Biggest factor that no one is lookign at is a possibility that the CROWD could be PRO FLORIDA?
IF that is the case FLORIDA wins this game easily-- if they have the support of the crowd also--
OU has never seen a team like FLORIDA speed and plays and A QB like TEBOW--
Florida has seen QB's like Bradford, he does not run, mostly throws from the pocket, they wil attack attack attack BRADFORD and this one is over--
OU offense works vs weaker defenses-- florida can stop their O-
playing in miami is the wildcard for me--
Can anyone find out the crowd support in this game?
I'm certain the crowd will be very pro-Florida. The people walking around Miami Beach in their Florida gear are vastly outnumbering the Oklahoma people from what I've seen.
Also check this article from the Miami Herald
http://www.miamiherald.com/business/story/840737.html
Deflation has hit college football's championship game.
Hosting Thursday's showdown between the Florida Gators and the Oklahoma Sooners is providing South Florida with a boost amid a soft tourist season. But brokers report tickets are selling for as much as half off compared to last year's title match.
The economy shares some of the blame for the lower prices, which at about $600 apiece for cheap seats are not exactly a post-holiday bargain. The matchup itself has also cut into demand for South Florida's first official BCS championship.
''The Oklahoma side of the game has changed the dynamics dramatically,'' said Sean Pate, public relations director for ticket seller stubhub.com. ``Interest for the game has been limited from the Oklahoma side to a small cross section of people in the Midwest.''
The average price for a BCS ticket on stubhub.com hit $680 this week, compared with the $1,360 average price for last year's BCS championship between Louisiana State and Ohio State in New Orleans.
That game also featured a hometown favorite expected to drive strong ticket demand.
But Oklahoma doesn't seem to be matching Ohio State's ability to draw deep-pocketed fans from across the country.
Only 4 percent of BCS tickets from the stubhub site went to customers in Oklahoma, compared with 57 percent in Florida.
Such dismissive statistics do not sit well with Jerry Sheets and Paul St. John, who donned Oklahoma red for lunch on Ocean Drive Wednesday.
Oklahoma fans weren't easy to find -- two college-age women stopped to say how happy they were to see fellow Sooners -- but the two Houston residents weren't worried.
''Oklahoma travels well. You know that,'' Sheets said. Added St. John: ``I talked to a friend who's on a plane that just arrived, and he said it was full of Sooner fans.''
Both were lucky enough to pay the $175 face value for their tickets -- a relative steal for a game where fans often pay three, four or even five times that.
Mark Savidge, a Chicago ticket broker who put his cellphone number on fliers throughout South Beach, said fans are paying between $500 and $2,000 for BCS tickets.
That's about 15 percent less than a year ago in New Orleans. But it's far better than he expected, given Florida and Oklahoma's recent appearances in championship games and the sour economy.
''I would have thought this year would have been $200 to get in,'' he said. ``It's nowhere near that low.''
With a national title at stake and thousands of Gator alumni nearby, ticket brokers promise packed stands for the sold-out game at Dolphin Stadium.
As BCS ticket resale prices dropped, more fans and brokers have jumped in to buy and sell. Pate said the site saw sales volume nearly triple over last year.
But without two pools of fans competing aggressively for tickets, prices have dropped quicker in the resale market than in other big college games this year.
Rose Bowl tickets were selling for 13 percent off 2008 prices on stubhub, and the Sugar Bowl saw a 15 percent decline. The Orange Bowl saw prices plunge 54 percent, Pate said.
Despite tourism taking a beating in the economy, hotel bookings in Miami Beach are up this week compared with a year ago -- a windfall credited to visiting BCS ticket holders.
''Almost every hotel I know of is sold out,'' said Robert Lacle, general manager of the Doubletree Grand in downtown Miami. The Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau said a recent survey of Miami Beach hotels showed occupancy spiked this week compared with a year ago.
But by Saturday, occupancy is projected to fall slightly below 2008 levels -- a sign that many Gator fans are heading home as quickly as possible.
''Some are literally coming in on Thursday, and leaving on Friday,'' said Aaron Resnick, a Florida law school graduate hosting a Gator bash at South Beach's Mansion nightclub Wednesday night. ``I'm a little surprised at how many people are doing that.''
opcorn:
