updated 4:17 a.m. ET Aug. 16, 2008

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Separated by 800 miles and styles that are about as far apart, Florida State’s Bobby Bowden and Penn State’s Joe Paterno are stuck together by winning and retirement rumors.

Both are Hall of Fame coaches. Bowden has won 373 games; Paterno 372. They are Nos. 1 and 2 on the all-time list of the winningest major college coaches.

The virtual deadlock has gone on for years, and — on the face of it — 2008 should be no different. Neither coach has signaled that this season will be his last on the sideline.

But here’s where it gets interesting. Florida State has a succession in place for whenever the 78-year-old Bowden does retire. The 81-year-old Paterno is in the last year of his contract, and talks between the coach and university about his future are on hold until after the season ends.

“A lot of schools, I don’t know how many, have done the same thing since we did,” Bowden said recently in referring to the plan that Florida State put in place last December, naming offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher as coach-in-waiting.

Paterno, meanwhile, has told recruits and the media for years that he hopes his successor comes from his current staff — just like when a then-assistant Paterno took over in 1966 from mentor Rip Engle.

But there’s been no decision with administrators on a succession plan, let alone how much longer Paterno will coach.

The most recent round of talks between Paterno and university president Graham Spanier hit an impasse in April, and both sides said the issue wouldn’t be addressed again until after the 2008 campaign. Both sides said JoePa doesn’t need something in writing to keep coaching.

“Everyone’s got to do what’s best for their situation,” Penn State athletic director Tim Curley said in a recent interview with The Associated Press, when asked about the impact Bowden’s succession plan had on his school’s deliberations.

“I have great respect for other ways of doing things, and people understand we do certain things our way,” Curley said. “But every situation is different ... You try to make sure you have all the facts and make sure you made the best decision you possibly can.”

And so, college football fanatics around the country are left wondering again: Is this the last year on the sideline for the sport’s elder statesmen?

Bowden appears to be under greater pressure to produce heading into 33rd year leading the Seminoles.

Consecutive 7-6 seasons have roiled some fans. Bowden has lamented about a lack of gamebreakers on his team along the lines of Seminole greats like Warrick Dunn and Derrick Brooks.

And several starters are scheduled to miss the first two or three games of the 2008 season as part of the lingering fallout from an academic cheating scandal that came to light late last year.

Fisher in early December was named successor to Bowden, who is on a one-year rollover agreement that includes options for a maximum of three years.

“When they presented it to me, the more I thought about it, the more I thought it was a good idea to name a successor,” Bowden said.

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