By Richard Rosenblatt
The Associated Press

Let's all take a deep breath. Nice and easy now. Exhale. Feeling better? Florida State coach Bobby Bowden isn't. Neither is Texas coach Mack Brown, or Penn State's Joe Paterno, to name a few.

The day after a breathless Saturday of college football, some coaches are still gasping for air - and answers - after devastating defeats left them wondering what went wrong.

Others, like Miami's Larry Coker, were just relieved Sunday, their national title hopes still alive following a frantic finish, a great escape or a plain ol' lucky victory.

"It's a situation that we didn't play great, but you better enjoy the wins," Coker said. "I don't care if they're one point or 50 points. You better enjoy those."

Top-ranked Miami beat Florida State 28-27 only because Xavier Beitia's 43-yard field-goal attempt sailed wide left as time expired. Of course, Coker wasn't sweating Sunday.

Neither was Oklahoma's Bob Stoops, who said he never fretted before his second-ranked Sooners scored 24 straight points and turned an 11-point deficit into a 35-24 win over Texas.

"We knew if we did what we were capable of we'd be in good shape," Stoops said. "There was just a good, positive feeling on our sideline all day long."

And then there's Bowden. His Seminoles (5-2) were not only knocked out of the national title hunt for a second straight year, but it's the fourth time since 1991 he lost to Miami when a field-goal attempt in the final seconds could have either won or tied the game.

"I simply can't believe we lost the game like that again," Bowden said. "I can't stand it."

Paterno was so disappointed after his team's 27-24 overtime loss at Michigan, he refused to let his players be interviewed. The Lions fell to 4-2 and 1-2 in the Big Ten.

And after Texas' third straight loss to Oklahoma, Brown had to deal with questions regarding his 2-7 record - and quarterback Chris Simms' 0-4 mark - against top 10 teams.

"It has nothing to do with Chris and I," a terse Brown said. "It's about the team. Anytime you lose to OU, it's disappointing."

On Sunday he simply said: "We can't sit around and pout. We have to go back to work."

It was a close-call weekend all around. In five games matching Top 25 teams on Saturday, four were decided by a total of 20 points. Also, No. 6 Oregon beat UCLA 31-30 and No. 7 Notre Dame defeated Pittsburgh 14-6.

The results left 10 teams undefeated midway through the season. There are two games remaining on the schedule matching unbeatens - Notre Dame at No. 18 Air Force on Saturday, and No. 3 Virginia Tech at Miami on Dec. 7.

Next Monday, the BCS will release its first standings of the season. The rankings will eventually determine who plays in the BCS title game at the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 3.

But before all the computers, polls, strength-of-schedule and bonus-point components take control, here's a look at some prospects for a perfect season:

ACC

North Carolina State (7-0, 2-0): The Wolfpack have a strong chance to be 11-0 entering their final two games - at improving Virginia and home against Florida State. Perfection? Possible.

Big East

Miami (6-0, 2-0): The Hurricanes are off next weekend and then have what amounts to a two-game season - at Tennessee on Nov. 9 and the regular-season finale against Virginia Tech. Perfection? Probable.

Virginia Tech (6-0, 1-0): Six easily beatable opponents upcoming, followed by what could be a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup against Miami. Perfection? Doubtful.

Big Ten

Ohio State (7-0, 2-0): Tough games ahead are at Wisconsin and home against Penn State and Michigan. Perfection? Possible.

Big 12

Oklahoma (6-0, 2-0): Next three games will tell the tale - home against Iowa State and Colorado, and at Texas A&M. Then it's the Big 12 title game. Perfection? Doubtful.

Pac-10

Oregon (6-0, 2-0): Could lose any of four games - home against USC and Washington, and at Washington State and Oregon State. Perfection? Doubtful.

SEC

Georgia (6-0, 3-0): A final four of Florida, Mississippi, Auburn and Georgia Tech. Then it's the SEC title game. Perfection? Doubtful.

The others:

-Notre Dame (6-0): So far, so amazing for new coach Tyrone Willingham. But there are tough games ahead - all on the road - against Air Force, Florida State and USC. Perfection? Doubtful.

-Air Force (6-0, 3-0 Mountain West): Still has Notre Dame and Colorado State. Perfection? Possible.

-Bowling Green (5-0, 1-0 Mid-American): Toughest test might be Toledo in the regular-season finale. Perfection? Possible.