Linda Bowden used to hear the talk, and boy, what a hoot! People around Clemson, S.C., speculated last year that her husband, Tommy, had let up against his father. After jumping to a 14-3 lead in what was dubbed the Bowden Bowl, Tommy's Tigers trailed off and lost to Bobby Bowden and the Florida State Seminoles, 17-14.

"People actually came up to me and said, 'Do you think Tommy didn't want to beat his dad?' " Linda Bowden says. "No way! The Bowden family is very competitive. Tommy really wants to beat his dad."

	Clemson's Tommy Bowden sells a program that is "a proven product now."

Tommy gets another chance Saturday in Bowden Bowl II, when No. 10 Clemson pays a visit to the No. 4 Seminoles in Tallahassee, Fla. Last year, the pregame hype was suffocating. Not only was it the first meeting between father and son, but Bobby was going for his 300th victory, the Seminoles were bidding for a national championship, and FSU star receiver Peter Warrick was returning to action after a two-game suspension for discount shopping.

Down in Tallahassee, Ann Bowden was conflicted. Who would she root for -- her son? Or her husband? Ann made her choice: Go, Seminoles.

A year later, Tommy remembers.

"She was blatantly for my father last year," Tommy says. "I thought she went overboard."

Linda Bowden understood. But this is a new year, a new game. She wants Ann to be fair to all the Bowden men in her life.

"I told her that last year she was a good wife," Linda says. "This year we need her to be better mother.

"I rooted for (the Seminoles) for years because of Tommy's dad. Now it's a little touchier because we're in the same conference. Tommy's going to beat his dad -- if not this year, one day. It's going to happen. It won't be the same if they've declined, so we want them to stay on top."

Pretty strong words. Can a daughter-in-law talk trash? And can the father-in-law put it on his team's bulletin board?

Questions, questions. The Bowden Bowl raises a number of questions. For one thing, if it beats Florida State, does Clemson have any chance at the national championship? Answer: Probably not. The latest Bowl Championship Series ranking has Clemson a distant No. 13, thanks mainly to its weak schedule (No. 92 in the country).

On the other hand, Florida State remains in the hunt for its second straight championship. The Seminoles are ranked No. 3 in the BCS, barely behind No. 2 Virginia Tech, which will rise or fall this week against Miami.

Another question: How much did Clemson's loss last week to Georgia Tech tarnish this game? Answer: Immensely. A Clemson victory likely would have catapulted the Tigers to No. 3 in the country, one or two spots ahead of the Seminoles, and given this game a playoff atmosphere.

"(Clemson's loss to Georgia Tech) took a little glamour off this game, but it might have given them just enough impetus to go out there and whip us," Bobby Bowden says. "I think it takes some of the pressure off them. If they came in here undefeated, boy, there'd be pressure on them from their own folks."

	“	Now (Tommy) is coming to my backyard. He has to come here and whip us, and that's a little bit different. ”
		— FSU coach Bobby Bowden

Now, the only pressure on the Tigers will be coming from their own coach, who wants to win this game more than any on the schedule. "Sure I do," Tommy says. "Obviously."

He almost did last season. They had the same basic personnel as this season, but the Tigers were still getting acclimated to the offensive system put in by Bowden and coordinator Rich Rodriguez. They would finish 6-6, but one of the losses was that 17-14 heartbreaker to the No. 1 Seminoles. After squandering its 14-3 lead in the second half, the Tigers had a chance to force overtime, but Tony Lazzara's 42-yard field goal fell short with 1:57 left at Death Valley.

"Now (Tommy) is coming to my backyard," Bobby says. "He has to come here and whip us, and that's a little bit different."

Them's fighting words. And they're aimed at flesh and blood.

"He needs to be nice to me," Tommy jokes, "or I'm going to write a book about all the beatings."

Another could come Saturday. Even Bobby's daughter-in-law can see that.

"Right now we just don't have the guns," Linda says. "FSU's second team is as good as most people's first. But give Tommy a few more years to recruit the kind of players he wants. He's going to beat his dad. I'm sure of that. I just don't know when."

Gregg Doyel covers the ACC for the Charlotte Observer.