Florida will meet Cincinnati in Sugar Bowl

Florida will face Cincinnati in the Jan. 1 Sugar Bowl. Gators coach Urban Meyer is a former Bearcats defensive back and graduated with a degree in psychology in 1986.

The Gators (12-1) will try to rebound after a 32-13 loss to Alabama in the SEC title game.

Meyer was taken overnight to Shands Medical Center after Saturday's loss to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game where he was treated for dehydration and released on Sunday.

He went to the hospital after getting back to Gainesville following the game but UF spokesman Steve McClain said Meyer is doing fine now.

Bowl officials on a Sunday night teleconference stopped Meyer from answering any questions about the incident, allowing only discussion about the actual matchup.

Meyer called himself "somewhat of a Bearcat fan, being a graduate.'' He's attended the team's practices in the past.

After the SEC loss, Meyer was asked how the Gators will rebound from being out of the national title game.

"You're talking about the Sugar Bowl . . . we'll get this team going,'' he said.

Meyer said there has been no determination yet whether defensive end Carlos Dunlap, suspended from the SEC title game after a DUI arrest, will play in the bowl.

He said he was not sure if defensive coordinator Charlie Strong will coach in the bowl game, if he is hired by Louisville as its new head coach. He is the leading candidate.

Tony Pike's 29-yard touchdown pass to Armon Binns with 33 seconds left finished Cincinnati's comeback from a 21-point deficit and the Bearcats (12-0) beat Pittsburgh 45-44 Saturday to win their second straight Big East title.

Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly has been mentioned as the top candidate to take the Notre Dame coaching job but various reports have claimed he has told Bearcat players he is not leaving.

Kelly was also stopped by bowl officials on the teleconference from discussing the Notre Dame situation.

It's the Bearcats' first trip to the Sugar Bowl and Florida's eighth trip, the first since 2001.

Kelly said, "I want to congratulate Urban and hope he's feeling better.'' He called UF over the last five years, "the program you want to emulate.''

In other games announced Sunday, Georgia Tech is playing Iowa in the Orange Bowl while Boise State and TCU meet in the Fiesta Bowl, Ohio State and Oregon in the Rose Bowl and Alabama and Texas meet in the BCS National Championship.

Alabama is No. 1 in the BCS standings, followed by Texas. Cincinnati is third, TCU is fourth and Florida fifth.

The Bearcats just missed playing for the national title after Texas won the Big 12 on a last-second field goal. Kelly joked, "Texas is not getting a Christmas card from us.''

Fiesta Bowl director John Junker said his bowl also considered taking Cincinnati instead of Boise State but decided it wanted the team that would be able to get to Arizona easier.