OKLAHOMA CITY — Urban Meyer's decision to take a leave of absence at Florida, instead of resigning, has removed a potential distraction for the Oklahoma Sooners as they prepare for the Sun Bowl.

When Meyer announced Saturday he was resigning because of health concerns, Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops immediately was mentioned prominently as a candidate to replace Meyer, even as the Sooners were arriving in El Paso, Texas, to prepare for Thursday's game against No. 19 Stanford.

Meyer reversed himself Sunday before the speculation tilt-a-whirl began spinning out of control. So instead of fielding questions after the Sooners' practice about whether he had any interest in the Florida job, Stoops instead talked about the pressures of coaching college football, which Meyer had cited in making his original decision to step down.

"You just deal with it the best you can," Stoops said. "In the end, I hope things work out for him. More than anything, I hope he's healthy and he'll be OK. ...

"The stresses of it are always gonna be there. You either win them all, or there's problems. But that's the nature of what we do."

Oklahoma hired Stoops, then Florida's defensive coordinator, before the 1999 season, and the Sooners won the 2000 national title, launching Stoops into the coaching stratosphere. He's since taken Oklahoma to three more BCS title games, losing each time, including last season to Meyer's Florida squad.

After the 2001 season, Steve Spurrier stepped down as the Gators' coach and Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley traveled to Norman to woo Stoops, who turned him down. Ron Zook eventually landed that job. After Zook was fired three years later, Meyer was brought in, although not until after Stoops had issued a statement denying interest in the Florida job.

Stoops is among the nation's highest-paid coaches. His contract, updated in June, will pay him more than $30 million through the end of 2015. He was scheduled to earn $3.675 million this season, including an annual "stay" bonus of $700,000.

Stoops said increased media coverage in recent years has raised pressure levels for coaches.

"Even when you're successful, there's something to criticize," he said. "So in the end, that's just part of it.

"As a coach, I just always understand (and try to stay) very grounded on what is true in what you know about your program and what isn't. Just because something is written or said, (it) doesn't mean it's so. In the end, you have to know in your own program what the foundations are and be OK with it."

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.