Florida's James Houston IV on Oklahoma Bowl Matchup: 'They're Not on Our Level'

Florida linebacker James Houston IV has given the Oklahoma Sooners bulletin-board material ahead of the team's matchup in the Cotton Bowl Classic on Dec. 30. 

"Oklahoma is a good matchup, but they're not on our level." he told reporters. "They're not the SEC. They're not the Florida Gators. So we should put on a good show."

The Gators accepted an invitation to the Cotton Bowl after coming up short in the SEC Championship against Alabama on Dec. 19. They did give the Crismon Tide their most difficult test of the season in 52-46 loss. It marked the first time in 11 games that Alabama didn't win by at least 17 points. 

Oklahoma had to rebuild itself after a rough start in 2020. The Sooners were 1-2 on Oct. 3 following back-to-back losses against Kansas State and Iowa State.

Head coach Lincoln Riley regrouped his team to rally for seven straight wins, including a 27-21 win over Iowa State in the Big 12 Championship Game. 

SEC opponents have been a problem for Oklahoma in the College Football Playoff. It has lost to LSU, Alabama and Georgia in the semifinals each of the past three years by a combined score of 162-110. 

The Sooners' last win over an SEC team was a 35-19 triumph over Auburn in the 2016 Sugar Bowl. 

Florida ended the regular season with consecutive losses, including a 37-34 defeat against LSU on Dec. 12.