Adams: Oklahoma better than Ohio State, beyond that, who knows?

MIAMI - Florida has almost everything you need to win the national championship in a breeze. All that's missing is Ohio State.

The Gators won their last national championship just two years ago. Thanks to the Buckeyes, they won it in a 41-14 runaway.

A year later, another SEC team capitalized on Ohio State's big-game shortcomings. LSU defeated the Buckeyes with relative ease, 38-24.

Following the SEC's back-to-back national championships, you couldn't have blamed the Gators for having crimson-and-scarlet dreams leading up to tonight's national championship game. In reality, they will get Oklahoma red.

How good is Oklahoma?

Answer: Better than Ohio State.

Beyond that, who knows? Since the SEC and Big 12 rarely mingle, there's not much to go by for comparison's sake.

In the only Big 12-SEC match-up, Ole Miss spotted Texas Tech a 14-0 lead before rolling to a 47-34 victory. Oklahoma beat the same Texas Tech team 65-21.

For the Sooners, that was a routine performance. They scored 52 or more points nine times while dominating every team they played except Texas. They posted basketball scores with ridiculous ease and ran up yardage at such a staggering rate that quarterback Sam Bradford won the Heisman Trophy.

Such dominance is nothing new under coach Bob Stoops, who has led the Sooners to a national title and six Big 12 championships. They have won 109 of 132 games, and won 11 or more games eight times in his 10 years.

And they seldom have cut it close. Sixty-nine of those 109 victories have been by 20 points or more; they have scored 40 or more points in 52 or their victories.

That's Oklahoma vs. the world. Oklahoma vs. the SEC is a different story.

The Sooners have won three of five games against SEC teams during the Stoops era. Moreover, they averaged only 21 points in those five games.

In 2003, Oklahoma scored 52 or more points in seven games and 34 or more in 11 games. But it only managed 20 in a seven-point, regular-season victory over Alabama. Three months later, LSU defeated the Sooners 21-14 for the national championship.

More recent scores also are worth noting. The last two weeks have provided compelling evidence that Big 12 offense benefitted significantly from Big 12 defenses.

Like Oklahoma, the Big 12's next four best teams - Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State and Missouri - ranked in the top 10 in scoring. And like Oklahoma, all four averaged more than 40 points per game. But in four bowl games, they have averaged 29.8.

That's not to suggest that Florida will shut down the Sooners this evening. This is clearly Stoops' most talented and versatile offense, seemingly capable of scoring four or five touchdowns simply by showing up.

However, four or five touchdowns might not be enough against the Gators.

While Florida hasn't played an offense as dynamic as Oklahoma's, the Sooners haven't played a team as balanced as the Gators. Florida is physical and fast on both sides of the ball. And its special teams give it an advantage against every opponent, including Oklahoma, which ranks 105th in kick-return defense.

Florida's balance was never more evident than in a 31-20 victory over Alabama for the SEC championship. The play of its defensive line, once regarded as a team weakness, was noteworthy.

Although Oklahoma and Alabama have little in common for the most part, both have outstanding offensive lines. Florida struggled occasionally against the Tide's strong offensive line, but it held its own more often than not. Never mind that it had only one sack. It repeatedly made quarterback John Parker Wilson uncomfortable with its pass rush.

Bradford presents a greater challenge. But if Florida's defensive front - particularly, ends Carlos Dunlap and Jermaine Cunningham - can win its share of battles with Oklahoma's offensive line, the Gators could be on their way to a second national championship in three years.

Florida 37, Oklahoma 34: Both teams are famous for fast starts. But there's too much talent on both sides for an early knockout.

It's more likely that the Gators and Sooners will provide the kind of drama and excitement that Southern California and Texas did in the national championship game three years ago.

Record: 226-65 (.777) overall, 140-123 (.532) against the spread.

Sports editor John Adams may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knoxnews.com.