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BCS breakdowns Dec. 8: Taking a look at all the bowl matchups, including how Florida will beat Oklahoma.

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Coaching
Remember when Urban Meyer arrived from Utah? Remember when people said his gimmicks simply wouldn’t work in the SEC?

Wrong.

Meyer has proven to be a brilliant hire. He has built Florida into the program it should be, taking advantage of its natural resources and its recruiting-rich potential. Best of all, he knows how to push the right buttons, when to get his team to peak and how to recognize the time to step back.

There has been a crisis nearly every season — as much of a crisis as there could be with a team that wins as often as Florida, that is — but Meyer has generally navigated his team out of each setback into a much better position. The 2007 season was a virtual no-show as Florida tried to repeat its national title — and Meyer knew it — but he set his jaw and made sure that lessons were learned.

Now we see the results. The Gators are back, one victory away from a national title.

Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops, meanwhile, seems to have lost his way. Whatever happened to Big Game Bob, anyway?

History lesson.

Sugar Bowl, 2004: LSU 21, Oklahoma 14 — Oklahoma’s Heisman Trophy winner, quarterback Jason White, had a rough, rough night.

Orange Bowl, 2005: USC 55, Oklahoma 19 — Matt Leinart lit up the Sooners for five touchdown passes.

Fiesta Bowl, 2007: Boise State 43, Oklahoma 42 (OT) — Upset for the ages. Everyone remembers Boise State’s comeback and overtime drama, but somehow it gets lost that Oklahoma came apart when it mattered the most.

Fiesta Bowl, 2008: West Virginia 48, Oklahoma 28 — The Mountaineers seemed wounded after the departure of Coach Rich Rodriguez, but they sliced through Oklahoma’s defense like it was non-existent.

That’s zero-for-4. Stoops was indeed golden at the 2001 Orange Bowl, when his Sooners defeated Florida State 13-2 to win the national title in his second season at Oklahoma. He has twice been defeated in the Big Game, and failed to get there a few other times.

It’s a natural theme, one that will be beaten to death before the New Year. But it’s worth remembering. The Sooners have been slumping. In three of Meyer’s four seasons at Florida, the Gators have peaked at season’s end.

We see Florida 38, Oklahoma 24. Not exactly an NBA game. But when you add up the crucial factors, the Gators will have enough points to claim another national championship. In fact, let’s call it a power point presentation.

The Gators have enough versatility to outscore opponents or throttle them. They have it all — plus one of the great all-time leaders in Tebow — and that means an orange-and-blue confetti shower awaits in Miami.

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