Like father, like son: Spurrier Jr. looks to top 'Noles.(The Dallas Morning News)

MIAMI _ With a chill in the air and mild sunshine beaming gently into the Orange Bowl, Steve Spurrier Jr. does not look at all uneasy.

This is the good life.

As the son of a famous coach, Spurrier has been on the fringes of national championship glory. But never has he been this close to it. And who would've ever imagined such twists of irony would have this Spurrier _ and not the other _ coaching opposite the Gators' bitter rival, Florida State, on this stage?

"I probably have a little more personal dislike for FSU than some of the other people at Oklahoma," the son confessed.

Thus, all the questions. Perhaps never before has a receivers coach been the center of so much attention the week of a national championship game. But here Spurrier is, comparing himself to his father, discussing his need to pull from beneath his dad's wing, and relishing in the success he has had after two years at Oklahoma. At 29, he is one of the hottest young coaching prospects in the nation.

Because if son can be anything like father, well {ellipsis}

"That's what you hope for," Spurrier, Jr. said of his dad, who defeated FSU for the national championship in the 1996 Sugar Bowl. "It flatters your ego. But coaching is a year-to-year business. I'll just strive to do my best. You never know what's going to happen."