This time of year is distracting for me because it's the start of the college football season, which means I'll be spending my Saturday afternoons thinking almost as much about my Florida State Seminoles as my chipping and putting. Although I'm originally from Rochester, N.Y., and live outside Chicago, I graduated from Florida State in 1980 and have been bleeding garnet and gold ever since.

There are quite a few college football fanatics on Tour. A lot of the guys went to big-time football schools, like Florida, Ohio State and Texas, so there's always a lot of talk in the clubhouse. Mike Hulbert is such a Syracuse fan that he ran off after practice on Saturday at the Milwaukee Open to get to a restaurant where he could watch the Orangemen play North Carolina State. Syracuse lost 32-31 in overtime, which means he'll get some razzing from the guys at the next tournament. Then there's Dudley Hart, who might be the world's biggest Florida Gators fan. The week after Florida State beat Florida 24-21 last fall in Tallahassee he didn't really want to see me, but he was feeling much better after the Gators won the rematch 52-20 in the Sugar Bowl in January to clinch the national championship. I attended that game and have to admit they really kicked our butts. I don't think there was any question they were the best team in the country.

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I'm an especially big fan of Seminoles coach Bobby Bowden. I played nine holes with him back in the mid-'80s at a memorial tournament for Dick Howser, a former baseball coach at Florida State, and found that in addition to being a great coach, he's a funny guy. I've played with a lot of people from the entertainment industry, like Bill Murray and Joe Pesci, but playing with Coach Bowden was a big thrill. Since then, he has given me sideline passes for some games.

I'm anxious to see how the 'Noles fare this year. The schedule is tough, with games against USC, Miami, Virginia, North Carolina and Florida, but they'll be up to the challenge. I think they're better than sixth, which is what SI picked them. No way is Penn State No. 1. I bet the national championship is decided on Nov. 22 when Florida State plays at Florida. I'm going to go out on a limb and pick the 'Noles 31-28 over the Gators. Although I'm going to be coming back from an appearance in Japan and won't be able to attend the game, I'll find a television set somewhere to watch it. When the Seminoles win, Dudley's never going to hear the end of it.

Sluman will skip the Canadian Open to see FSU play at USC.