Call it a hunch, wishful thinking, an educated guess. But Clemson coach Tommy Bowden says he thinks his 70-year-old father, Bobby, will call it quits at Florida State as soon as he surpasses idol Bear Bryant's mark of 323 career victories.

"He's never told me," says Tommy. "I hope so. He calls me Terry half the time anyway. He'll be calling me Ann the other half."

Tommy is kidding about the name thing. The old man knows Terry is the ABC analyst currently in a legal cat fight with former employer Auburn. And Ann, of course, is Bobby's wife of 50 years. The old man knows one other thing: barring health problems, disinterest, or a sudden need to rebuild FSU's program, he isn't going to Del Webb's anytime soon -- no matter how many wins he has.

"That record has never been in my formula," says Bobby, who has 304 wins. "It's just a number."

Truth is, Bobby is having the time of his life. An avid military historian, Bowden recently returned from a tour of the D-Day battlefields of Normandy. His stateside FSU booster dinners are drawing SRO crowds. His team is favored to do what it always does -- sweep through the ACC schedule and then play for a chance at a second consecutive national championship. Retire? Why?

"I think what will have to happen is that my health won't allow me to go on," he says. "That, and losing. I'm not going through (losing). That's for young people. But even if I had a bad (season), I'd want to rectify that."

If and when Bowden ever retires, there are varying opinions about the impact of his departure. Says Tommy: "They can't maintain what they're doing. If he leaves, it knocks them down a notch so (the rest of the ACC) can catch up."

Maybe. Or maybe FSU hires another Bowden to continue the legacy. Asked about that possibility, Tommy gave a long, clever and mostly useless response to the unfair hypothetical. But the guess here is that Tommy, Terry, or even Ann would jump at the chance to steer FSU's football machine.

Is there really any doubt?
Don't bother asking new North Carolina State coach Chuck Amato for his first-place pick in the coaches poll. The former longtime FSU defensive coordinator says the Seminoles are the no-brainer pick. "They're not going to drop back," says Amato, scoffing at the notion of a post-championship letdown.

Amato's reasoning: Leadership, starting with senior quarterback Chris Weinke ("He's 28 years old [not until July 31], on Medicaid. Ours is 18, who hasn't been potty trained yet."); roster depth ("Probably the biggest advantage the people in Tallahassee have."); experience ("Thirteen top five finishes. That's like being in the Final Four 13 years in a row in basketball."); sub-4.5s ("He don't have too many secrets. It's called speed, and it's not the kind you take.")

"Oh, and then the old man is back," says Amato of Bowden.

Amato isn't subtle about his own efforts to turn the Wolfpack into an FSU look-a-like. He did a Steinbrenner and hired himself the so-called "Million-dollar staff," led by former BYU offensive coordinator Norm Chow. Facilities are being upgraded. So is the humor and honesty quotient.

Question: "What position do you feel best about?"

Amato: "Coaches."

Question: "You're wearing a national championship ring and your Sugar Bowl watch. Does that help with recruiting?"

Amato: "It doesn't hurt. I just tell them that I like jewelry and I want to continue to add to my collection, and you're the person who could help."

Question: "How many of your players could start at FSU?"

Amato: (He cups his thumb and forefinger together to make a zero.) "We're not the only ones who would answer that question right now."

Don't ask, don't tell

	Ronald Curry and North Carolina hope to snag the fifth ACC bowl spot.

Ronald Curry's recovery from Achilles tendon surgery is complete enough that the North Carolina quarterback actually wants to get hit in Tar Heel practices, which is a departure from usual UNC doctrine. Coach Carl Torbush has given the OK, so Curry can expect to get popped a few times between now and the season opener against Tulsa.

Curry, whose season ended last October, is capable of doing what high school rival Michael Vick does at Virginia Tech: force defensive coordinators to account for the quarterback. But Curry was critical of Carolina's "predictable" offense of a season ago and is anxious to see the full scheme of new offensive coordinator Mike O'Cain, the former N.C. State head coach.

"We've got a lot of weapons," says Curry. "We just have to utilize them."

Translation: open up the offense.

And memo to Torbush, who meets with Curry once a week and came this close to getting a pink slip after last season's 3-8 record. Whatever you do, don't ask Curry to choose between Tar Heel football and Tar Heel basketball, where he'll challenge for the starting point guard position.

"If that ever came up, I think I'd pick the other sport," Curry says.

Not to worry, says Torbush. "I've never asked him that," he says. "It's kind of like asking a girl if she loves you. She might give you the wrong answer."

Torbush has more pressing problems. Star defensive end Julius Peppers has been charged with a misdemeanor count of assault and battery.

Business-speak
After a disappointing 7-5 season, including a 63-21 loss to Illinois in the Micron PC Bowl, Virginia coach George Welsh announced it was time to "reinvent the corporation." The phrase became a touchstone for Cavalier followers, who have begun to question CEO Welsh as he enters his 19th season at Charlottesville.

"I'm sorry I said it," he says.

No apologies necessary. Welsh, no dummy, understands the expectations now placed on his program (especially with last season's success of Virginia Tech) and the fallout of a 42-point bowl loss. So he changed his coaching staff, put a greater emphasis on winter conditioning and spring practice, and dispatched his coaches to assorted NFL camps and college campuses. "We were just looking to see how they were doing things," says Welsh, who added that the offseason visits aren't uncommon.

Nebraska's option game was studied, as was the Indianapolis Colts' play-action package, as was the St. Louis Rams' offense, as was the Tampa Bay Bucs' defensive scheme. Virginia coaches also visited the Chicago Bears, the Philadelphia Eagles, the University of Michigan and several other teams.

Quick hits
Georgia Tech's George O'Leary on who will replace Joe Hamilton at quarterback: "Nobody." O'Leary is likely to name junior George Godsey as the starter, but redshirt freshman Andy Hall could sneak ahead if he has a boffo fall practice. Of course, if it were up to senior offensive guard Brent Key, Godsey would be the starter. "I think he's the best leader on the field for us," he says. . . . Curry's surgically repaired Achilles tendon has actually tested stronger than the other one. And one more prediction for Curry: "I feel like we have a great chance to be a sleeper team this year. Everybody is counting us out." . . . Something to think about: If Dan Kendra, the highly acclaimed FSU quarterback prospect, hadn't hurt his knee and later been switched to fullback, this likely would have been Weinke's first season as a fulltime starter. . . . What's the transition from assistant to head coach? Second-year Duke coach Carl Franks says he had no idea there would be so many peripheral demands on his time. He says he recently apologized to Steve Spurrier, his former boss at Florida, for taking too much of his time as a Gator assistant. "Nobody gives you a class on being a head football coach," he says. Franks got a lesson last year as the Blue Devils finished 3-8. Duke is picked to finish last in the ACC this season. . . . Heisman Trophy candidate LaMont Jordan of Maryland should have been a natural choice to be part of the annual ACC football media day interview sessions. Instead, cautious Maryland officials left him back at College Park, where he's trying to pass enough summer school credits to make him eligible for the fall. "Hopefully, he'll be OK," says Maryland coach Ron Vanderlinden. Jordan isn't too important to Vanderlinden's rebuilding project. All he did was rush for 1,632 yards (306 vs. Virginia) and lead the nation in rushing yardage during the second half of the season. . . . By the way, don't be surprised if juco transfer Shaun Hill eventually earns the starting Maryland quarterback job over returning starter Calvin McCall. . . . Per Bobby Bowden's instructions, Florida State's sports information department won't have a separate budget or Heisman marketing campaign for Weinke. The same went for former FSU receiver Peter Warrick (even before the Dillards shopping spree). Bowden figures FSU's national TV coverage and a player's own talents should be enough to convince voters one way or the other. . . . Weinke, who chose his senior season over the NFL, has lost 17 pounds from last season, from 246 to 229. Think he's motivated for another title? "I think I can show more," he says. "I think I can be better than I've been."

Gene Wojciechowski is a senior writer at ESPN The Magazine