Gator Bowl Tickets

2012 Gator Bowl Preview The Taxslayer.com Gator Bowl features the Urban Meyer showdown between his former team, the Florida Gators, and his new team, the Ohio State Buckeyes, on January 2 at 1:00 p.m.

While there will certainly be a lot of talk about Meyer before, during and after the game, he will not even be on the sidelines. The Buckeyes will continue to be guided by interm head coach Luke Fickell, who has already been guaranteed a spot on Meyer's staff.

This is a good matchup of two teams that certainly did not live up to the hype and preseason expectations. The Buckeyes are still dealing with the fallout from the Jim Tressel scandal and firing while the Gators continue to have major issue at the quarterback position.

Florida began the season with four straight wins, beating up on the cupcakes. Once the SEC schedule kicked into full gear, Florida dropped six of its final eight decisions. Ohio State didn't exactly end its season with a bang, either, as they dropped their final three games by a combined 15 points.

That said, both teams should feel fortunate to have landed in such a prestigious bowl game given the way each has played this year. It's a good chance for both teams to fight for conference bragging rights and possible build a little momentum into next season.

Prediction: Florida 23, Ohio State 21