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Miami bound
OU, Florida to meet in national championship

OU running back Mossis Madu and running backs coach Cale Gundy celebrate during the Sooners' win in the Big 12 title game Saturday. STEPHEN HOLMAN/Tulsa World

 
By JOHN E. HOOVER World Sports Writer
Published: 12/8/2008  2:25 AM
Last Modified: 12/8/2008  3:42 AM

With the Orange Bowl hosting college football's national championship game this season, was there ever any doubt that Oklahoma would be playing in south Florida come January?

The Sooners, No. 1 in Sunday's Bowl Championship Series standings, are back in the title game, and back in Miami.

OU (12-1), Big 12 Conference champion after Saturday night's 62-21 extermination of Missouri, will play No. 2-ranked Florida (12-1) at Dolphin Stadium in Miami on Jan. 8.

"I think the matchup's going to be tremendous," said Gators coach Urban Meyer.

During the second half of the season, Florida and Oklahoma were commonly referred to as the nation's best teams. Florida ended an unprecedented run in the rugged Southeastern Conference, which ended Saturday with a 31-20 defeat of previously undefeated Alabama in the Southeastern Conference championship.

"We recognize it as a huge challenge," said Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops.

In addition to showcasing college football's two top teams, the game is rife with storylines:

Florida quarterback Tim Tebow won the 2007 Heisman Trophy and is in contention again this year, but OU quarterback Sam Bradford is seen as a frontrunner. The award is presented Saturday.

Stoops landed in Norman after three seasons — including the 1996 national championship — as Florida's defensive coordinator under Steve Spurrier, and twice since rebuffed interest in returning as the Gators' head coach.

Both coaches hail from Catholic
high schools in Ohio, Stoops from Youngstown's Cardinal Mooney and Meyer from Ashtabula's St. John.

Although Sooner fans might feel outnumbered, they should feel right at home. It's Oklahoma's 19th trip to a game sponsored by the Orange Bowl Committee (the national championship game was added to the Orange-Fiesta-Rose-Sugar rotation in 2006), and their third in 10 seasons under Stoops.

In fact, every year the Orange Bowl has hosted the BCS national championship, the Sooners have been there. It started in 2000, when Stoops won it all in his second season by beating Florida State 13-2. OU wasn't so fortunate last time, losing to USC 55-19.

"Playing in the Orange Bowl, we have such a long history," Stoops said. "It's just such a first-class bowl game."

The Sooners have won seven national championships in their history, more than all but Notre Dame, which owns eight.

Florida also won the 2006 national championship. Like Stoops, Meyer did it in his second season.

Oklahoma comes into the game having lost its last two national title game appearances (the 2003 season ended with a 21-14 loss to LSU in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans) and its last four BCS games (the 2006 and 2007 seasons were stained by upset defeats in the Fiesta Bowl to Boise State and West Virginia).

This BCS trip, though, was perhaps the most contentious. OU won the Big 12 title only after surviving a three-way Big 12 South tiebreaker with Texas and Texas Tech. Oklahoma was beaten by Texas during the regular-season, but closed with a flurry that included wins of 62-28 over Nebraska, 66-28 over Texas A&M, 65-21 over No. 2 Texas Tech and 61-41 over No. 12 Oklahoma State. The win over Tech was particularly helpful, since Tech had beaten Texas two weeks earlier. That forced the three-way tie and pushed the Sooners up in the rankings.

OU squeaked out a slightly higher BCS ranking than Texas, sending the Sooners to the conference championship game. Texas still might have been in line to draw some sympathy votes with a close game, but OU's domination of No. 20 Missouri was the final determination.

The Sooners remained at No. 1 in the computer rankings and got a significant boost by moving from No. 2 to No. 1 in the USA Today coaches poll and from No. 4 to No. 2 in the Harris Interactive poll. Texas stayed at No. 2 in the computer rankings and No. 3 in both polls.

Florida is No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll (not a BCS component).

Stoops on Sunday night admitted to some trepidation earlier in the day.

He said he wasn't comfortable until he saw during Fox's broadcast at about 7:30 p.m. that Texas had been sent to the Fiesta Bowl.

"The way this has all gone, until you know, and (until you) see everyone else go, you don't take anything for granted," he said. "You felt fairly good after you see what the (poll) rankings are, after those start to leak out. But you want to be sure."

Tickets sold out



Tickets to the BCS championship game are sold out, but they may be available online at secondary ticket dealers such as tulsaworld.com/razorgator




John E. Hoover 581-8384
john.hoover@tulsaworld.com
By JOHN E. HOOVER World Sports Writer

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COMMENTS 
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29 comments have been made for this team so far. Tell us what you think below!

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Report Comment
Dobrescu, (12/8/2008 5:12:08 AM)
OK Bob, the last 3 BCS Championship games were duds. Let's make this one a WINNER!

Good luck and good luck to Sam next Saturday in NYC.
Report Comment
No Right Wing Nut Jobs, (12/8/2008 6:25:50 AM)
Gator Bait, trust me
Report Comment
Dad, Up North (12/8/2008 6:49:38 AM)
Gator stir-fry. Trust me.......
Report Comment
zach, (12/8/2008 8:09:32 AM)
Oklahoma has only been in 3 championship games and they won the first one.
Report Comment
love 918, (12/8/2008 8:31:50 AM)
The SEC has yet to lose a BCS championship game. I hope OU brings their "A" game against Florida.

Report Comment
Dewd, Cache (12/8/2008 10:16:37 AM)

Anybody who watched Oklahoma disassemble five ranked teams while laffin' their butts off has got to believe that there's something special about the Sooners this year. I've never seen anything like it, and, really, I don't think anybody has.

I'm firmly convinced that the Gators and ESPN's favorite quarterback are in for one big surprise come January 8th.
Report Comment
Ignatz, Broken Bow (12/8/2008 10:21:04 AM)
A way overranked Alabama team with a mediocre offense looked pretty good against the Gators, who for some reason believe they beat them by 40 points. I've changed my tune based on that game...OU by 10.
Report Comment
Steff M, Claremore (12/8/2008 10:41:35 AM)
Hey Dad and Nut Job, I don't know which loser teams you root for but all I got for you is Shaq's song to Kobe. You remember the one? "Tell Me How My ___ Tastes". With the new poll I guess that applies to every team in the country. It must suck to not be a Sooner fan. Better luck next year.
Report Comment
tomintulsa, Tulsa (12/8/2008 10:44:40 AM)
Don't choke this one away "Big Game Bob"
Report Comment
JJ Bigs, Tulsa (12/8/2008 10:45:10 AM)
FSPN (Formally ESPN, now the Florida cheer squad) and all the other east-coast media hacks are treating the Gators like the second coming of the '85 Chicago Bears. Bama was SO overrated it was comical. Just what has Florida done? They played in a weakened SEC, they lost to Ole Miss at home, they beat an average Alabama team, they throw the ball like an old Southwest Conference school and they play good defense against inferior offences. Granted they have a good QB - but come on Gary Danielson, "the best ever?" I love the fact that OU comes into this game with no respect. Florida's offence is in for a BIG surprise against the OU D and their speed and well, they have seen nothing like the offence run by Mr. Bradford. Talk about an opportunity to light up an SEC team and show them the business.
Report Comment
Mr. Brown, Tulsa (12/8/2008 10:51:41 AM)
I cannot wait 'til the 8th...
Report Comment
Floridadude, (12/8/2008 11:10:02 AM)
The facts people. I am a former Oklahoma resident and My heart is with the Sooners. I have watched the Sooners or listend to them on the radio and I watched the Gators. The Gators will be favored by around 10 to 12 points. Tebow, although a egotistical blowhard is Moses to his team and never quits. He is a bit more experienced at QB and I beleive more mature than Bradford (being a Junior) and never quits. Even if his team is down you never see the Gators hang their head. He is out there cheering everyone on. In the loss to Texas, OU got flusterd and ran out of gas and hung their heads. Never quit. Also OU will be playing on the Gator's back yard. Expect Florida fans to outnumber OU fans 10 to 1. Thus, the noise factor. OU's defense is questionable against the Gators comparing the two. You will NOT be scoring 60 points against Florida. Offense, both teams are good. OU must play mistake free football. One turnover or if they get down by more than 10 points, I guarentee the game will be over. You can not take the Gators for granted. Tebow as big as a blowhard as he is, is good and he knows it. Bradford keeps his cool, does not get flustered, he will be fine. The other blogger is true in his statement that the Gators and the SEC tradionally are more comfortable in bowl situations and have a higher winning factor. OU has yet to establish that tradionally winning history. They get out of their element (The big 12) and they tend to stuggle in bowl games but that is because bowl games are tradionally are in warm weather climate states to make it more pleasant for the fans. Again the Gators are used to that, OU is not. Go OU, and study, study, study those Gator game tapes and don't get relaxed and slack off in Miami, stay focused on the game. Rest assured, knowing the Gators, they will be looking at every aspect of you and only be thinking of one thing. Chomp, chomp.
Report Comment
Steff M, Claremore (12/8/2008 11:18:18 AM)
I agree Tom. He does need to get it done this time to keep the nickname but it is nice to be in the position to do so. Now that he's got that big contract maybe Gumby will be able to draw up some better plays at his sideline desk and get you guys in that position someday.
Report Comment
JJ Bigs, Tulsa (12/8/2008 11:33:45 AM)
Floridadude, your Gatoraide must be spiked with Jim Beam. 12 points?! Your nuts. Watch and learn buddy. Your Gators are going down - hard.
Report Comment
Scritchner, Tulsa (12/8/2008 12:16:02 PM)
The Sooners are playing for the Campionship. Time for all the fairweather fans to jump on the bandwagon.
Report Comment
Scritchner, Tulsa (12/8/2008 12:16:23 PM)
*championship
Report Comment
2009_OU_Fan, (12/8/2008 12:26:46 PM)
Let's quit the snipping, especially the Texas fans and just say:

Good luck to ALL of the following Big 12 Teams:

Oklahoma University - BCS championship - Orange Bowl

Texas - Fiesta Bowl
Texas Tech - Cotton Bowl
Nebraska - Gator Bowl
Oklahoma State - Holiday Bowl
Missouri - Alamo Bowl
Kansas - Insight Bowl

Let's see the BIG 12 Sweep all of them!!!!!

Happy holidays to all the Big 12 fans - the best darned conference in the U.S. of A.!!!!!
Report Comment
Big Harp, Florida (12/8/2008 12:52:56 PM)
FLdude I don't think FL fans will out number OU fans by any 10 to 1 margin,if they out number them at all FL fans don't travel well outside of Gainesville. I remember a few years back when they played Michigan St. in the Citrus Bowl not 60 miles from Gainesville and MS fans outnumbered them 3 to 1. Florida probably will be favored but so was FSU in 2000,it doesn't matter who's favored before the game it's who is holding the crystal ball above their head when the confetti flies.............Go Sooners!
Report Comment
greeneyesooner, (12/8/2008 1:00:06 PM)
WELL THE WAY I SAW IT. TEXAS DID NOT BEAT OU.
THE REF'S DID.
Report Comment
Big Harp, Florida (12/8/2008 1:48:23 PM)
7 out of 12 is there another conference sending more than half their teams to a Bowl Game?
Report Comment
love 918, (12/8/2008 1:54:22 PM)
Big Harp, have you ever heard of the SEC? They are sending 8 teams to bowls this year.

By the way, in the last five years the Big 12 is 19 out of 20 in bowl games. Losing record.

The SEC is 24-13 in bowl games in the last five years(with 3 national champions). Thats a winning record with almost 2 wins for every loss.

OU fans should stick to rooting for OU. Their Big 12 argument doesn't go very far.
Report Comment
Big Harp, Florida (12/8/2008 2:37:12 PM)
love 918 I asked a question and you answered it Thank You. Yes I have heard of the SEC I live in the heart of it.Check the post and you'll see I'm not the one beating the Big 12 drum, but since you brought it up the 19 out of 20 what is that refering to? Is that 19 losses out of 20 games if so I think you need to recheck your stats, now I'm not claiming to know the stats myself or that the Big 12 has a wining record in the last 5yrs but I do remember Kansas and Mizzou both won their Bowl games last year so that alone doesn't add up to your 19 out of 20,so please check your stats and get back to us.
Report Comment
No Right Wing Nut Jobs, (12/8/2008 2:55:11 PM)
GATOR BAIT! TRUST ME!
Report Comment
Kryptonite, Lowcash Oklahoma (12/8/2008 5:13:29 PM)
UPDATED: OSU falls to No. 9 in AP, Harris and BCS, No. 10 in coaches poll - 10/27/2008 10:32:24 AM

tomintulsa wrote:

What really matters is the Poll on November 30 the day after we beat OU and have 11-1 record. Hope Big Game Bob and the boys enjoy the Insight Bowl this year.

Stoolwater State fans keeping the losing tradition alive and well, as the pinnacle of college football achievement...Gumby's Goobers finish just ahead of Baylor and A&M for ANOTHER 4TH PLACE FINISH. Wow...what will the Ducks do to stop this freight train of a team?
Report Comment
Steff M, Claremore (12/10/2008 12:30:01 AM)
Big Harp, what love918 means is the Big 12's record is 19-20, which really means nothing. Over the last 10 years the Big East has a better winning pct. than the Big 12 in bowl games. Does anyone care? That was a cool pic of "The Great Gator Warrior" Tebow in the paper, I must admit. He's such a stud. I hope they do give him the Heisman. It will be that much sweeter when Sam's holding up the trophy that matters on the 8th and being the 1st player chosen on draft day. By the way, has anyone checked on Scritchner and Nut Job? Scritch has apparently come down with a bad case of Sooner Envy and Nut Job seems to be suffering from the common and often embarrassing condition, vocabularius tinyitis. It's nearly the direct opposite of Floridadude's ailment, IsayalotbuthavenoideawhatI'mtalkingabout Syndrome. He reminds me of Michael Scott on "The Office". Boomer Sooner
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