New Orleans, LA (Sports Network) - In a game full of storylines, the Florida Gators and Cincinnati Bearcats will collide in the much-anticipated Sugar Bowl on New Year's night.

Cincinnati is making its second straight New Years Day appearance in a Bowl Championship Series game. The Bearcats have won back-to-back Big East Conference titles and wrapped up a perfect regular season with a come-from- behind, 45-44 victory over Pittsburgh in the finale. The team is currently ranked fourth in the AP poll, matching the highest spot ever achieved by the program.

"To have the chance to represent the University of Cincinnati in a game like the Sugar Bowl that has such great history against an outstanding opponent in Florida is a real honor for our football team," said head coach Brian Kelly after the Pittsburgh win. "We look forward to a great game in New Orleans on Jan. 1."

While Kelly may have been looking forward to this bowl game at the time, he won't be on the sidelines for the Bearcats, as he decided to resign his post at Cincinnati to accept the vacant head coaching position at Notre Dame. Kelly's assistant, Jeff Quinn, was named the interim head coach for this Sugar Bowl, and even though he was recently selected to be the next head coach at Buffalo, Quinn will honor his commitment and lead the Bearcats against the Gators.

"The most important thing right now is our players," Quinn said. "This has been a tremendous season, but we still have another game to finish off. We will handle our preparations for the Sugar Bowl with class and distinction."

The story becomes even more complicated in that Cincinnati has already hired a new permanent head coach in Butch Jones, who led Central Michigan to a pair of Mid-American Conference titles. Jones replaced Brian Kelly at CMU after he left the Chippewas to lead the Bearcats.

As for Florida, it is making a bowl appearance for the 19th consecutive year, the second-longest active streak in the nation. The Sugar Bowl marks the program's sixth appearance in a BCS game, and the team knocked off Oklahoma by a 24-14 final in last season's national title contest. The Gators hoped to defend the championship this season, but a 32-13 loss to Alabama in the SEC title tilt on December 5th crushed that dream. Still, at 12-1, Urban Meyer's Florida squad has plenty to be proud of. The Gators' 22-game win streak, which began in 2008 and was snapped by Alabama, was a school record and the fourth- longest ever by an SEC team. It was the best in the league in the past 15 years.

Adding even more intrigue to this clash is the recent announcement by Meyer that he is going to take an indefinite leave of absence following the Sugar Bowl for health-related reasons. Meyer had originally stepped down from his coaching position, stating his desire to concentrate on his health and focus more on his family. But a day later, changed his mind and will take leave instead.

Clearly, there is unrest with both teams at the moment, which could make for some interesting developments on the Superdome playing surface this Friday.

In the only previous meeting between Florida and Cincinnati on the gridiron, the Gators cruised to a 48-17 victory back in 1984.

Cincinnati leads the nation in passing efficiency (166.19), and ranks sixth in scoring offense (39.8), passing offense (320.3), and total offense (464.3). The team has the good fortune of having two outstanding quarterbacks in Tony Pike and Zach Collaros. Pike, the senior, missed three games due to injury, but he has still thrown for 2,350 yards with 26 touchdowns against six interceptions this year. Collaros, a sophomore, has connected on 75 percent of his attempts for 1,434 yards and 10 touchdowns against a mere two interceptions. As a runner, he has posted 344 yards and four touchdowns.

Pike will get the start under center in this bowl game, and he will benefit from the presence of receivers Mardy Gilyard and Armon Binns as usual. Gilyard has recorded 80 catches for 1,150 yards and 11 touchdowns, while Binns adds 56 grabs for 859 yards and 10 scores. Gilyard has also scored a touchdown as a runner, one as a punt returner and two as a kick returner. Isaiah Pead leads the UC ground attack with 758 yards and nine touchdowns.

Cincinnati is yielding 20.8 ppg and 350.2 total ypg, and while the defensive unit isn't dominant, it has been strong in most games this season. The Bearcats are only allowing 3.5 yards per rushing attempt, and they have recorded 16 interceptions as well. Aaron Webster has intercepted four passes to pace the team, and Andre Revels is tops with 103 total tackles.

Florida is led by quarterback Tim Tebow, who is one of the greatest leaders the college game has ever known. Tebow, who won the Heisman Trophy as a sophomore and a national title as both a freshman and junior, has thrown for 2,413 yards and 18 touchdowns while completing 65.2 percent of his passes this season. As a runner, the versatile signal caller has posted 13 touchdowns and 859 yards, and he was recently named the SEC Offensive Player of the Year.

The Gators will be playing without Brandon James in this clash, as the standout kick returner and wideout has a foot injury. Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey have combined for nearly 1,300 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns, while tight end Aaron Hernandez and Riley Cooper have more than 1,500 yards and 12 touchdowns between them.

Florida has allowed just 15 touchdowns this season, tied for the fewest in the nation with Penn State, which has played one fewer game than the Gators. The 11.5 points per game that UF is allowing ranks third nationally, and the team has given up seven or fewer points in six games. Foes are gaining a mere 101.6 yards per game on the ground against the Gators, who are yielding just 3.1 yards per rushing attempt. The pass defense has been even better, as opposing quarterbacks have notched just seven touchdowns with 20 interceptions.

Standout defensive end Carlos Dunlap didn't play against Alabama in the SEC Championship Game and was sorely missed. His one-game suspension has been served and he is expected to be on the field against Cincinnati.