ASU DESERVES NO. 1 SAY ROSE BOWL COACHES.

Byline: Ken Peters Associated Press 

In a very small and admittedly very biased poll, unbeaten Arizona State was No. 1 Wednesday and given a shot at winning at least a share of the national college football title.

The voters were Arizona State coach Bruce Snyder and Ohio State coach John Cooper. Their teams just happen to play each other in the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day.

Snyder and Cooper, at a news conference in Pasadena, said they voted the Sun Devils No. 1 in the latest USA Today-CNN coaches' poll. Arizona State is ranked No. 2 behind undefeated Florida State in both The Associated Press poll and coaches' poll, with once-beaten Ohio State at No. 5.

Florida State might meet No. 3 Nebraska in the Jan. 2 Sugar Bowl, although Nebraska has to beat Texas this weekend to get that bid. Nebraska's only loss this season was 19-0 at Arizona State on Sept. 21. Florida, also with one loss, is No. 4.

``I've not seen anybody play better than us,'' Snyder said. ``There might be teams as talented or more talented, but this team is playing so well together, fits so well together.

``I think we're playing well enough to be national champions.''

Cooper, who left for Ohio State one season after coaching Arizona State to its only other Rose Bowl appearance, a 22-15 victory over Michigan in the 1987 game, agreed with Snyder that the Sun Devils have a strong case for the top ranking.

``If they win this game, they should at least share the national championship,'' Cooper said. ``All you can do is win all your games.''

The Buckeyes all but lost their national title hopes when they were beaten 13-9 by Michigan in the final regular-season game. But Cooper made a pitch for his team remaining in contention.

``I feel like if somebody knocks off Florida State and we're fortunate enough to win the (Rose Bowl) game, we should have a share of the national championship,'' Cooper said. ``If that happens, there's not going to be any undefeated teams.

``If Nebraska beats Florida State, Arizona State already beat Nebraska, and if we beat Arizona State, we deserve it as much as anybody else.''

Cooper and Snyder also agreed that it's difficult if not impossible to vault over teams in the rankings unless they lose or play poorly.

``I don't how you determine who's No. 1 to start the season,'' Cooper said. He then questioned some schedule-making.

``Some of those schools down South know how to schedule,'' he said.

Although the Rose Bowl has joined the Bowl Alliance to assure a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup rotating among bowls, that won't begin until after the 1998 season.

So this year's game could mirror the Rose Bowl game of two years ago, when Penn State beat Oregon 38-20 to finish undefeated but wound up second behind Nebraska in the final poll.

Snyder, who said he's really not comfortable lobbying for the No. 1 spot, seemed resigned to the fact that it usually takes several successful seasons to assure a high ranking in the early polls.

``We have not won consistently over a long period and we weren't going to start very high,'' he said, noting that the Sun Devils were No 20 heading into this season.

``We did beat Washington early, then Nebraska and that sent shock waves across the country. We knew we were going to jump some, although I'm sure a lot of people thought there were still skeptics that it was just a blip.''

Snyder said he had been asked if he would be depressed if the Sun Devils went undefeated and did not at least share the national championship.

``Heck no,'' he said. ``I'm proud as I can be being 11-0. And if we're fortunate enough to be 12-0, I know we're going to receive one vote, mine. And I'm going to be happy and I'm going to celebrate that night.''

And should ASU beat the Buckeyes, Snyder will become a huge fan of Nebraska the following day.

``I'll be saying `Go Big Red!' '' he said.