BCS National Championship Preview, Prediction: Tim Tebow Vs. Sam Bradford

FedEx BCS National Championship Game. On January 8th, we will finally get to see the game we've been waiting for since the 2008-2009 BCS college football bowl season began! The 2008 Heisman Trophy winner, Sam Bradford, will lead the Oklahoma Sooners (12 - 1) against the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner, Tim Tebow and the Florida Gators (12 - 1). Each team finished the second half of their season's scorching every opponent they came up against ranked or not. Florida enters the game slightly favored over the Sooners, but the contest may come down to which team slows down first. Oklahoma enters the game having scored 60 points in their last four games while the Gators have put up some impressive offensive numbers as well to go with the five ranked defense in the country allowing 12.8 points per game heading into the 2009 BCS National Championship.

Oklahoma Sooners Trends Heading Into the BCS National Championship

Not only has Sam Bradford led the Sooners to four straight games of 60 or more points for the first time in major college football since Tulsa in 1919, but he has also led the team to 58 or more points for six consecutive matches winning by an average of more than 30 points per game! The Sooners come into the BCS National Championship having won seven games in a row and blew-out then #1 Texas Tech 65-21 in late November.

This will be Oklahoma Coach Stoops's fourth national title game. He previously led Oklahoma over Florida State in the 2001 Title game, but lost the BCS Title in 2005 to USC (55-19) and LSU in 2004 (21-14).

Bradford led all Major Division quarterbacks with 48 TD passes this season against 6 interceptions with 4,463 yards and a 186.3 quarterback rating. The Sooner's top receivers were Juaquin Iglesias (1,092 yards, 10 touchdowns), Jermaine Gresham (888 yards, 12 TDs), Manuel Johnson (685 yards, 9 TDs) and Ryan Broyles (661 yards, 6 TDs). The Sooners did have two running backs go for more than 1,000 yards this season, Chris Brown and DeMarco Murray, but Murray will be out for the BCS National Championship due to a significant hamstring injury.

The Sooner Defense will be a key to their performance against Florida coming in having given up over 24 points per game while the Offensive line will need to keep Bradford protected in order to execute the offensive game plan.

Florida Gators Trends Heading Into the BCS National Championship

Tim Tebow has been on fire since the Gators were stopped by Ole Miss earlier in the season by one point. By defeating then #1 Alabama in the SEC Championship game, 31-20, the Gators earned a trip back to the BCS National Championship for the second time in three seasons. Tebow won the Maxwell award for the second straight year (only the second player to do so), and put up the second best quarterback rating in the country (176.7) behind Sam Bradford. Tebow's personal stats were more human after his phenomenal 2007 season, 28 TDs, 2 INTs, and 2,515 yards, but the Gators are in the Title game this year when last year they were not!

The Gators will be returning dual-threat, Percy Harvin, who had to sit out the SEC Championship game due to a high ankle injury. Harvin had 543 rushing yards, 595 receiving yards, and 16 TDs this season.

The Gator defense is another difference for the team from last season. Florida was fifth in the country giving up 12.8 points per game, second with 24 INTs, and 8th with giving up 279.3 yards per games.

FedEx BCS National Championship Prediction

The Florida Gators enter the game as four point favorites over the Sooners. With both teams bringing high-octane offenses into the game, it may turn out to be a battle of the defenses which determines the outcome. Prediction - the Gators defense rules the day though gives up more than their normal amount of points and the Gators win the 2009 BCS National Championship, 35-28.