HURRICANES ARE GOING DEEP SOUTH.

Byline: SCOTT WOLF

Another week, another program on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

The latest candidate is Miami, which is demonstrating that even the Florida schools are not immune from self-destruction. This is a relief, since we already knew they were capable of cheating.

Miami's embarrassment reached a new low last weekend when an airplane pulled a banner over the Orange Bowl that read: ``From National Champs to National Chumps. . . . Thanks Butch.''

That message was intended for Miami coach Butch Davis, who was watching the Hurricanes fall to 1-3 after a 28-17 loss to West Virginia.

Worse, they are 0-2 in the Big East, a league in which they won the championship or shared the title in each of their six years.

Like every struggling program, there has to be someone to blame.

Don't single out Davis, who perhaps wishes he were still the Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator.

Davis, in his third year at Miami, inherited a program that was not left with as much talent as usual. And when probation hit and 25 scholarships were lost over two years, Davis could not build depth.

You might want to blame Dennis Erickson, who is helping the Seattle Seahawks bring up the rear in the AFC West.

Ultimately, though, it's Miami's players who are suffering.

``You can imagine . . . I've never been more disappointed about anything in my life,'' said quarterback Ryan Clement. ``It's a real rough situation right now. Just getting out of bed in the morning is going to be tough.''

``If it was your senior year and you had been winning. . . . I hate it,'' said senior Mike Wehner. ``I don't like it. I don't like to lose. I'm spoiled. I don't like to lose and it hurts. I like having fun and this is not fun.''

It is only likely to get worse. On Saturday, the Hurricanes play fourth-ranked Florida State in Tallahassee, where they have not won since 1991. A defeat to the Seminoles would mean a four-game losing streak, which has not happened to Miami since 1977.

Miami has lost two straight to the Seminoles and has not lost three in a row during coach Bobby Bowden's tenure at Florida State, dating to 1976.

``Nobody thinks about those things around here,'' said Miami cornerback Nick Ward. ``We're the ones breaking the tradition around here, losing at the Orange Bowl, the bad start. It's very disappointing. I feel like nobody is better than us. We're just not doing the right things.''

Recruiting news: Linebacker Robert Thomas of Imperial, Calif., considered the third-best player in the nation by The National Recruiting Advisor, has begun setting up his college visits.

Thomas will visit Notre Dame on Dec. 5 and Florida State on Dec. 12. He's expected to also visit USC, where he nearly committed after his academic day visit in August.

In the South, Alabama and new coach Mike DuBose are making noise. The Crimson Tide just beat out Tennessee for 6-foot-8, 316-pound offensive tackle Bart Raulston of Sylvania, Ala. He also considered Michigan and Florida.

It's the second time Alabama beat out the Volunteers. Earlier, Alabama grabbed Memphis linebacker Kindal Morehead away from the Vols' West Tennessee backyard.

Keeping appearances up: USC athletic director Mike Garrett has been exemplary in his support of coach John Robinson so far. Garrett has dutifully attended press conferences and the Monday Morning Quarterback booster meetings with his coach.

Such professional behavior probably means that even if Robinson returns next season, Garrett will have the authority to make changes he deems necessary within the coaching staff.

He has lost it: Ohio State coach John Cooper continues to amaze with his remarks. Here's what Cooper said after former Long Beach Poly wide receiver Ken-Yon Rambo was arrested for disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and drug abuse.

``Enough is enough. There's murders going on. People being shot. There's rapes. You go on and on and on,'' Cooper said. ``What are we talking about?''

Not so fast: Washington State coach Mike Price is getting nervous about fans and alums already looking ahead to the possibility that the team could make its first Rose Bowl appearance since 1931.

The Cougars are 4-0 after beating Boise State 58-0, a game that was called a ``Preview to Pasadena'' by the school's marketing department, a ploy that upset Price, who was worried that other Pac-10 teams might take offense.

Finger food: Forget the gumbo in Bayou Country. LSU's fans served up some finger food for the Akron Zips at Tiger Stadium. Linebacker Nate Boyd said the Zips were the targets of obscene gestures during Saturday's loss. Earlier this season, Akron was annihilated 59-14 by Nebraska, but the Zips had no problems with the Cornhuskers fans.

``When we came out at Nebraska, they were clapping for us,'' Boyd told The Advocate in Baton Rouge. ``Here, we saw a bunch of fingers sticking up.''

Best league: The strength of the SEC is evident by a 23-1 record against nonconference opponents. SEC teams should easily break the nonconference winning mark of 83 percent set in 1959.

Alabama has won 25 consecutive nonconference games. The last nonconference loss was to Louisville in the 1991 Fiesta Bowl.

It's the defense: Everyone thinks Mike Riley has reinvigorated Oregon State with his fresh offensive ideas, but the Beavers are being led by a tougher-than-expected defense.

Oregon State, which went a combined 3-19 the past two years, is allowing only 15.7 points per game and only 2.9 yards per rush including 15 sacks in three games.

``They had played good defense the past few years but given up a lot of big plays,'' Riley said. ``But we haven't given up many big plays and we are containing people pretty well.''

Banner day: An airplane flying above Rice Stadium towed this message: ``Dump DeLoss And Flush The John.'' It was directed at Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds and coach John Mackovic.

Musical quarterbacks: Oregon had rotated quarterbacks Akili Smith and JaNson Maas in the Ducks' first three games but took it to new heights Saturday at Stanford, often rotating the two each play.

``We've certainly taken it to a new extreme,'' said Oregon coach Mike Bellotti. ``We talked to the quarterbacks during the week about it, although I don't think either of them thought it would happen. But they've been awesome about it in terms of understanding and supporting each other.''

SCOTT WOLF'S TOP 10

1. Florida (4-0): Lose FB Terry Jackson to knee injury. Will anyone notice?

2. Penn State (3-0): After Lions rout Illinois, Ron Turner might regret taking Illini job.

3. Nebraska (3-0): They really needed a week off to prepare for Kansas State.

4. Florida State (3-0): Playing Miami used to be a big game for Seminoles. Not anymore.

5. North Carolina (4-0): It fell behind Virginia 20-3, and won 48-20.

6. Ohio State (4-0): Who else would have Rose Bowl MVP as backup quarterback?

7. Michigan (3-0): Could have been more convincing in beating Notre Dame.

8. Auburn (4-0): Ready to demolish USC - University of South Carolina.

9. Michigan State (3-0): A victory over Minnesota this week proves nothing.

10. Tennessee (2-1): Not recovered from Florida's spanking, but Mississippi is no problem.

Five more to watch: Iowa (4-0), Virginia Tech (4-0), Washington State (4-0), Air Force (5-0), Georgia (3-0).

THE LIST

With Florida State's 35-28 victory at Clemson, Bobby Bowden became the eighth major-college coach to win 200 games at one school. How significant is that? The other active coaches who have more than 100 victories at one school are not even close to joining the club: 68-year-old Hayden Fry (135 victories at Iowa), 61-year-old Don Nehlen (125 victories at West Virginia) and 64-year-old George Welsh (106 victories at Virginia).

Coach School Wins

Joe Paterno(x) Penn State 292

Tom Osborne(x) Nebraska 245

Amos Alonzo Stagg U. of Chicago 244

Bear Bryant Alabama 232

LaVellN Edwards(x) Brigham Young 229

Woody HayesOhio State 205

Vince Dooley Georgia 201

Bobby Bowden(x) Florida State 200

(x) active coach.

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Box: SCOTT WOLF'S TOP 10 (see text)