FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — You don’t see bulletin boards around college football teams much anymore. If Florida has one it will feature these remarks today.

“If you look at the three best quarterbacks in the country, (they) came from the Big 12, “OU cornerback Dominique Franks said.

That one came before Franks said he thought Florida quarterback Tim Tebow would rank as the fourth best quarterback in the Big 12, behind OU’s Sam Bradford, Texas’ Colt McCoy and Texas Tech’s Graham Harrell.

Safety Nic Harris didn’t even give the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner that much credit.

“Top seven,” the senior said.

Chirping from opposing teams has been around as long as bowl games. Sit a player down in front of a throng of reporters and his honest opinion is bound to come out at some point.

In Harris’ and Franks’ defense, they did qualify their comments for those listening.

Tebow’s 2,515 passing yards would rank 10th among Big 12 Conference quarterbacks. His 28 touchdown passes would tie him for fifth with Kansas’ Todd Reesing.

As a pure drop-back passer, Tebow hasn’t been much of a threat throughout his career. Tebow’s niche is being a good passer that can also run the ball like a bruising fullback.

If you’re a defensive back, it might seem be easier to get ready for a team that throws the ball about 20 times a game instead of 40, like most of the teams in the Big 12.

“We’re coming in and facing Tebow, and he wants to run the ball more. He’s predominantly a running quarterback,” Franks said. “So to me it's going to be a lot easier for us to prepare to stop the run than having to face a quarterback that might throw the ball 40 or 50 times a game.”

OU coach Bob Stoops tried to put out the fire when he heard about the comments following OU’s practice Sunday afternoon.

“Tim Tebow is a great player. We have great respect for him,” he said. “There’s not a lot of Heisman Trophy players who run around anywhere.”

OU defensive coordinator Brent Venables was also diplomatic.

“We’re in a situation to answer questions about how this guy compares and how the conference compares,” he said. “But it really doesn’t matter. It’s how you match up on Thursday. It’s not the SEC vs. the Big 12. It’s not the defense vs. the offense. It’s this team vs. this team, Florida against Oklahoma.”