GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) - Jim Tressel spent 15 years in NCAA Division I-AA before finally convincing Ohio State to give him the coaching job he coveted most.

Urban Meyer took the fast track to the top of his profession, going from first-time head coach at Bowling Green to $2-million-a-year man at Florida in about a third of the time Tressel spent at Youngstown State.

Much has been made of the similarities between the coaches of the top-ranked Buckeyes (12-0) and No. 2 Gators (12-1) as they prepare for the Bowl Championship Series national championship game Monday night, two Ohio natives with deep Buckeyes roots.

They share a mentor, an obsession for detail and a passion for special teams. They talk about a team being a family and players being accountable for making that family flourish.

During the last six seasons, few college coaches have had more success than Tressel, who is 62-13 in that time with a BCS national title in 2002, and Meyer, who is 60-12. Both make more than $2 million per year.