SEC Championship preview: Alabama at Florida

Now they’ll have to play probably their best game of the season, and then some, if they stand a chance at the upset over the top squad from the SEC West.

The numbers point to a mismatch of ginormous proportions and I’m not just talking about a spread that may be historic in its enormity by the time the game is kicked off Saturday. Teamspeedkills.com reported that Per OddsShark had the Crimson Tide opening anywhere from a 21.5-point to a 22-point favorite.

It’s not uncommon for one Alabama player to refer to another as a dog. He has named Alabama as his leader since April, so this commitment didn’t exactly come as a surprise.

Though Saban’s point is clear here, he certainly wouldn’t be the first coach dealing with questions about what it’s worth for teams to win conference championships – even SEC ones.

The ninth matchup between Alabama and Florida has something on the line. It should be noted that Bama has won three of the last four meetings in the championship game between the two schools.

But how has Saban taken an already prolific Alabama program into one that is head and shoulders above the rest of the SEC?

Remember after Alabama’s 2015 national title when analysts were speculating that the Tide might drop off after losing several outstanding defensive players? Despite a blowout loss to Colorado in the season finale – which cost the team a chance to play for the Big 12 title – the Cornhuskers played in the BCS Championship game.

No other team has enjoyed more championship moments inside the last big building in town without a corporate first name. But two touchdown passes by Tee Martin in the final quarter sealed the win and sent Tennessee to the first ever BCS National Championship game against Florida State.

The JSU Gamecocks, led by quarterback Eli Jenkins, will face the team that knocked Samford out of the playoffs. The Gators have seven championship game wins to the Tide’s six. Earlier in the game, Alabama’s “Star” defensive back Tony Brown – basically a third corner in the nickel package – had been ejected for targeting. But the Tide led by Shaun Alexander would not be denied in this one.

Colorado is 6-0 SU and 4-2 ATS over its last six games and is going off as a 7.5-point underdog in Friday’s game at Levi’s Stadium. Now is a flawless time for Smart to build a program that can be right behind Alabama. The Tide has also played the 10th toughest schedule in the land.

Receivers Tyrie Cleveland, who averages 23.9 yards on 11 catches and Brandon Powell also will have increased roles. Alabama was successful on the next attempt and the Tide came away with a huge 40-39 victory over the Gators.

Allen and Foster are two of five finalists for the Bronco Nagurski Trophy given to the nation’s top defensive player. Either way, it isn’t the winner-take-all mentality for Alabama that it always has.

This year’s defense has been even tougher to score against, allowing almost 3 points (14.3 to 11.4) and 18 yards (264.67 to 246.75) less per game.

Consistently coming up short in key moments, most notably third downs, was a death sentence for Florida against the Seminoles. Florida entered the game #1 with a ideal 11-0 record while Alabama was undefeated with an 11-0 record and ranked #2. So it’s going to be fun… just looking forward to it.

Those creatures from the crimson lagoon might be good enough to win a game if the Alabama offense got lost in Buckhead.

It’s just hard seeing a lot of points out there for Florida.

After taking home the Joe Moore Award past year, Alabama’s offensive line is once again up for the honor this season.