On Sunday night ESPN aired the Bowl Selection Show which listed all 35 bowl games and which teams would be going where. They mentioned that Ohio State will be going to the Gator Bowl to face the Florida Gators. A very interesting matchup since both teams are 6-6 and it’s a rematch of the 2006 BCS title game.
ESPN is coining this one the Urban Legends game since Meyer’s old team will be facing his new team. I like it and I really can’t wait to watch it. Both of these teams have new coaching staffs and young players. Ohio State will let Fickell coach this one and see if he can get his first winning season as a head coach. This will certainly be a real test for the younger players because they have not faced an SEC team this year. They’ll have to rely heavily on the senior leadership.
Florida on the other hand has Will Muschamp in his first year with the Gators as well as Charlie Weis, the offensive coordinator. They also have John Brantley, Chris Rainey, and Jeff Demps, probably their three best offensive game changing players. John Brantley is getting better at QB while Rainey and Demps just have to outrun the defense, something they’re very good at.
In this one I’m giving the edge to Florida because I think that they have too much speed for Ohio State to compete with. It was clearly shown in the BCS title game when Florida’s defensive line got to Troy Smith multiple times. Their defense couldn’t slow down Florida’s offense as well. Florida is a mix of strength and southern speed. Ohio State has speed but they’re in the Big Ten where it’s more about power. I can’t wait for the second round to begin.
