Score Atlanta’s Scott Janovitz, who’s referred to as The Brain around these parts, will be keeping a daily BCS title game blog leading up to the contest between Florida and Oklahoma, which he is attending. Today’s blog is the first installment of The Brainstorm.
The BCS National Championship showdown between the Florida Gators and Oklahoma Sooners is quickly approaching and the game has to be the most anticipated title contest since Texas took on, and defeated, USC in 2005. With that excitement in mind, I will be using this little nook of cyberspace daily to keep all you college football enthusiasts as informed as possible. And, in addition to chronicling what other experts are saying, I will also provide you with my own invaluable analysis; talk about a two-for-one.
Anyway, something to consider anytime you’re talking bowl games is the absurd amount of time the teams take off between games. In my opinion, the extended break puts an even bigger premium on mental preparation, an always-major factor in college athletics. With more than a month off between the title game and the last time the Gators and Sooners took the field for real, psychological warfare will be at an all-time high. ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit acknowledges the importance of mental focus; if you’ve watched the college football analyst at all over the last two weeks you have almost certainly picked up on his affinity for picking the “dog,” almost always citing the motivational edge that team possesses after listening to critics and naysayers for months. And for those of you who take this consideration lightly or simply dismiss it altogether by arguing that when the players take the field all that has been said leading up to the contest is rendered insignificant by the all-important physical matchups, consider Florida’s 2006 drubbing of Ohio State (or either of the last two BCS games in which Oklahoma participated, for that matter). While the Gators no doubt had a significant advantage thanks to the speed factor, that alone cannot possibly account for what was such a thorough domination. And I still remember the player quotes leading up to that game. After hearing repeatedly how they had no chance, the Gator athletes were all business before the game and their quotes reflected it, as stopping the vaunted Buckeye offense and overall execution were the primary focuses they expressed. In contrast, when Troy Smith was asked days before the game what would be most memorable about the experience, he replied arrogantly with, “In-and-Out Burger.” (In case you don’t know, In-and-Out is a famous fast-food burger joint located on the West coast.) In the end, Ohio State lost 41-14 and was held to only 82 yards of total offense; there is no question all the pre-game talk played a part in the massacre.
What’s interesting about this year’s matchup, and it’s one of the reasons the game has received such a lofty billing, is that neither team is being disproportionately questioned or praised. The Gators say they will use Tim Tebow’s Heisman slight, and Bradford’s subsequent victory, as motivation, but that pales in comparison to the bulletin board material the ‘06 Gators and last year’s Buckeyes received (though all the talk wasn’t enough to put Ohio State over the top) prior to their championship games. Based solely on pregame buzz, neither team really has reason to feel slighted.
Vegas’ three-point spread gives both teams a chance and neither reason to complain. And while Dennis Dodd and many others over at CBS are picking the Gators, ESPN’s bowl analyst Will Harris believes Oklahoma will defeat the Gators handily, 45-28 (http://games.espn.go.com/bowlmania/story?pageName=bowlmania\081218_picks). Of course, on the local level, geographical location means everything, as most papers are picking their state’s respective team. But overall, the media is surprisingly split, which is nice when you consider it is only the third time in the last six years one could make that claim.
Anyway, without the help of the media, it will be up to both coaching staffs to keep their players focused over the long layoff and whichever does the better job of that will probably be victorious in the end. This adds a particularly interesting dynamic to the game, especially when you consider how much Oklahoma head coach Bob Stoops has struggled in this department over the last few years.
RECENT NEWS
In case you haven’t already heard, Urban Meyer and the Gators have settled on offensive line coach Steve Addazio to take over for Dan Mullen as offensive coordinator. Mullen will still handle the play-calling duties for the National Championship, but the two-coordinator dynamic for the Gators may be something to keep an eye on.
In other related Gator news, many have begun to question whether Percy Harvin will be healthy in time for the game, as the talented all-purpose threat has still been missing from his team’s workouts. Well, fear not Gator fans … that is if you trust Urban Meyer. In a report last week, Meyer said Percy will be ready to go and said his star will begin training again with the team when they arrive in Miami on Jan. 3 (http://randreu.gainesville.com/default.asp?item=2305700).
Since news from the Oklahoma camp has slowed over the last week, take a look at what Gator defensive coordinator Charlie Strong recently told The Daily Oklahoman when asked if the Sooners could have scored 60 or more points in five straight games had they been playing in the SEC.
“It would have been hard because the teams in this league can play defense.”
He didn’t say as much, but you get the feeling Strong doesn’t exactly respect the defense played in the Big 12.
KEYS TO THE GAME
With every blog I write leading up to the contest, I will include one key to the game for each team.
Florida: Meyer and the Gator coaching staff must overcome the loss of offensive coordinator Dan Mullen. Meyer has stated on a few occasions that he does not believe it will negatively affect the team, adamantly explaining that the Gator offense is scripted prior to gametime and that Mullen will in fact be present to call the game. Still, in preparation and scouting, Mullen will play less of a role than ever before and we will have to wait and see whether that will have an impact on Florida’s pregame scheming.
Oklahoma: To beat the Gators, Oklahoma must have success on the ground and, with the recent loss of DeMarco Murray due to injury, that may not be the easiest of tasks. And while Oklahoma did average over 200 yards on the ground per game, the ‘08 Sooners struggled mightily against teams that defend the run well: in matchups with TCU and Texas, Oklahoma rushed for 25 and 48 yards, respectively.
Janovitz can be reached at sjanovitz@scoreatl.com.
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