FAR FROM A SEMINOLE MOMENT.

Byline: SCOTT WOLF College Football

Bobby Bowden did something this week he hasn't done since 1990, and it's a perfect example of the turmoil that surrounds a Florida State program once beyond reproach.

After Saturday's dismal 34-24 loss to Notre Dame, Bowden benched quarterback Chris Rix and announced sophomore Adrian McPherson will start this week against Wake Forest.

``I know you wonder why. The only answer I can give you is we feel like we should,'' Bowden said.

It is the first time in 12 years Bowden made such a dramatic change at the most crucial of positions. That season, he promoted Casey Weldon ahead of Brad Johnson.

Rix didn't criticize the move, but he was hurt some teammates criticized his play before the demotion.

``I think people should look in the mirror and see what they are doing before they start judging other people,'' Rix said. ``Because I know one word has not come out of my mouth criticizing a player on either side of the ball.''

Bowden denied suggestions that players - not the coaches - decided the quarterback change.

``I wouldn't dare let the kids decide that,'' he said. ``We (the offensive staff) felt the same way. There wasn't any question about it.''

Regardless, the drama is a symbol of the sagging image of Florida State, which has lost eight of its past 21 games. That's cause for alarm for a program that once compiled 14 consecutive top-five finishes.

``I'm shocked, just as shocked as anybody,'' linebacker Kendall Pope said. ``The dynasty that has been built here is going down. If we don't do something fast, it's surely going down faster.

``Man, it's terrible.''

Even Bowden is beginning to wonder about the fate of the 5-3 Seminoles, who earned respect for a last-second loss to Miami but lost it all in the embarrassing setback to the Irish.

``I think it throws us back into the question-mark category,'' said Bowden, whose team's only remaining goal is to win the Atlantic Coast Conference. ``Had we won this game, I would have said, `Hey man, we're back to where we were.' I think now the question mark has come up again.''

--Heisman hopeful: With no front-runner for the Heisman Trophy, Minnesota coach Glen Mason offered his own candidate.

After watching Ohio State's 13-7 victory over Penn State last week, Mason said Buckeyes' two-way player Chris Gamble deserves consideration.

``I'm not just throwing that out because we're playing them,'' Mason said. ``You weren't impressed with (Gamble)? Gosh dang. He's all over the field.''

Gamble has 21 catches for 336 yards (16.0 yards a catch) as a receiver. As a cornerback, he has three interceptions, including a 40-yard return for a touchdown that beat Penn State. He also is averaging 8.0 yards a punt return and 23.1 yards a kickoff return.

--Chasing history: Iowa (8-1, 5-0) hasn't finished a Big Ten Conference schedule unbeaten since going 5-0 in 1921 and 1922. The last time two Big Ten teams finished with unblemished league records was 1943, when Purdue and Michigan went 6-0. Michigan and Ohio State shared the league crown in 1973 with 7-0-1 records.

--Near-record: Stanford quarterback Kyle Matter's 75 yards passing against UCLA was the Cardinal's lowest total in 18 years and second-lowest total ever.

--Sooner discovery: Oklahoma has lacked an effective runner the past two years, but coach Bob Stoops finally has a ground game entering Saturday's big game with Colorado.

For the first time in Stoops' four seasons, his offense now features a 100-yard back. It's a dramatic upgrade for a team whose leading rusher averaged 65 and 67 yards, respectively, the past two seasons, and, in a 38-24 loss to CU in 1999, managed minus-11 yards on 17 attempts.

Quentin Griffin, a 5-foot-7, 190-pound senior tailback, is averaging 117.4 rushing yards a game, nearly double his total in 2000 and 2001. In the Big 12 Conference, he trails only Colorado's Chris Brown, the nation's leading rusher at 169.2 yards a game.

``Little by little, we've improved from last spring and summer,'' Stoops said. ``We made a commitment to do that.''

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