The College Bowl Games

WHO'S No. 1?

College football fans who think that postseason bowl games ought serve as a playoff to determine a national champion will get their wish this year.

No. 1-ranked Miami will meet No. 2 Alabama on Jan. 1 in the Sugar Bowl. The winner will be anointed the nation's top team by the pollsters. It will be the first showdown between any top two teams since 1988, when No. 2 Miami defeated No. 1 Oklahoma.

After last season, several top bowls formed a coalition to try to select the best possible matchups. The formula worked for the Sugar Bowl. But the Cotton Bowl, choosing next and lured perhaps by the nationwide popularity of Notre Dame, failed to invite No. 3 Florida State to face No. 4 Texas A&M, putting into doubt whether the coalition's scheme will hold up in future years.