news-record.com

SPORTS

Advertisement | Advertise with Us

Subplots abound in title game

Thursday, January 8, 2009
(Updated 5:35 am)

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Bob Stoops posed next to the crystal football and played along with a wave of photographers.

They asked him to look to the left, he did. They asked him to smile, he did. Any shot they wanted Wednesday inside a hotel ballroom, he gave them.

Then a shutterbug shouted to the Oklahoma coach, telling him to hold up his finger, showing who's No. 1. Stoops tilted his head, stared at the guy and kept his hands still.

"Too soon," he said.

First, there's a game to play. The hurry-up Sooners and speedy Florida meet tonight for the BCS championship, a matchup that includes a pair of Heisman Trophy winners, an SEC vs. Big 12 debate and more than its share of trash talk.

Besides, enough teams already are claiming the top spot. Southern California, Utah and Texas hope their bowl wins impressed enough voters in The Associated Press poll, which will be released in the wee hours Friday.

Heck, how about New Hampshire? The Wildcats beat Army, which beat Louisiana Tech, which beat Mississippi State, which beat Vanderbilt, which beat Mississippi, which handed the No. 1 Gators their only loss.

No wonder college fans from President-elect Barack Obama on down want to see a playoff system.

There's plenty of time to think about it. The BCS' latest TV deal with ESPN ensures there won't be a playoff until at least 2014.

Meanwhile, there's a pretty attractive game brewing at Dolphin Stadium between 12-1 teams.

The winner gets the glistening crystal prize.

That could come in handy for the Gators -- they won the trophy two years ago, but a recruit accidentally bumped into it in April, shattering the $30,000 football. Fortunately for them, it was insured.

Tim Tebow was a freshman backing up Chris Leak when Florida stomped Ohio State for the title. Tebow won the Heisman last season and now will try to add a second title.

The Rambo-style quarterback will soon explore his NFL options, deciding whether to enter the draft or return for his senior season.

Tebow drew the most first-place votes in the Heisman balloting last month, but finished third overall. Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford took home the trophy -- he said his parents now have it somewhere in their house.

Bradford, a sophomore, also has submitted paperwork to the NFL's advisory board to see how highly he could get picked in the draft. Tebow and Bradford expect to make their decisions a few days.

While Florida boasts great speed, the second-ranked Sooners operate at a blink-of-the-eye pace. They set a modern record for points this season, averaging 54 a game.

With their linemen, receivers and backs rushing downfield, their no-huddle offense often leaves opponents gasping and disorganized. Teams are allowed 40 seconds to run a play; Oklahoma tries to snap the ball in half that time.

Given more than a month to prepare, Meyer said it's still hard to simulate what the Sooners do.

"You don't understand you have substitution limitations because of tempo, you have the fatigue factor and you have the chaos factor where you like to line up," he said.

Oklahoma has lost four straight BCS games, including two for the national title.

eMail Updates

Advertisement | Advertise with Us

Featured Ads

Search

Advertisement | Advertise with Us
Advertisement | Advertise with Us
Advertisement | Advertise with Us

News & Record Network Sites

Triad Weather

  • Current Condition: FAIR
  • Current Temperature: 50°
  • UV Idx: 3
  • Forecast High/Low: H: 57° L: 46°

User Tools

  • Social Networking
  • RSS
  • Share
  • Sign in to MyNR

Search