The BCS National Championship Game between No. 1 Oklahoma and No. 2 Florida is SO BIG that it has not one but two mascots by the same name Obie.
Why, you ask?
Well, since both teams arrived in south Florida about the same time Friday afternoon, an Obie was needed at both Miami International Airport (where Oklahoma arrived) and at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International AIrport (where Florida landed).
Both teams were greeted by bands and Orange Bowl dignitaries and received souvenirs and, of course, oranges. You expected bananas?
But not the kind of oranges you would expect, grown under the Florida sun in the soil of the Sunshine State. As the gifts and oranges were moved up close to where the American Airlines charter bringing the Gators from Gainesville would park, the tops of the orange boxes, emblazoned with California Oranges, were hastily removed.
But not before our Gator Country.com intrepid photographer Tim Casey captured the evidence.
That’s right. That orange you see Tim Tebow tossing up and down is from California. Ugh!
This, of course, was news to the guy playing Obie for the Gators.
“You having a good time?” a reporter asked him. Obie signaled he was with a thumbs-up.
“Is this a once-a-year gig for you?” the reporter asked. Again, a thumbs-up from Obie.
“Well, did you know the oranges are from California?” the reporter inquired.
“Really?” the guy playing Obie asked in shock.
Yes, really.