2012 Gator Bowl: Guide to Ohio State vs. Florida

It's official. After days of speculation, the Ohio State Buckeyes and Florida Gators will meet for the second time in five years at the Taxslayer.com Gator Bowl on Jan. 2.

Fans have already dubbed this the Urban Meyer Bowl, as the former Florida coach retired from the university one season ago, only to become the head coach at OSU last week.

Meyer was on the sideline in 2007 when the Gators stomped the Buckeyes 41-14 in the inaugural BCS National Championship Game. As of now, he's not expected to be involved heavily in the game-planning process for Ohio State.

Here's a full guide the the Buckeyes and Gators matchup in Jacksonville.

Bowl Information

When: Jan. 2, 1:00 p.m.

Where: Everbank Field, Jacksonville, FL.

TV: ESPN2

Payout: $2.7 million

Team Records: Ohio State and Florida each 6-6

Strength of the Buckeyes: Running Game

Ohio State's biggest weapon is their ability to run the football, and do so with multiple targets.

The man that makes it all happen is freshman QB Braxton Miller, who has started every game since Week 4, but lost his last three starts.

Running backs Jordan Hall, Dan Herron and Carlos Hyde are all interchanged into the lineup, and each brings a different element to the running game.

Having that many guys who can all run the football with effectiveness is something that the Buckeyes use to their advantage.

Strength of the Gators: Offensive Gamebreakers

Florida's offense, though it has been inconsistent in switching over from a spread option look to a pro-style attack, does have explosive gamebreakers.

Any time players like Andre Debose, Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps get the football in their hands, they are a threat to take it to the house.

Each of these players has dynamic speed, although they haven't been able to score at will like they have in the past.

Still, Ohio State cannot afford to look past these dynamic skill players.

Weakness of the Buckeyes: Perimeter Defense in the Back Seven

The Ohio State defense has usually been a very stout group that doesn't make many mistakes.

But this year, lack of depth at the LB position and an inexperienced group of DBs have been a recipe for disaster.

Teams like Purdue and Michigan, both of which OSU has shut down before, have had big games because they take the play away from OSU's good defensive line and essentially neutralize their impact by taking the play outside the hashmarks.

The linebackers have been unable to stuff the run or cover well, and the defensive backs continue to have their ups and downs.

Unfortunately, perimeter play is something that the Gators usually thrive on.

Weakness of the Gators: Inconsistent QB Play

As the heir to Tim Tebow's throne, Florida starting QB John Brantley has more than failed to live up to his five-star billing.

Hampered by injury and struggling to learn Charlie Weis' offense, Brantley, a senior, has thrown for only 10 touchdowns, four of which came against Furman in their second-to-last game.

Freshmen Jacoby Brissett and Jeff Driskel each have not looked good either, as Weis' offense has struggled to find consistent play from the QB position.

Ohio State's passing game may be much, much worse, but Braxton Miller has shown some flashes as a true freshman.

It's surprising, however, that Brantley has failed to meet expectations as he heads into the final game of an underwhelming college career.

Ohio State's Best Player: John Simon

Although the Buckeyes have a dynamic young dual-threat QB in Braxton Miller, their best weapon is lineman John Simon.

The junior from Youngstown is one of the most relentless players in the country and makes all sorts of plays from anywhere on the defensive line.

He, along with Johnathan Hankins, create so much havoc up front that most times, running backs aren't able to make things happen up the middle.

The lack of having a true pass-rusher up front really hurts his impact, but he is still a very dangerous weapon.

Florida's Best Player: Jeff Demps

The Gators big-play ability starts with one of their best senior leaders in Jeff Demps.

The track superstar has lit up the college football world the past few seasons by being just one of a few players that simply can't be caught from behind at full speed.

His yards have gone down from a year ago, but he has six touchdowns, including an 84-yarder.

Demps is simply a guy that defenses have to focus hard on every time he touches the ball because if you don't, he's in the end zone before you can turn your head around.

How the Buckeyes Got Here

Ohio State's season has been full of disappointments, both on and off the field, between suspensions being announced just hours after kickoff and poor coaching decision after poor coaching decision.

The highlight of this season came on Oct. 29 when Braxton Miller led a final drive against Big Ten champion Wisconsin, highlighted by a 44-yard TD pass to Devin Smith with less than a minute left to stun the Badgers 33-29.

The Buckeyes went on to win only one more game the rest of the way and have only won one game away from home at Illinois on Oct. 15.

OSU has lost its last three games, all by six points or less.

How the Gators Got Here

Like the Buckeyes, Florida has struggled after getting off to an expected strong start.

After starting the season 4-0, the Gators were rolled at home by Alabama 38-10 and were never the same since, as John Brantley got hurt in that game and missed some action.

They are 0-5 against ranked opponents this season, and like Ohio State, they have only one win away from home.

The Gators' last SEC win came against Vanderbilt on Nov. 5 in a 26-21 win. 

Prediction: Ohio State 27 Florida 20

Urban Meyer will ultimately cause both teams to come out with a little bit more motivation—OSU because the players want to impress their new coach and Florida as a result of players who are upset about Meyer's career move.

But, this is a game that is very much a toss-up because you don't know what you're going to get out of either team.

If Ohio State can move the football the same way they did against Michigan and Wisconsin, they have a chance to get their first non-vacated (see 2011 Sugar Bowl) win over an SEC opponent in a bowl game.

The Gators will need to prove that they can be mentally tough and stop the run. That young, athletic and aggressive Florida defense will need to be prepared for the full arsenal of what Braxton Miller can do.

If the game comes down to who is a better team at running the football, that will likely be Ohio State.

Follow me on Twitter @bielik_tim for more college football news and updates.