By the time Ohio State plays Florida in the BCS Championship Game on Jan. 8, it will have been 51 days since the Buckeyes played a game.

And while many are concerned that the top-ranked team will have trouble with the long layoff, Heisman-winner Troy Smith isn’t among them.

“I’m the only one who has had time off while I’m in New York this weekend,” said the quarterback, who addressed dozens of high-school football players and coaches at the MSG Heisman High School All-Star Breakfast at the Hilton in midtown yesterday. “The rest of the team is back in Columbus, working hard. That’s what we’ve been doing, so it’s not going to be a problem.”

That remains to be seen, since no team has ever had to wait so long to play in a championship game, and regardless of how much coach Jim Tressel is making his team work, it’s not the same.