So, who's got next with the University of Florida football team?

Utah, you hope?

Southern California, perhaps?

Texas, maybe?

What do you mean season over, time to turn out the lights?

That was a workmanlike 24-14 victory over Oklahoma last night for Tim Tebow & Co., but, begging the Bowl Championship Series' pardon, it really settled only one thing: the Gators were better finishers than Oklahoma last night.

It reaffirmed that "Big Game Bob" Stoops, the Sooners' coach, has been something less than that in his last four BCS games. Especially with what was one of his best teams.

It reinforced that Tebow is a crunch-time leader and should have ushered Percy Harvin into the NFL Draft.

But as for certifying a true, honest-to-goodness national championship?

P-l-e-a-s-e.

No, that wasn't settled in one glittering showdown in Miami. All it did was whet the appetite for what should be the next game in an eight- or even 16-team playoff.

If there was a season that underlined precisely why there should be a playoff to determine a genuine national champion, this was it.

Florida (13-1) will get the trophy with the Waterford crystal football on top, but it doesn't take a crystal ball to know that Utah (13-0), USC (12-1) or Texas (12-1) has every right to stake a claim to a national title as well.

Our vote in The Associated Press media poll went to Florida — narrowly — over Utah and USC but we'd have no quibble with anyone who voted for any of the others.

We will, however, enjoy listening to the pained screams from USC and Texas. For it was their conferences, the Pac-10 and Big-12, in the cabal of six that foisted off the BCS on college football and slammed the door on a notion of a playoff. While every other NCAA sport and every other division within football has a playoff, what was formerly known as Division I-A, does not.

The carefully named Football Bowl Subdivision doesn't have one because the power conferences have seen what happened with the NCAA basketball tournament where the money is spread around and were determined to hold on to the Scrooge's share themselves. They set the rules, allot the money and send out the invitations. Mostly to themselves.

The Gators might very well be the BCS champions and best team in the land, but national champions?

Not yet.

From here it looks like there is still a lot more football that should be played.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8044.