The Alabama Crimson Tide will face off against the Florida Gators in the SEC Championship Game Saturday night in Atlanta for the conference crown.
For undefeated Bama, they need this win to stay undefeated and keep their number one playoff ranking. For Florida, who is 8-2 after a shocking loss to LSU last week, this is a chance to be at the top of the SEC for the first time since 2008.
When Alabama head coach Nick Saban spoke to the press earlier this week, he said, “Florida is a very challenging team, one of the best offenses in the country in a lot of different ways. In terms of touchdowns, scoring points, pass offense, great quarterback, and really good mismatch players on the perimeter.”
Florida has been an offensive power this year like almost no other, except Alabama of course, and are led by star quarterback Kyle Trask.
On the upcoming matchup against Florida, Saban said, “We are going to get challenged in this (SEC Championship) game Saturday in a different way than we have been challenged in a long time … so this will be probably the ultimate challenge for this defensive group this week.”
The Crimson Tide have been the best offense in the country by far, so the Gators’ defense will have their hands full as well.
Quarterback Mac Jones has been electric all year, throwing for 3,321 yards so far this season to put his name atop many Heisman watchlists around the country.
There are two other Heisman hopefuls in this game as well.
Trask for Florida has thrown for 40 touchdowns this year, which is a single season school record for passing touchdowns. The other is Bama wide receiver DeVonta Smith, who is perhaps the most deserving of the trophy based on what he has done for his team.
A lot of players could throw the ball to Smith, but not a lot of players could be on the receiving end as well as the Tide wideout has.
Smith has also broken a record this year. He has the most touchdown receptions of any SEC player ever. A conference record is a big deal in the best college football conference there is.
Alabama vs. Florida is a classic SEC Championship matchup. This will be the 10th time these two teams have met in the game that decides who is truly the best in the South. The 2008 matchup may have even been the reason for Alabama’s success under Saban.
“I think the 2008 game had somewhat of a significant impact on the program here in the fact that we lost to a very good Florida team. I think to play the next year against a very similar Florida team and win the game was probably a significant confidence builder that we could win games like that against good teams,” mentioned Saban, “I think it changed the culture in a positive way.”
Saban said that Florida is a really challenging game for his team, but they are looking forward to the opportunity to play in a championship game.
When asked about facing the Gators, Saban said, “It’s going to be a very challenging game for our defense. Defensively, they create a lot of issues and problems.”
While this is true, Saban knows his defense has been practicing against a similar offense all year long.
These teams are eerily similar in offensive production. The Gators and the Tide have both been averaging over 40 points a game this season. Both teams have also averaged over 500 total yards of offense this year.
These numbers leap off the page, and normally there would only be one team per conference with this type of offensive production. Especially considering the SEC hasn’t been known for their offenses until very recently.
The game will kick off at 7:00 p.m. CT on CBS. The Alabama Crimson Tide will be looking to go through the Gators to take the conference crown and get to the playoffs unscathed. However, don’t let the records fool you. If Alabama doesn’t come prepared, things could get hairy.
Overall, the Tide are the better team, and if they come in focused, they should be able to easily handle Florida.
Hayden Crigler is a contributing college football writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him through email: [email protected] or on Twitter: @hayden_crigler.
