Oregon fans printed it on T-shirts. Florida State fans chanted it. "We want Bama!"
Alabama has been No. 1 all season, and the two-time defending national champion has given little reason to believe this season's title race won't go through it. If the Crimson Tide takes care of its business and goes unbeaten through the Southeastern Conference title game, it'll be off to Pasadena, Calif., in January for a fourth BCS championship game in five years.
The Ducks and Seminoles have been impressive enough to sway a few AP poll voters to have them atop their ballots.
In the latest Top 25, Alabama received a season-low 52 first-place votes. Oregon got two and Florida State received a season-best six firsts from the media panel Sunday after another easy victory over a previously unbeaten team. This time it was Miami, which was routed by the "Noles to the tune of 41-14 in Tallahassee on Saturday night.
After the game, Florida State defensive linemen Timmy Jernigan was asked about the "We want Bama!" chants and told USA Today, "We do."
Well, sure. The Seminoles and Ducks still have more regular-season work to do, but at this point they are competing against each other as much as the teams they're lining up against. And if the goal is to be No. 1, the way to get there is to beat Alabama.
The chants and shirts seem to rankle some Tide fans, who generally respond with some combination of "be careful what you wish for' and "don't you have more important things to do, like beating the remaining teams on your schedule?'
While on the surface Alabama is the target of Oregon and Florida State fans' desires, really they might as well be yelling at each other.
Surely, Ohio State fans would chime in, too.
Alabama fans should probably take it as a compliment. It's good to be wanted. Nobody chants, "We want Florida!" or "We want Nebraska!" these days.