Danny Wuerffel

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- One thing is certain. Today's "game of the century" won't turn out like the one 30 years ago.That's when No. 1 Notre Dame and No. 2 Michigan State -- both unbeaten and untied -- played to determine the fate of mankind, or so it seemed.The game ended deadlocked, 10-10, and spawned a new rallying cry: "Tie one for the Gipper."Thankfully, the possibility for a repeat in today's game in Tallahassee, where No. 1 Florida (10-0) will meet No. 2 Florida State (10-0), has been legislated out of existence.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Washington Redskins coach Steve Spurrier knows his offense could score 38 points for the second consecutive game and he still won't win over those who say his pass-happy approach will not win in the NFL. He could "hang half-a-hundred," as he used to say in college, on the Carolina Panthers at Ericsson Stadium tonight and he knows the critics will say, "It's only a preseason game; wait until the real bullets start flying." Spurrier, who made his NFL debut last Saturday with a 38-7 victory against the San Francisco 49ers in Japan, knows the final grade on his Fun 'N Gun offense won't be issued until after all of the yards, touchdowns, victories and defeats have been tabulated in January.

ASHBURN, Va. - By now, Washington Redskins coach Steve Spurrier is well-aware of the defensive challenges his high-octane, pass-happy team will face this season. Becoming the first team to average at least 35 points in four preseason games and earning a label as the most prolific passing attack in the NFL has a way of drawing the attention of defensive coordinators around the league. But if the first-year coach from the University of Florida is supposed to be worried, he doesn't show it. After all, Washington scored a combined 75 points against the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers - no slouches in the defensive department.

POWER RANKINGS Team Ken Murray's comment 1. Tampa Bay (5) Bucs rule NFC's best division. 2. Oakland (6) Streaky Raiders look super again. 3. Atlanta (7) Warrick Dunn making a big impact. 4. Green Bay (2) Packers need home-field advantage. 5. Miami (12) Ricky Williams has six 100-yard rush games. 6. Indianapolis (13) Marvin Harrison does it quietly. 7. Denver (1) Couldn't hold serve at home in snow. 8. Philadelphia (10) Andy Reid called a brilliant game vs. S.F. 9. New England (11)

ASHBURN, Va. - For now, Marvin Lewis is still the Washington Redskins' defensive coordinator. How long that will last is unknown as Lewis remained mum about Michigan State's attempts to hire him as the school's 22nd head coach. "I haven't made a decision yet about what's going on," Lewis said last night at Redskins Park. "Just trying to get ready to play the [Philadelphia] Eagles [on Sunday]." ESPN.com reported that Lewis told the Redskins that he will not be the next Michigan State head coach.

Quotable"We have shown we can play with some of the so-called powerhouses of the AFC. Now we have to show that we can beat them."-- Receiver Yancey Thigpen of the Oilers, who lost to the unbeaten Jaguars to fall to 1-3."I'll probably have this one done up and put it in a place of importance."-- Owner Bill Bidwill, receiving the game ball for the Cardinals' victory in their first regular-season game in St. Louis since he moved the team after the 1987 season."You just wonder, 'Are you good enough to do this?

LANDOVER - The fizzing sound you heard was the air leaking from the Washington Redskins' Fun 'N Gun offense. After averaging more than 37 points in winning their first four exhibition games under coach Steve Spurrier's successful system from the University of Florida, Washington was humbled by the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, 28-14, in the final game of the preseason at FedEx Field last night. The Redskins had made history by becoming the first team in NFL history to score at least 35 points in four exhibition contests, but they had few answers for the defensive scheme posed by New England coach Bill Belichick.

ASHBURN, Va. - Washington Redskins quarterback Shane Matthews isn't too concerned that he has thrown only one more touchdown pass than interception in the preseason: six to five. It's that kind of self-confidence that may have earned Matthews the starting spot in Washington's season opener against the Arizona Cardinals on Sept. 8. "As many times as we try to get the ball down the field, you're going to throw interceptions," said Matthews, who said he was named Washington's starter by coach Steve Spurrier in the final minutes of the team's 28-14 home loss to the New England Patriots on Thursday night.

Bobby Sabelhaus, former McDonogh School quarterback and Parade All-American, is headed to San Jose State -- the fourth college he will have attended since 1995.Sabelhaus yesterday made an oral commitment to play football for the Spartans, who offered the 6-foot-5 junior a scholarship though he has yet to take a snap in a college game."I want to show this country that I wasn't a fluke," said JTC Sabelhaus, 21, who failed to impress in stints at Florida and West Virginia. "I'm going to get it done."

While vacationing at the home of family friends in Miami on Monday night, Melanie Sabelhaus watched with heightened interest Florida State's 23-17 Sugar Bowl victory over Florida."