DOUBT is a new movie which addresses the problem of uncertainty in a world which yearns for absolutes. It’s a human condition evidenced all the more by college football fans accentuated by the ambiguities of our BCS system and spurred on by deep-seeded questions digging at the very core of what makes a fan a fan.

    One of the points of the movie is that “doubt” can be just as strong of a community unifier as certainty. In the case of the upcoming BCS championship game between the Oklahoma and Florida Universities, two communities with huge chips on their shoulders clash in a delirium of doubt.

    One of those communities is the S.E.C. representing the Deep South, taking pride in their football while being looked down on by the rest of the country. The other community, Oklahoma, also uses pride in their football as a balm to soothe dust bowl sensibilities and coastal slights.

    Okay, let’s run through the doubts. Both teams have quarterbacks proven to be the best in the land. Florida’s QB, Tim Tebow, is a 245 pound behemoth, but always has his potential as a pro prospect questioned. Oklahoma’s QB, Sam Bradford, won the Heisman and just about every other honor a player could attain but is discredited, at times, because his offensive line is so good. OU, with perhaps the best college offense ever, is being questioned by SEC proponents as being in a conference with inferior defenses. UF, with a truly dominant defense is being questioned by the Big 12 proponents as being in a conference with inferior offenses. Big 12 fans also point to the fact that it’s hard to measure the relative strength of SEC teams because they rarely play good non-conference opponents during regular season. SEC fans counter that their teams have good bowl records, something OU does not, having lost their previous four BCS games.

    You want more questions? Two of OU’s starters are hurt and will miss the game. UF’s offensive coordinator was hired to be head coach at Mississippi State. OU has a lousy kicking game and even worse kick-off special teams, something in which Florida excels. OU fans say “Boomer-Sooner” a lot. Florida fans wear jorts. Both sets of fans say they have no doubts and are absolutely sure their team will prevail. Fans of college football say no matter who wins this game, maybe the most anticipated in the last five years, the winner will still be a mythical national champion because of a lack of a playoff system. This game is laden in doubt.

    That’s what communities relish in when they gather together, no real true answers. And if there were, a lot of the fun would be missing. Is Notre Dame really his coaching dream job, as Urban Meyer, coach of Florida says? Can Bob Stoops recapture the title “Big Game Bob” or does he have to live even longer with “Medium Game Bob”? Can Bob Mullen, new head coach at Mississippi State, really call the right plays and get his head in this game AND make sure his recruits at Miss State don’t bolt? Will Sam Bradford’s broken left hand be healed in time? Will OU’s third team middle linebacker learn the plays quickly enough to be effective? Will Tim Tebow set up a temporary clinic in an extra dressing room to minister at halftime to South American natives in need of medical attention and circumcisions? Will Sam Bradford make any type of dent in the mountain of footballs to autograph piled up behind the bench? Will OU fans remark on how much South Beach has changed on this, their 19th bowl trip to Miami? Will the Northern Florida redneck fans think they’ve traveled to a different country when they encounter the cultural diversity of Miami? Will these questions be answered? Doubt it.