NCAA College Football 2008 BCS National Championship Picks

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Fearless Rick's 2008 College Football BCS National Championship Picks

Rick Gagliano | January 8, 2009

All times Eastern

FedEx BCS National Championship Game - Florida Gators (-3, 72) vs. Oklahoma Sooners, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009, 8 p.m. FOX - While this game surely won't end the debate over which team is the best in the land (or silence the cries for a playoff system), it will eliminate one team from the glory grab as the college football season concludes.

Both squads went 11-1, won their respective conference championship games, and each has a Heisman Trophy winner at QB. Tim Tebow, who won it last year (and probably should have won it again this season) does the snap-handling for the Gators and can run or throw from his usual shotgun position. His counterpart Sam Bradford (this year's Heisman winner) is a rhythm thrower who was the primary reason the Sooners set a single season NCAA scoring record. Bradford played against some soft defenses as the wide open Big 12, but you can't take anything away from him. He possesses a strong arm, is deadly accurate and has great reflexes which allow him to escape from onrushing linemen and linebackers.

Bradford's abilities will be put to the test by the Florida defense, especially in the forms of defensive linebackers Ryan Stamper and All-American Brandon Spikes. The Gators will pressure Bradford and blitz from the corners or with safeties when they have the opportunity. Spikes, in particular, plays at a world-class level whether he's rushing the QB or dropping into one of Florida's zone defense schemes. If Oklahoma doesn't account for Spike's presence on the field, Bradford will have a long day in the backfield, unable to set and throw to a talented group of receivers.

Bradford has thrown for 48 touchdowns this season, many to his favorite wideouts, Juaquin Iglesias and Jermaine Gresham. Running backs Chris Brown and the extraordinary DeMarco Murray each rushed for 1000 yards this season. Murray is the main threat in the running game and shrewd play-calling by coach Bob Stoops and his staff must be employed in order to keep the Gators honest on defense. There's no doubt the Sooners have enough offense to compete with any team in the nation, but they are going to be overmatched speed-wise on both sides of the ball, as was the case in 2007, when the Gators ran over, around and through Ohio State.

For the Gators, their offense starts and ends with Tim Tebow, who is equally at home running or throwing. Tebow is one of the most dangerous runners out of the "wildcat" scheme, which is Florida's normal offensive set. And if he's not running it off tackle, he can pitch it or hand it to Percy Harvin, who many consider to be the best player in college today.

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Harvin is technically listed as a receiver, but he'll line up in the backfield or the slot, in addition to setting out wide as a traditional receiver. There is nothing traditional about how the Gators operate on offense, however. Urban Meyer is already regarded as one of the greatest innovators in the sport, having run his spread offense at Utah before heading to Gainesville. Since his arrival in 2006, the Gators have turned into a perennial contender for the national championship.

It's doubtful that the Sooners will be able to keep the Gators' offense in check at all. Florida has a variety of weapons beyond Harvin and Tebow, though those two are more then enough. true freshman Jeff Demps is a speedster with huge upside. Brandon James returns punts and kickoffs while splitting time in the backfield with Demps and Chris Rainey.

Oklahoma ranks first in the nation in scoring offense at 54.0 points per game while Florida is third at 45.15 ppg. Oklahoma ranks 3rd in the nation in total offense, averaging 562.08 yards, while Florida ranks 18th, at 442.38 yards per game. The Florida defense ranks 4th nationally allowing just 12.8 points per game. The Gators are 8th overall in yards allowed, at 279.3.

By contrast, the Sooners allowed an average of 24.5 points and 359.1 yards. It is that huge disparity on defense which separates these two contenders. Both are equally adept at scoring in bunches, but the Florida defense can run with any team in the nation and it is that team speed, combined with the hitting abilities of Spikes and the entire secondary, which can cause turnovers and stops.

Oklahoma scored at least 60 points in its last five games, setting another NCAA record, but the Florida defense should not allow that many. The most they gave up all season was 31 in their only loss, a 31-30 heartbreaker at home against Mississippi.

The Sooners have allowed teams to score virtually at will, as they were able to stay in front with their potent offense. They allowed 28 or more on five different occasions, but won all but one of those, also their only loss, a 45-35 defeat by Texas. Interestingly, the only other time they scored their season-low of 35 was against TCU, a solid defensive team, though the Sooners won that contest, 35-10.

In the final analysis, the Gators should equal the Sooners' offensive output, but will be demonstrably better on defense and special teams, which will provide a comfortable margin of victory.

Prediction: Gators 41 Sooners 27

All times Eastern

Copyright 2008, 2009, Rick Gagliano, Downtown Magazine. All rights reserved. Downtown Magazine is located in the Uinted States of America and is not affiliated with the National Football League or the NCAA. For more information, contact us here. Use of this site is for entertainment purposes only.

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