He'd like to do a lot more, starting with a victory over No. 6 Tennessee (10-2) in the Peach Bowl on Friday.
``They're the sixth-ranked team in the nation; we're unranked,'' Bowden said. ``We'd like to be sixth in the nation, top 10, top 15, top 25. The significant ranking is after the season.''
Bowden also spoke of helping the Tigers (8-4) win 10 games consistently, of getting back in the top 10 on a regular basis and of trying to help them challenge for national titles.
Pretty much what has happened with coach Phillip Fulmer and the Volunteers.
``Tennessee's done that,'' Bowden said. ``That program right now is where we want to go. That's what Clemson once was, and we want to get it back.''
Tennessee (10-2) is back in this game for the second straight year despite finishing in a tie for the East Division title in the Southeastern Conference with Georgia and Florida. A tiebreaker gave the Bulldogs the berth in the SEC championship game, and the Gators surprisingly got a bid to the more prestigious Outback Bowl.
The snub left Fulmer fuming about the conference's role in bowl games, although he went to great lengths to thank Peach Bowl officials for their hospitality.
``I think the system didn't work,'' Fulmer said. ``The conference didn't do all it could. If you're going to have alliances with conferences, and you're going to have a pecking order, then it should be in place.''
After two straight conference losses, including a 41-14 rout by Georgia, the Volunteers were 4-2, with games looming at Alabama and Miami. But they won both of those and four others, giving Fulmer his seventh season with at least 10 wins.
The biggest reason for the upswing was the play of quarterback Casey Clausen. A four-year starter, he threw 14 touchdown passes and only two interceptions in those final six games.
``I don't think he has gotten his due, quite frankly,'' Fulmer said. ``But unfortunately, Casey ended up being in a position of not having the supporting cast around him offensively.''
Clausen isn't worried about his reputation.
``All that matters to me is winning,'' he said. ``That's why I came here, to win games. All the rest will take care of itself. We want to put Tennessee back where it belongs, have a chance to get back in the top five this season.''
Clemson quarterback Charlie Whitehurst also led a late-season revival. The Tigers won four of their last five, including victories over Florida State and bitter rival South Carolina.
In those games, Whitehurst completed 63 percent of his passes for nearly 1,500 yards and nine TDs. He tied a season record with 21 touchdown passes in 2003.
``I think the offense we run here gives me a bunch of opportunities to make plays,'' Whitehurst said. ``It's a playmaker's offense and I hope, if I can stay healthy and some of the other guys can stay healthy, we'll have continued success with it.''
http://accesswdun.com/article/2004/1/166237