Chris O'meara / AP

Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops isn't worried about his legacy: “Everyone is going to have their opinions on it. I’ll be glad to try again next year. If that’s the biggest burden I’ll have to bear in my life, I’ll be a pretty lucky guy.’’

All of Oklahoma’s magnificent offensive numbers will ring a little hollow. It’s still mind-boggling to think the Sooners scored 702 points in the regular season (the most in major college football since 1904 Minnesota had 725).

But what does that matter now?

You remember the last game. And that was Oklahoma’s mantra — Win The Last Game.

Didn’t happen. Now it blends in with all the rest.

When Stoops lost the 2004 BCS title (to LSU) and the 2005 BCS big game (to USC), Oklahoma fell to better teams.

This was a Sooner team that played head-to-head with the Gators for three-plus quarters. It created opportunities, but couldn’t cash in. More than anything, this was a squandered chance at finishing No. 1.

If Oklahoma had pulled ahead in the first half, who knows if the game might’ve turned another direction?

But it didn’t. And when the game was there to be won, Florida made the plays.

It makes for another long offseason. Stoops tried to put a happy face on things with a healthy dose of perspective.

“I’m very sure of what my existence is about, and it’s not [primarily] being a football coach,’’ Stoops said. “It’s about my relationships with my wife and kids, my friendships, my faith. I’m very aware of not letting it get out of hand. I do a lot with my family and I’m not going to put them behind anything. You can do both.

“There will be a [final coaching] record at some point, but I don’t much care what it is. In the end, hopefully, I’ll be sitting on a porch with the kids and my wife around me, enjoying the day regardless of what the record is. I don’t ever want to lose perspective on it. If you’re living the right way and have great relationships, you’re a pretty wealthy and healthy guy. That’s what matters to me.’’

No one questions Stoops’ status as a big-time coach.

But his reputation as a big-game coach has taken a major hit. Now it’s Big-Game Urban (as in Meyer, the Florida coach, who has two BCS titles in the past three seasons).

Stoops can only watch and wonder if one of his greatest opportunities slipped away on Thursday night.

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