There were so many who felt that a rematch between Ohio State and Michigan should have come to fruition, but after Michigan's poor play against USC in last week's Rose Bowl, it looks like the BCS has things right. The Gators and Buckeyes will meet for the National Championship on January 8 th in Glendale, Arizona.
Any questions surrounding the Buckeyes were answered during the second week of the season, when they traveled to Austin and limited the defending national champions to just a touchdown in a 24-7 win. The victory over Texas provided Ohio State with the confidence it needed to survive a difficult September and set up a run to the national championship game.
This Florida team closely resembles the Ohio State team that won the national championship in 2002. Like the Buckeyes four years ago, Florida has a few ugly wins this year, but they all count just the same. The Gators will be heavy underdogs and they'll need their defense to keep them in the game, since the offense has been inconsistent this year.
The Buckeyes haven't faced a defense yet this year that can cover all their receivers, and they probably won't in the title game, either. Ohio State can throw four or five receivers on the field at once and QB Troy Smith is comfortable throwing to any of them. On top of that, Antonio Pittman has gone over 1,000 rushing yards for the second straight year.
The ability to create turnovers has made Ohio State's defense one of the best in the country. The Buckeyes replaced nine starters from the 2005 defense, but the consistent pass rush, the emergence of LB James Laurinaitis and the stellar play of the defensive line has made this unit very formidable. And playing with an offense that can easily score five touchdowns just gives the defense that much more freedom to play aggressively.
Freshman PK Aaron Pettrey hasn't had to make a pressure kick all year, but after some early struggles, he's been consistently good. Ted Ginn is perhaps the most dangerous punt returner in the country, but for whatever reason he hasn't been as explosive on kickoff returns. The Buckeyes rank 84th in the country in kickoff returns, averaging less than 20 yards per return.
Ohio State seems unbeatable in big games, given the combination of Jim Tressel and Troy Smith. That combination has beaten Michigan (twice), Notre Dame and Texas over the last two years. There's no reason to think this championship game will be any different.
After a 27-17 loss at Auburn on Oct. 14 gave the Gators their only loss, they spent an open date getting their heads on straight and preparing for a stretch run that started with Georgia on Oct. 28. The Gators won that game 21-14, establishing a dangerous but effective and resilient habit of winning close games down the stretch.
Ohio State QB Troy Smith and his receivers vs. the Florida secondary is one of the biggest matchups to watch in this game. The Buckeyes are averaging 410 yards per game, and two Florida DBs, CB Ryan Smith and FS Reggie Nelson, have combined to intercept 14 passes, including six against top-25 opponents, but the Gators have still looked vulnerable at times in the secondary and will face the most dangerous passing attack they've faced all season.
Florida's defense has been young and inconsistent in recent years but has grown up and improved this season, with leadership from LBs Brandon Siler and Earl Everett and DT Ray McDonald and the emergence of FS Reggie Nelson and CB Ryan Smith. The Gators lead the SEC in stopping the run, allowing only 74.5 rushing yards per game. They've struggled at times against the pass this season, but at the same time they lead the SEC with 20 interceptions and rank fourth in the SEC with 29 sacks. They'll need plenty of pass rush to contain Ohio State QB Troy Smith, but that pressure can be hard to come by when a depleted defensive line gets tired.
The Gators have plenty of weapons on offense with QBs Chris Leak and Tim Tebow, TB DeShawn Wynn, and WRs Percy Harvin, Andre Caldwell and Dallas Baker, among others, but the Gators have concerns about a young offensive line with depth problems. It also doesn't help that Wynn has been limited by a chronic injury or that Harvin has had to overcome a high ankle sprain that limited his availability and productivity throughout most of the season. The Gators have put it all together for a quarter here or a quarter there, but they've to do it on a consistent basis for an entire game. On the plus side, Leak has shown an ability to come through with clutch plays in recent games, Baker has become a go-to big-play receiver and Harvin looked sharp as a runner and receiver in the SEC championship game as the Gators went deep into their bag of tricks for big plays.
Florida K Chris Hetland has struggled all season with field goals and extra points and would have lost his job if someone else had stepped forward to claim it. He finally regained some confidence with a positive performance in the SEC championship game, but he still has a lot to prove. Florida has been among the SEC's best in punt and kickoff coverage this season, and freshman RB Brandon James has proved to be a dangerous return specialist.
Florida's Urban Meyer has done an excellent job in his six seasons as a head coach, two at Bowling Green, two at Utah and two at Florida, and his staff has shown an impressive ability to lead, motivate and adjust to meet the needs of the team. However, Ohio State coach Jim Tressel and his staff already know what it's like to win a championship, having won the national title in 2002 by beating Miami in the Fiesta Bowl.
While Ohio State has had a relatively easy road to the national championship game with a series of easy wins sandwiched by big wins against two No. 2 teams, Texas and Michigan, the Gators have had to fight for nearly every win and come back from a midseason loss at Auburn. So what does all that mean? Ohio State could be overconfident and unprepared for such a feisty opponent, or the Buckeyes could be supremely confident and ready to prove themselves on the nation's biggest college football stage. Florida could be just scrappy enough to pull out another close win but could also be one or two big mistakes away from falling off its tightrope .
Douglas Kroll can be reached at dckroll@hotmail.com
