It had been 15 years since the Oklahoma Sooners had won a national championship. On January 3, 2001, the undefeated Sooners met the heavily favored Florida State Seminoles in Miami, Florida for the FedEx® Orange Bowl and the National Championship. Both Oklahoma and Florida State brought high-scoring offenses into the game, but it was the smothering defense of the Sooners that was the difference in the game.