The Allstate Sugar Bowl figured to be one of the more compelling contests during the 2009-10 college football bowl season, pitting once beaten Florida against undefeated Cincinnati.
The Gators are the defending BCS national champions and have won two of the past three BCS national titles.
Former Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow – one of the most heralded quarterbacks in college football history – will be playing his last game at Florida.
Cincinnati is making its second straight BCS bowl game appearance. The Bearcats lost to Virginia Tech in the FedEx Orange Bowl last year and want the opportunity to make amends for that loss.
The story lines for the Allstate Sugar Bowl seemed to be set in the weeks leading up to the game, but all of that changed when a remarkable series of events took place effecting both team’s head coaches.
On December 11 – just six days after the Bearcats defeated Pittsburgh to claim the Big East championship – head coach Brian Kelly resigned to take over at Notre Dame.
Upon Kelly’s departure, offensive coordinator Jeff Quinn was named interim coach for the Bearcats’ Sugar Bowl appearance.
But on December 21, Quinn was hired to replace Turner Gill as head coach at the University of Buffalo. Quinn will remain as the Bearcats coach for the Sugar Bowl.
While the news of the coaching changes at Cincinnati made headlines, nothing compared to what transpired at Florida this week.
On December 26, Gators’ coach Urban Meyer announced his resignation to take effect following the Sugar Bowl, citing health concerns as his reason.
The news sent shock waves through the college football world and speculation began immediately about who might become the next coach at Florida.
But less than 24 hours after making his announcement, Meyer, after consulting with his family, doctor and Florida Athletic Director Jeremy Foley, announced during a press conference that he was withdrawing his resignation and instead would take a leave of absence, intending for a return to his head coaching duties next season.
Not surprisingly, the coaching situations at Cincinnati and Florida were drawing more attention than any bowl game, including the BCS national championship between Texas and Alabama.
The January 1 Allstate Sugar Bowl can’t come soon, bringing a welcomed relief from all the hype surrounding the coaches at both schools and hopefully focusing the attention where it belongs – on the field.
Despite all the attention being paid to the coaches at Florida and Cincinnati, it’s the players who will ultimately make the news.
For more great coverage of the Allstate Sugar Bowl, check out the Gunaxin Sports Blog Bowl.
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