COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - More than two weeks after its biggest game of the season, top-ranked Ohio State finally found out Sunday that it will face Florida in the national championship game.
The final Bowl Championship Series rankings had the Gators (12-1) sidestepping idle Michigan to climb into the No. 2 spot behind the Buckeyes.
"We've had this opponent in the shadows and now you can finally put a face on it," center Doug Datish said.
But some of the Buckeyes didn't care who they ended up playing.
Asked if he thought Florida deserved the No. 2 ranking, quarterback Troy Smith said, "I don't think about the No. 2 team; I only think about the No. 1 team."
The Buckeyes (12-0) will be chasing their second national title in the last five years when they play Jan. 8 in Glendale, Ariz. Coach Jim Tressel said it will be exciting for the Buckeyes to play a team from the Southeastern Conference.
"The one thing they haven't done is play against an SEC team," Tressel said. "They've played against the Big 12, the ACC and the Pac-10, but they haven't played an SEC team. I know they're looking forward to it."
The last time the Buckeyes played in the national championship game, also in Arizona and also against a team from Florida, was following the 2002 season. The opponent then was a top-ranked Miami team that many thought had too much speed for the Buckeyes. Yet Ohio State pulled off a 31-24 stunner in double-overtime.
Tressel compared Florida's personnel to some of the best the Buckeyes have faced in recent years.
"They've got the type of defensive speed and aggressiveness of the great defenses we've played, whether it's the most recent one, Michigan, or Texas or Iowa or Miami of Florida," he said. "Their style offensively, they're wide open and you'd better be focused and aware because they have a lot of different ways they attack you with great speed."
The Buckeyes also have some speed, with wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. among the fastest players in the country.
"I think we'll be OK," Florida coach Urban Meyer said. "I think our guys will be motivated."
The Gators won the SEC championship on Saturday night, beating Arkansas, 38-28. Smith said the Gators - and particularly quarterback Chris Leak - got his attention when he watched the SEC title game on Saturday night.
"They're an athletic team, all the way around," he said. "I'm a very, very huge fan of Chris Leak and hopefully I'll get a chance to meet him."
Florida's offense has revolved around receivers Percy Harvin and Andre Caldwell the last two games, helping pick up the slack for a running game that has struggled behind an inexperienced offensive line. And Leak, who broke several career passing records, also has made big mistakes that cost the Gators against Auburn and nearly lost them several other games.
The Gators, who boast two of nation's best in cornerback Ryan Smith and safety Reggie Nelson, will continue to rely on their defense, a unit ranked 10th nationally in yards allowed and sixth in scoring.
Linebacker Brandon Siler said the Gators were almost destined to play the Buckeyes.
"This is where Florida belongs," he said. "Florida belongs in the SEC championship game and winning the SEC championship and going on to play in the national championship."
It was the first time in the BCS's eight-year history that the championship matchup was a mystery heading into selection Sunday.
The Buckeyes' Smith-led offense is averaging 410 yards a game, while the defense is limiting opponents to just 10.4 points a game.
Smith said he relished the chance to test himself against another top team.
"I'm looking forward to another challenge," said Smith, considered a front-runner for the Heisman Trophy, which is announced on Saturday night.
Ohio State and Florida have never met in football. But Gators coach Urban Meyer has strong ties to Ohio and the Ohio State program.
Meyer, an Ohio native, was a graduate assistant at Ohio State in 1986 (tight ends) and 1987 (wide receivers) under Buckeyes head coach Earle Bruce. The University of Cincinnati graduate also was the head coach at Bowling Green in 2001-02, posting records of 8-3 and 9-3 before taking the head coaching job at Utah. Meyer is in his second year at Florida.
Meyer even picked up his master's degree in sports administration from Ohio State in 1988.
"(He is) a guy who has gone on and done great things and we always brag about those guys who are all over the country who have either passed through here and coached here or grew up here," Tressel said.
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
