It's a good thing we were able to find out which teams would play in the Fiesta Bowl and the Orange Bowl before the National Championship.

I thought I would find out at 7:50 PM if it would be Florida or Michigan. Four video montages, one coach interview, three commercial breaks, and 22 minutes later it was revealed.

Florida-Ohio State in the National Championship.

It ended three and a half months later with Florida and Arkansas, battling to become the best team in the conference. As the Gators stormed the field and celebrated, our job was done. Thankfully, we went out with a bang. A 38-28 UF victory. A wacky and exciting game that had seven points in the first quarter and 59 points in the final three. And it was the sound of the UF fans and marching band that ended the 2006 SEC season and our mission.

Glenn, Emily, and I enjoyed our time out here driving through the South. We need to thank all of the people in New York that made this possible and did a lot of the behind the scenes work that made our mission so successful. It was a great team effort that we'll never forget. Also, we need to thank the fans, SIDs, and all other people who we met along the way that helped us out.

As a way of saying goodbye, we've put together a "Best Of" list. Some categories were difficult and required an honorable mention. Others were considerably easier.

Enjoy.

In a perfect world, that's what we would be talking about right now, but the Gators and Wolverines will wait in anticipation to find out who travels to Arizona and who becomes the latest example of the BCS's problems.

"We're gonna enjoy this win and think about that stuff tomorrow morning," Florida receiver Jemalle Cornelius said.

As you look at the overall body of work, though, this game was a microcosm of the entire season. UF's run through the SEC has been marked with clutch fourth quarter drives by quarterback Chris Leak. He did it again today, taking the Gators 80 yards for a touchdown that made it 38-28. That was the final score.

Having seen South Carolina several times, I've been impressed with the progress the team has made this season. Now, we have to see the progress the program makes in the upcoming years. Losing Spurrier would have been a big setback. Spurrier is a good coach, and he is instant credibility for a football program that needs it.

With the coach staying put, I expect to see the Gamecocks playing in much bigger Bowl Games soon. I don't think they are too far from the SEC Championship Game. All year long, USC proved it could play with the best teams in the conference, and I think having Spurrier on the sidelines will definitely give the fans, and probably the players, confidence that the Gamecocks can win every game.

First, it was Heath Shuler winning his Congressional election. In a few short weeks, he'll be heading to Washington and settling into his new gig.

Now, we'd like to congratulate 1971 Heisman Trophy Winner, Pat Sullivan, who was recently named the new Head Coach at Samford University. The coach will go back to his hometown of Birmingham, Alabama for his seconnd stint as a college football head coach.

We visited Pat in October when he was serving as the Assistant Head Coach at UAB, and we're glad to see he'll be the main man on the sidelines once again.

Time will only tell which other missionsecfootball.com guest will be movin' on up.

We recently interviewed Darren McFadden. Did you hear that...Heisman voters?

But these guys are pros. They've been relaxed and confident all day, setting the tone for their players as the Championship Game approaches.

This afternoon, we went to the Coaches Luncheon at a nearby hotel to dine with UF and Arkansas fans. We heard both Meyer and Nutt talk with SEC broadcaster Dave Neal. Before the interview, highlights of every SEC Championship Game were shown on big screens at the front of the room.