NEW YEAR’S DAY BOWL GAMES : JUDGEMENT DAY : The Battle for No. 1-- and Then Some

College football’s bowl runneth over today with eight games, culminating in the bowl

coalition’s version of a national championship game, the meeting of Florida State and Nebraska in the Orange Bowl. As many as three of the bowl

games--Orange, Sugar and Cotton--could have national championship implications, and the other five, well, they might make for good theater . . . and plenty of it. The following is a look at some of the facts and figures for the five most significant bowls other than the granddaddy of them all, the Rose Bowl.

ORANGE BOWL Florida State vs. Nebraska

* Site

Miami

* Television

Channel 4, 5 p.m.

* Records

Florida State 11-1

Nebraska 11-0

* Rankings (AP)

Florida State--No. 1

Nebraska--No. 2

* At Stake

The path to No. 1 passes right through Miami. The winner probably will be voted No. 1 in the final poll. A tie could open the door for West Virginia or Notre Dame.

SUGAR BOWL West Virginia vs. Florida

* Site

New Orleans

* Television

Channel 7, 5:30 p.m.

* Records

West Virginia 11-0

Florida 10-2

* Rankings (AP)

West Virginia--No. 3

Florida--No. 8

* At Stake

Unbeaten West Virginia’s national championship hopes have all but been reduced to this: a Mountaineer victory, coupled with a tie between the Orange Bowl front-runners.

COTTON BOWL Notre Dame vs. Texas A&M;

* Site

Dallas

* Television

Channel 4, 1:30 p.m.

* Records

Notre Dame 10-1

Texas A&M; 10-1

* Rankings (AP)

Notre Dame--No. 4

Texas A&M--No.; 7

* At Stake

Victories by Notre Dame and Florida State, and a loss by West Virginia would leave fickle pollsters with a dilemma--

whether to vote based on rankings or by head-to-head results.

FIESTA BOWL Miami vs. Arizona

* Site

Tempe, Ariz.

* Television

Channel 4, 10 a.m.

* Records

Miami 9-2

Arizona 9-2

* Rankings (AP)

Miami--No. 10

Arizona--No. 16

* At Stake

Notre Dame’s loss to Boston College turned this bowl from a national championship forum for Florida State and the Irish to a consolation prize for two respected programs.

CITRUS BOWL Tennessee vs. Penn State

* Site

Orlando, Fla.

* Television

Channel 7, 10 a.m.

* Records

Tennessee 9-1-1

Penn State 9-2

* Rankings (AP)

Tennessee--No. 6

Penn State--No. 13

* At Stake

The Volunteers, who scored 210 points over their last four games, are playing for pride. Penn State’s Joe Paterno, with 14, is one short of tying Bear Bryant’s record for bowl victories.