BCS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
FLORIDA GATORS VS. OKLAHOMA SOONERS
MIAMI DOLPHIN STADIUM
THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2009 8:15 P.M.
In typical BCS fashion, the participants in this year’s title game enter the fray amidst controversy. Undefeated Utah argued for inclusion. So did teams with just one loss, such as Alabama, USC and Penn State. However, the strongest argument came from Texas. They were leap-frogged by Florida on the last week of BCS polling. Plus, they have already beaten Oklahoma. Once again, the BCS system has unwittingly given a solid reason for a real playoff to determine the champion. This year the champion will either be the 12-1 Florida Gators or the 12-1 Oklahoma Sooners. Oklahoma, the Big 12 Conference Champion and #1 ranked team, enters the game as 3 point underdogs to Florida, the SEC Champion and #2 ranked team.
FLORIDA: UP: QB Tim Tebow, last season’s Heisman winner, finished third behind the Sooners QB Sam Bradford and Texas QB Colt McCoy. Tebow is fired up and ready to prove the Heisman voters got it wrong. The Gators feature a balanced offensive attack, with 2,987 yards rushing and 2,764 yards passing. Their red zone offense has scored an amazing 91% of the time. Meanwhile, the defense is yielding a mere 12.8 points per game. They have accounted for 33 turnovers. DOWN: Offensive Coordinator Dan Mullen will leave the Gators after the bowl game to assume head coaching duties at Mississippi State. In spite of holding their opponents to low scores, the defense has yielded 174 passing yards per game. The air attack is the Sooners bread and butter.
OKLAHOMA: UP: The Sooners are the first team in history to score over 700 points in a season. They have scored over 60 in five straight, three against ranked opponents. Bradford has a passing accuracy of 68% as the Sooners have amassed over 562 yards per game total offense. Defensively, WLB Travis Lewis has recorded 136 tackles, 3 sacks and 4 interceptions. DOWN: RB DeMarco Murray cannot play, having ruptured a tendon in the Big 12 championship game. MLB Mike Balogun is a possible weakness in the Sooner backfield. He is a third string backup, but is playing due to injuries to Ryan Reynolds and Austin Box. The defense has given up 106 rushing yards per game to teams with much less ability to run the Florida.
KEYS TO THE GAME: Look for the Gators to establish the run early. They will also attack Balogun’s position mercilessly. Tebow isn’t afraid to run if the situation merits it. Watch for Oklahoma’s Lewis to pressure Tebow. OU’s running game must be effective to allow Bradford more flexibility in his passing.
BY THE NUMBERS: Both teams are 10-2 ATS this season. The Gators are 8-4 O/U while the Sooners are 11-1. As a favorite Florida has been 11-1 SU and 10-2 ATS. Oklahoma has no record as an underdog this year. In bowl games since 1993 The Gators are 8-8 both SU and ATS. The Sooners are 5-6 SU and 4-7 ATS during the same period. The Big 12 and SEC conferences have long bragged about being the best football conferences in the nation. This year’s BCS National Champion will lend credibility to their conference’s boasting.