When the Cotton Bowl matchup between Oklahoma and Florida was announced (December 30th at 8 p.m. ET on the ESPN / ESPN app), the meeting between these two teams at the 2009 Orange Bowl and the BCS National Championship Game was fun think back. Dan Mullen was even on the Gators’ sideline as the offensive coordinator for the last time before joining the Mississippi State coach.
It will also be the last time both teams have played in a national championship game.
Mullen is now back in Florida as head coach, hoping to bring the Gators back to the national championship bout. Oklahoma has been on the hunt many times since losing to Florida in the Orange Bowl but has yet to win a title, even after playing three straight college football playoffs earlier this season.
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So what can we expect from the 2020 matchup?
It would be easy to ponder insults first, considering what Lincoln Riley brought to the table as Oklahoma coach and how Mullen transformed the Gators over three years at the helm. But how the defenses prepare for each other could be the key.
Florida has defense issues year-round, which sparked speculation about Defense Coordinator Todd Grantham’s job security, despite Mullen saying Grantham will train in that game. Oklahoma has made progress on its defense this year, allowing only 21.8 points per game – the lowest average since allowing 22 points per game in 2015. And while Oklahoma is in the Big 12, the Sooners have not been as productive Offensive like that of Florida experienced this season.
Key player for Florida: Kyle Trask. No matter what happens to the Heisman, Trask had a record season for the Gators, throwing for 4,125 yards and a school record of 43 touchdown passes with just five interceptions. His development and promotion that season enabled the Gators to play for the SEC championship and keep their game against Alabama closer than expected. What makes him even easier to find is the path he took to become the starting quarterback of a school with three Heisman winners. He deserved it all and waited for his opportunity to begin – although at various points throughout his career it looked like it would never come.
Main actors for Oklahoma: The Sooners’ defensive rise this year under Year Two Coordinator Alex Grinch is in large part due to the success of their defensive front: defenders Ronnie Perkins and Isaiah Thomas and nose guard Perrion Winfrey. In just five games since his return from suspension, Perkins has lost 5.5 sacks and 9.5 tackles. Thomas is the team leader in both categories (eight sacks, 12.5 tackles for loss) and Winfrey has six tackles for loss. All three made the All-Big 12 team. Oh, and don’t forget outline player Nik Bonitto, who has 7.5 sacks and 10 tackles for the loss.
College Football Playoff National Championship Presented by AT&T.
Hard Rock Stadium (Miami Gardens, Florida)
Jan 11: 8 p.m. ET on ESPN and the ESPN app
College Football Playoff Semifinals in the Rose Bowl Game
AT&T Stadium (Arlington, Texas)
Friday: 4 p.m. ET on ESPN and the ESPN app
College Football Playoff Semifinals at Allstate Sugar Bowl Mercedes-Benz Superdome (New Orleans)
Friday: 8 p.m. ET on ESPN and the ESPN app
Watch matchup: Spencer Rattler versus Florida passport defense. This has not been a great year for the Gators on defense, and Oklahoma will be putting pressure on Florida high school with its open offense. The final question is: can the Gators slow down the Sooners? Florida allows 258.3 yards per game, ranked 100 in the nation, and allows 28.6 points per game.
X factor: No, Kyle Pitts. Florida will do without its biggest playmaker on offense after the close end decides to end the game and sign up for the NFL draft. It’s hard to blame him, considering he was injured late in the season and his performance against Alabama was out. But without Pitts, Florida struggled to recreate the consistency and usual red zone presence on a loss for LSU. Although the Gators won two more games without him, the question is whether Keon Zipperer and Kemore Gamble can move up one more time.
Motivation factor: Oklahoma is out of the college football playoff for the first time since the 2017 season, while Florida has now lost two games in a row – including a heartbreaker against Alabama in the SEC championship. However, both Riley and Mullen brushed off questions about whether their teams will be ready for the game. “It doesn’t take a lot of motivation to want to play in this game,” said Mullen. “These guys are competitors. So I think that having the opportunity to play this team in this game and you look at the opponent you have is the motivation you need to go play.”
