MIAMI - As sportswriters and fans, one of the fun things about following sports is debating the implications of wins and losses and the legacies of winners and losers.
This BCS national title game between UF and Oklahoma is no different in that there are implications beyond simply adding another ring to the finger of coaches Urban Meyer or Bob Stoops.
Let's take a look at just a few of them.
Urban Meyer: The success that has followed him in each of his stops has been so immense he make Midas feel sheepish.
He's turned every program he's coached around, and with a win Thursday, he'll claim his second national championship in the last three seasons and in just eight seasons as a head coach. Assuming the Gators win, this places him upon the same level as USC coach Pete Carroll for the title of greatest coach of his generation.
And, yes, Gators fan, that also means that he would surpass Steve Spurrier as the greatest coach in Gators history. Spurrier is a legend and the greatest figure in UF's sports history - when you also factor his Heisman trophy as a quarterback - but Meyer doubling the Ol' Ball Coach's national championships in one-third the time gives him the edge.
The next step for Meyer will be proving that he's not just a short flare-up and that he can sustain his success over an extended period of time like Carroll, Stoops and Spurrier have over the years.
Bob Stoops: Oklahoma has been consistently among the top teams in the nation since Stoops' arrival and it appeared as if the Sooners may have had a dynasty on their hands in the early part of this decade. But embarrassing losses at the hands of USC and Boise State have Stoops looking like anything but "Big Game Bob."
Another national title - at the expense of the new big game coach, Meyer, no less - would restore Stoops' aura of invincibility.
Tim Tebow: At this point, it's no longer about making his name among his contemporaries; it's already clear - at least in my mind - that Tebow is the best player in his generation. No, at this point, it's about establishing himself among the premier players in college football history for Tebow. With another national title, he would hold a Heisman, two conference championships and two undisputed national championships. I can't think of another player with as impressive a resume off the top of my head. And that is assuming he doesn't add to his resume by returning for his senior season.
Tebow will face challenges, as he is likely to lose his two top receivers in Louis Murphy to graduation and Percy Harvin to the NFL Draft, as well as a senior offensive linemen Phil Trautwein and Jason Watkins.
Sam Bradford: Bradford and the Sooners have faced intense scrutiny in the past month. As a team, Oklahoma's BCS berth was questioned because of an early-season loss to Texas on a neutral field. Individually, Bradford faced additional scrutiny because of the Heisman voting.
Tebow backers were miffed that Tebow finished third despite earning the most first place votes, and Colt McCoy backers felt snubbed for the second consecutive week as they finished second to Oklahoma once again, despite McCoy setting a new record for completion percentage.
If the Sooners win behind another big performance from Bradford, then they can prove the right team and right player were chosen.
