HOPEFUL FLORIDA FACES RELENTLESS TIDE IN SEC SHOWDOWN... 

     

CRIMSON TIDE WILL BE READY ON SATURDAY

    It’s been a rather quiet lead-up to the SEC Championship game. There have been some coaching changes, some coaches who kept their jobs, and the never ending question of where all those assistant coaches are going. Florida and Alabama meet in the SEC Championship game for the eighth time. The Gators lead the Tide four to three. I expect Bama to even things up. I haven’t seen a single sportswriter pick Florida to win. If one of the writers did, I sure missed it. Saturday is going to be a monster defensive match-up if you believe the so-called experts. These are the two schools who initiated the two division conference championship excitement or non-sense whichever you believe.

          All this started back in 1992 at old Legion Field in Birmingham.  That game set off a chain reaction that changed college football.  Alabama’s Antonio Langham intercepted a Florida pass and ran it back for a TD. That play allowed Alabama to play Miami, the most hated team in college football and beat the Hurricanes for a national championship.  It hasn’t changed that much since that first game. It might be Tim Tebow or Blake Sims who became the hero, but the theme was the same. Two football giants, packed with NFL talent, laying it all on the line for 60 minutes is the norm for this game.  Interestingly enough, the fourteen team SEC has only had six teams who have won the SEC under the new format. Alabama, Auburn, and LSU from the West, and Florida, Tennessee, and Georgia of the East have won the trophy.  Those schools have been the powerhouse schools in the SEC for quite some time. Alabama has been the pre-eminent power of the SEC and perhaps the nation for 75 years.

        Florida isn’t exactly a Johnny-come-lately, but it has only been in the last twenty years the Gators have added their chomp to the SEC.  Florida was expected to have a mediocre season, but when the season was over their record stood at 10-2. Don’t think for a second that Jim McElwain’s players believe they can’t win the game.  Still, the Gators don’t have the downside that Alabama carries. If the Tide loses, the season will be deemed a failure. If Mark Richt doesn’t think it’s all about rings, he couldn’t coach at Alabama. Since Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer, It has been roughly the same at Florida.  If you are an Alabama fan, it’s always the same. The fear of losing sometimes exceeds the joy of winning. When winning is defined as perfection, you are going to beat yourself up often.  Tomorrow is a huge day for the two schools and the entire SEC.

        I think that two there will be two opposite approaches on Saturday. Florida is likely to be full of excitement and hope. Alabama will reflect the personality of their coach. The Tide will be relentless. I think relentless will be hopeful by 17.