SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. ? While he is busy preparing for the Bowl Championship Series title game, perhaps Florida coach Urban Meyer could find the time to send a note of thanks to the Southern California players and coaches.

When USC whipped Michigan in the Rose Bowl, the argument that the Wolverines and not Florida deserved a berth in the BCS title game lost any validity.

Now Meyer and his players won’t be bombarded with questions all week about whether the No. 2 Gators (12-1) truly deserve to face No. 1 Ohio State (12-0).

Yet when given the opportunity to gloat Tuesday, Meyer passed.

“I thought that was a great game,” he said shortly after arriving in Phoenix. “And USC looked awfully good. I think right now college football has some great teams and those two have played well and has no bearing on the University of Florida.”

That’s a curious stance given that Meyer argued last month, before the final BCS standings were released, that Michigan didn’t deserve a second chance against Ohio State

It appears Meyer realizes nothing good can come from prolonging the discussion and forcing his players to deal with the topic this week.

“It is a business trip,” Meyer said. “It is what it is. However, we are also going to enjoy the hospitality of the Fiesta Bowl people. . . .

“(But) we have an obligation to put a good product on the field. Make no doubt about it, this is a business trip and we will handle it as such.”

What did Ohio State coach Jim Tressel think about the Rose Bowl result, which proved the BCS had the right team slotted at No. 2?

“Florida, I think, earned their way in the game and I don’t think it has anything to do with the Rose Bowl,” said Tressel, who declined to vote in the final coaches poll, citing a potential conflict of interest. Always the diplomat, Tressel knows better than to say anything that might irritate the Gators.

Although USC’s Rose Bowl victory ended the debate about Michigan, Boise State’s incredible overtime victory over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl raised some interesting questions.

What happens if once-beaten Florida upsets Ohio State in the BCS title game? That would leave Boise State (13-0), which was No. 8 in the final BCS standings, as the only unbeaten Division I-A team in the nation. Wouldn’t Boise State deserve a share of the title?

The debate over whether Michigan deserved a rematch with Ohio State is over, thanks to USC.

Thanks to Boise State, another debate might be on the horizon, particularly if Florida upsets Ohio State.