Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
RALPH D. RUSSO
Associated Press
NEW YORK - Chris Leak isn't much for polls and computer ratings.
"I really believe that if you're winning games then you deserve to have a chance to play in a major bowl," the Florida quarterback said Tuesday. "That's what it should really come down to."
Leak and the Southeastern Conference champion Gators (12-1) won enough to earn a spot in the BCS national championship game against top-ranked Ohio State. It didn't come without controversy.
Florida passed Michigan in the final Bowl Championship Series standings on Sunday, leaving many to wonder how many poll voters picked the Gators simply to avoid a Michigan-Ohio State rematch in Glendale, Ariz., on Jan. 8.
Leak said Florida earned it on the field.
"To be able to win the SEC title (with) our schedule the way it was, that's a tremendous thing to do," he said. "We feel not many teams could have done that."
Leak was in New York to attend the National Football Foundation awards banquet Tuesday night. He was one of 17 finalists for the Draddy Trophy, given to the nation's top scholar athlete.
The senior is on target to complete his sociology degree in three and a half years.
On the field, Leak threw for 2,729 yards and 22 touchdowns this season while leading the Gators to their first SEC championship since 2000.
They completed their regular season with a 38-28 victory over Arkansas in the conference title game Saturday night, then had to wait until Sunday evening to find out whether the BCS standings had them ahead of Michigan.
It was enough to even make a cool customer like Leak antsy.
"Everybody was real anxious just to find out," he said. "It was kind of a nerve-racking thing. To just sit there and wait to know if you're going to have the opportunity to play for what you dream about as a kid.
"It was a big relief to us. All of our hard work, all the dedication that went into this season paid off. We have a great opportunity to play for a title, and that's all you can ask."