Kansas City, Mo. ? The race is on for No. 1 in college football, and that goes for a couple of coaching icons, too.

Florida State’s Bobby Bowden is tied with Bear Bryant, a man he has long considered an idol, for second in career wins among Division I-A coaches.

Tonight, Bowden will have a chance to break that tie and move a step closer to the leader, Penn State’s Joe Paterno, when the third-ranked Seminoles play Iowa State in the Eddie Robinson Classic.

Bowden, in his 27th year at Florida State and 37th overall, starts the season with 323 victories. Paterno, whose team opens Aug. 31 against Central Florida, has 327.

Bowden resumes the chase in a game named after the man who has more wins that any coach at any level. Eddie Robinson won 408 games at Grambling, a figure that puts things in perspective for Bowden.

Bowden insists he isn’t in a race with Paterno, who is trying to regroup after seasons of 5-7 and 5-6. Florida State’s 8-4 record last year looks glossy by comparison, but Bowden considered it a miserable season.

It was the fewest wins for the Seminoles since 1986.

“Neither one of us wants to make anything out of this thing,” Bowden said. “We’ll just sit and see what happens. But I can’t see Penn State University or Florida State University going out on a losing note. It could happen. And if it does, it’s time for me to leave.”

As for passing Bryant, now that would mean something. Bowden grew up in Birmingham, Ala., and played freshman football at Alabama, though not for Bryant, before transferring. He coached at Howard while Bryant was at Alabama, 45 miles away.

“I was so in awe of him, not just as a coach, but as a man,” Bowden said. “He was so physically imposing and tough. I thought he was the best coach I’d ever seen.”

All this talk about victories just adds to the challenge for Iowa State, a 2212-point underdog.

Iowa State coach Dan McCarney figures the Seminoles have enough incentive just in trying to win the national championship. Now his team has to face a bunch of speedy, fired-up players trying to get their coach past Bryant.

“We have a lot of incentive in this game, too,” said McCarney, who has 29 career wins. “I’m not about to pass anybody on the victory list. We just want to try to win a football game.”

And in the Cyclones’ view, Bowden won’t be the only crafty coach on the Arrowhead Stadium field.

“I know he’s a great coach with a great history,” said defensive tackle Jordan Carstens. “It’s going to be interesting to see what he can do going head to head against coach Mac.”