falls on it, probably on the 9. Two plays later, they score. They go on and score again and they score again and beat us.
If that fumble hadn't occurred, we could have kicked another field goal and at least won that game. Something we had no control over and it's kind of bad luck. To win a national championship, you have to be a great team and have to have a little bit of luck
Offensively, what are the key ingredients that you must have to compete for a championship?
|  | | Bobby Bowden have 315 career victories, including 242 at FSU. |
Bowden: Offensively, you have to have a standout quarterback, like Josh Heupel last year, Charlie Ward-like, Chris Weinke-like, Tommy Frazier-like. Seems like everyone who has it wins one, so you better have an outstanding QB. Offensively, you need good balance running and throwing the football. You have to have that.
What about defensively?
Bowden: Defense might be the most important thing. You have to have a defense good enough not to get you into scoring contests with people because you can't win scoring contests all the time. If you're beating people 35-30 and 42-37, one of them is going to get you before long. If your defense is holding people, you should win. Just like our defense against Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl, they played good enough for us to win. They held them to 13 points. You shouldn't beat us with 13 points. You got to play defense that can keep you from getting in shooting contests.
And special teams?
Bowden: You've got to have good special teams. To win national championships, you got to win close games. There are going to be some close games and you have got to win those. You win the close ones, you win the national championship. Such as our game with Clemson two years ago we beat them 17-14. Close games are won with the kicking game. You have to win the close games.
Of all the things you've mentioned, if you could only have one, what would it be?
Bowden: I think quarterback could be the starting place. If it is a quarterback, you need a great receiver to go with it. Because you got a great quarterback and nobody can catch it, it's no good. If you have a great receiver and nobody to throw it, that's no good. So when you say great QB that could be leadership as well as ability.
How important is scheduling during a championship season?
Bowden: Scheduling can play big role. Could be in your favor if you have your toughest opponents at home instead of on the road. Conversely, it could work against you if your toughest opponents are away. Scheduling can play a role to me and comes under category of luck.
We don't do much because our schedule is set. We play 11 games, 10 are basically set with eight ACC games plus we always play Florida and Miami. Not much we can do with ours. We play UAB this year. We could have played Texas but you can't play a tough one every week or you won't make it. Scheduling does play a role.
What challenges do you face preparing a team for a national championship game after such a long layoff from the regular season?
Bowden: That is very important. We had difficult time with that the last three years. Last year it was 44 days between the last game and the bowl where Oklahoma played two weeks after we did they played conference game and conference championship game. We had 44 days to wait and had only 29 or 30 to prepare so that's important. You have to use those days but you can't practice every day because you burn yourself out, the kids don't get any better, and you have to practice just right. We won 11 bowls in a row for a while and thought we were doing it the right way, yet we lost 2 of the last 3 bowl games. When you get into championship game, you're talking about best in the country.
You have to use that time to fit Christmas in, fit final exams in, to give the players time off after last game and things like that. We try to prepare for 15 days of practice and some you have to squeeze in with all the other things. We might practice twice to make up for one missed, every school is different.
How important is team chemistry? Or is it something that talent and execution can overcome?
Bowden: Chemistry has to go in there. You have to have chemistry. There is something that makes those guys click together. My opinion you try to recruit good kids as well as players. Make sure good kids that have values that feel accountable. Try to get that kind of kid. One gets out of line, try to get him back in line or the kids get him back in line. Make sure they put the team first.
Strategy wise, do you approach decisions differently during a national championship year, whether it's going for two, going on fourth down, things like that?
Bowden: When you have veteran football team, got a good kicker, punter, got the whole shooting match, then what you don't want to do is mess that up. Don't mess it up and you got it. So you might not practice as long, take as many risks as much. Might not scrimmage as much because you can't afford to get those guys hurt. You got to do it just right, but it is difficult. You might think doing it right, but doing too much or too little.
And what about coaching -- how much of a percentage does coaching play in the outcome?
Bowden: There is percentage decided by coaches. For instance, I felt like we hardly ever get outcoached. Sometimes we do, but not often. Oklahoma definitely outcoached us. Their coaches played a big role in us losing. We nearly did good enough to win, but not quite. So coaching plays a role. How much percentage play? Biggest thing get best players. Coaching might be 35 percent. The best players will sometimes overcome coaching.
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