All that offense doesn't reduce questions surrounding Meyer, Florida

NEW ORLEANS -- Florida scored enough points to last an indefinite leave of absence.

Or did it?

Only Urban Meyer knows for sure and he isn't saying. There was precious little closure after the Florida coach's retirement/leave/latest flip-flop was kicked off with a 51-24 kicking of Cincinnati in the Sugar Bowl. Florida fans came to give a proper send-off to Tim Tebow, who solidified his sainthood for Gator Nation. After that, well, Florida fans left not knowing just what the hell is in store for the future.

At least one prime recruit has changed his commitment to Florida State. You can bet rival recruiters are having fun spinning Meyer's little white lies (see: dehydration last month) into total instability. Who could argue? Figure in the juniors and as many as 13 key contributors could be gone if all the early guys go to the NFL. There are also two coaching vacancies to fill before Meyer takes his, um, time off.

To get some clarification we went to senior receiver David Nelson standing in a nearly empty Superdome afterward that was littered with sweat, streamers and some of Florida's recent strife.

"Oh, he'll be back," Nelson said. "He's too much of a competitor ... He can't stay away from the game too long. He'll sit back for a couple of weeks and he'll see the workouts and the guys he loves."

There you have it, that's as official as it gets in these uncertain times in Gainesville. Meyer reiterated after the game that in his "gut" he feels he'll be back on the sidelines in September for Miami (Ohio).

"I just want to make sure my family and health are No. 1," he said. "I've just got to get that right."

Until then, speculation is already out there:

• Meyer is taking a month off to get the program through signing day then returning.

• Meyer is taking six months off before returning in August. One recruit says he has been told that.

• Meyer will change his mind again and decide to resign -- again.

There are other issues to clarify. While he is on leave can Meyer even recruit since he isn't a part of the coaching staff? How will interim coach Steve Addazio do in Meyer's absence? On Friday, he was great. In his last game as offensive coordinator Addazio's unit produced 659 yards and the second-most points ever in the Sugar's 76-year history.

No matter what happens, Gator Nation will always have Nawlins as a bittersweet consolation prize after getting blown out by Alabama. Judging by Friday's performance, Meyer should fib about his condition and hold the program hostage every week. But let's take this one crisis at a time.

Before heading into coaching purgatory, Meyer made sure to feature Tebow one more time. Superman had it so easy you could have sworn he was auditioning for the NFL at the expense of what turned out to be another non-traditional BCS poser.

Tebow's 320 passing yards were the second-most of his career. Then they played the second half. Too bad Fox viewers clicked off all over the country as the rout continued. They missed one of the greatest bowl performances in history -- a BCS-record 482 passing yards and 533 total yards for Tebow.

God's quarterback played his best game in his last game.

"We wanted to score as many points as possible," receiver Riley Cooper said.

And to think Cincinnati was within a second of playing for the national championship. The Tournament of Roses and ABC would like to officially thank Texas for hanging on against Nebraska.

Florida will end/pause the Meyer era with perhaps the coach of the decade leading the program of the decade. The Gators have won two of the last four national championships, 23 of their last 24 games and became the first Division I-A team to win 13 games in consecutive seasons.

Let's hope the man who built this powerhouse can hang around his house a little more. The night of that Alabama loss 26 days ago Meyer took an Ambien, a prescription sleeping pill. Things got worse from there. According to the 911 tape, Shelley Meyer feared for her husband's well being as he collapsed to the floor with chest pains.

Only Urban Meyer and his family know if his absence will be temporary or permanent. (US Presswire)

Meyer can deny all he wants but that means we can speculate all we want. The whole episode had the classic signs of a heart attack. All the public got initially was that Meyer had suffered from "dehydration." We now know that Ambien is a really, really funky drug.

There is speculation that Tiger Woods may have taken it. Urban Meyer did take it. It hasn't done much for either guy's quality of life lately.

A University of Florida pharmacy professor told the Tampa Tribune this week that Ambien "is kind of a weird customer." It takes one to know one at this point.

Not to compare a serial philanderer with a serial can't-make-up-his-minder but there have to be some absolutes to take away from Friday's Distraction Bowl. Maybe the only one was Shelly Meyer's relief.

"It's been a really hard month," Urban's wife said, tears streaming down her cheek, "but I could see the joy on his face."

This was a disjointed Sugar Bowl from the beginning. Both squads were playing with lame duck coaches for entirely different reasons. Six coaches' careers were at stake at some level. Notre Dame's/Cincinnati's Brian Kelly gave way to interim Jeff Quinn, who will step aside on Monday for new Bearcats coach Butch Jones. Florida defensive coordinator Charlie Strong will be departing about then for Louisville and reportedly will take cornerbacks coach Vance Bedford with him.

Urban's legend, though, was the biggest. He left the building with some advice, direct and indirect.

"He better be looking forward to getting beat at some golf," Tebow said of his coach.

Earlier this week, Bobby Bowden wasn't speaking to Meyer but could have been speaking about him.

"I've been around coaches where their job means everything to them," Bowden said, quoted by CBSSports.com's Steve Elling. "I've always thought those coaches better be careful or ulcers or nervous breakdowns are going to get them."

Papa Bowden made it to 80 not sweating the small stuff. Let's hope Meyer makes it 46 doing the same.