FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. — It must be getting close to big-time game time.
Wednesday, the J.W. Marriott Jr. sat in the front row in a ballroom of one of his luxury hotels to hear Florida Coach Urban Meyer discuss the possibility of becoming the first coach to win two Bowl Championship Series titles.
(Connection: Marriott graduated from Utah, the school Meyer led to an undefeated season in 2004.)
As for his place in history, Meyer joked: "I just worry about third down and six and make sure our punting [team] is ready to go."
After the news conference, four security guards escorted Meyer to the restroom and stood guard outside.
No. 1 or No. 2?
That's the question tonight when Oklahoma (12-1), top ranked in the BCS, takes on second-ranked Florida (12-1) at Dolphin Stadium, although most pundits give Florida the edge.
The hotel sports book here has the Gators favored by 12 Marriott points.
The outcome of this game will in no way, shape or form tie up all the loose ends of the season, but that's college football.
Whether tonight's game is even a true national championship can also be debated.
Three other schools, Texas, USC and Utah, have all positioned themselves for protest.
The winner of the BCS game will win the BCS championship. It's a shiny crystal trophy presented by the American Football Coaches Assn., and it must go to the winner, by contract, no matter what any voting coach says or thinks.
The Associated Press, which has put out a poll since 1936 but is no longer a part of the BCS standings, independently crowns a champion.
If Florida wins, the argument's probably over, as the Gators enter the game as the AP's No. 1 team.
If No. 2 Oklahoma wins, though, in a poorly played game, there could be an opening for AP voters to crown a different No. 1. Times reporters are prohibited by company policy to vote in the polls.
Texas would scream loudest as the only team that beat Oklahoma, the Longhorns being denied a probable BCS title berth because of the Big 12 Conference's tiebreaker rule.
Texas didn't help its split-title cause with a last-minute win over an Ohio State team that didn't even win a Big Ten Conference that finished 1-6 in the bowls.
Another problem: Utah and USC also won their bowl games, and they could siphon off enough votes to assure the BCS winner also wins the AP.
