SEC
East
Florida
| Georgia
| Kentucky
| South Carolina
| Tennessee
| Vanderbilt
West
Alabama
| Arkansas
| Auburn
| LSU |
Ole Miss
| Miss State
-
SEC Fearless Predictions
Aug. 30
|
Sept. 6 |
Sept. 13 |
Sept.
20
-
Sept.
27 |
Oct. 4 |
Oct. 11 |
Oct. 18 |
Oct.
25 |
Nov. 1 |
Nov. 8 |
Nov.
15
-
Nov.
22 |
Nov. 29
How are the picks so far? SU:
68-19 ... ATS: 36-43
Florida (11-1) vs. Alabama (12-0)
Dec. 6,
4:00 p.m. ET, CBS
And you said
there’s no playoff.
For anyone who wants a college football Final Four, or if you wanted
to see what the first round of a Plus One format would be like,
here’s your chance in what amounts to the most important non-bowl
game since No. 1 Ohio State took on No. 2 Michigan for a shot at the
2006 national title.
 |
|
National
Rankings |
|
Florida |
Alabama |
|
Total Offense |
|
17th 449.42 ypg |
53rd 370.83 ypg |
|
Total Defense |
|
7th 275.67 ypg |
3rd 248.5 ypg |
|
Scoring Offense |
|
3rd 46.33 ppg |
28th 32.08 ppg |
|
Scoring Defense |
|
4th 12.25 ppg |
3rd 11.5 ppg |
|
Run Offense |
|
10th 237.08 ypg |
22nd 201.5 ypg |
|
Run Defense |
|
12th 102.75 ypg |
2nd 73.58 ypg |
|
Pass Offense |
|
61st 212.33 ypg |
97th 169.33 ypg |
|
Pass Defense |
|
17th 172.92 ypg |
20th 174.92 ypg |
|
Turnover Margin |
|
1st 1.75 |
21st 0.75 |
|
Florida
Hawaii W 56-10
Miami W 26-3
at Tenn W 30-6
Ole Miss L 31-30
at Arkansas W 38-7
LSU W 51-21
Kentucky W 63-5
Georgia W
49-10
at Vandy W
42-14
So Carolina W
56-6
The Citadel W
70-19
at Fla St
W 45-15 |
Alabama
Clemson W 34-10
Tulane W 20-6
West Kent.
W 41-7
at Arkansas W
49-14
at Georgia W 41-30
Kentucky W 17-14
Ole Miss W 24-20
at Tenn. W 29-9
Arkansas St W
35-0
at LSU W 27-21 OT
Miss St W
32-7
Auburn W 36-0 |
|
Position
Ratings
relative to each
other |
|
F |
5
highest
1 lowest |
A |
|
5 |
Quarterbacks |
4 |
|
4 |
RBs |
4 |
|
4 |
Receivers |
4 |
|
5 |
O
Line |
5 |
|
3.5 |
D
Line |
4 |
|
5 |
Linebackers |
5 |
|
4.5 |
Secondary |
4.5 |
|
5 |
Spec
Teams |
3.5 |
|
5 |
Coaching |
5 |
|
It’s the flash-and-dash of
Florida vs. (gulp) a (double
gulp) old-school Big Ten style
team that (clear throat again)
looks very, well, Ohio
State-like in the way it runs
the ball, plays defense, doesn’t
screw up, and gets decent
special teams. But it’s more
than just a clash of styles and
talents. This is either the
official reemergence of a
superpower, or it’s the
confirmation that Florida, not
USC, is the preeminent program
in college football right now.
The Gators are going for their
second national title in three
years with head coach Urban
Meyer putting together a
dizzying array of athletes and
next level talents. This team is
far better than the 2006 version
that backed into the national
title and then kicked Ohio
State’s teeth in, and at the
moment, it’s playing far better
than anyone in America … and
it’s not even close.
Oklahoma has an offense, a
hit-or-miss defense, and shaky
special teams. Alabama has a
special running game, a
tremendous defense, and a
serviceable attack. USC has a
defense and an offense that
might be exposed as completely
pedestrian by Penn State in the
Rose Bowl. Florida is humming in
all phases. The offense is third
in the nation in scoring, the
defense is fourth in the nation
in points allowed, and the
special teams are the best in
the nation by a ten-mile-wide
margin.
In the 31-30 loss to Ole Miss,
the Gators had several chances
to pull off the win. A blocked
kick, overshot receivers, and a
blown coverage killed the chance
for a perfect season, but the
loss might have been the best
thing to happen to the team as
it got everyone to refocus. Tim
Tebow called out himself and the
team for not playing as well as
they should’ve, he apologized,
and ever since then, Florida has
gone on an eight game run of
utter destruction winning by a
combined score of 414 to 97.
That’s an average score of
around 52 to 12. However, the
question has to be asked; how
good were those wins?
More to the point, really, how
good is Alabama? At 12-0, give
Nick Saban and his Tide credit
for being the lone unbeaten team
from a BCS conference, but the
best win this year was over
Georgia. As Georgia Tech showed,
whoopee to that.
On the surface,
Alabama’s run appears incredible. Clemson, Arkansas, Georgia,
Tennessee, LSU, Auburn … before the season, who could’ve ever guess
that this schedule, an apparent murderers row of powerhouses, would
actually turn out to be a great big flaming suckfest? The same goes
for Florida’s slate. When all is said and done, last week’s 45-15
win over Florida State might actually be the Gators’ best pre-SEC
championship win of the year.
With that said, the winner of this game will get the utmost respect
and will be expected to bring the SEC a third straight national
title. If Alabama wins, there’s no more talk about how much the SEC
schedule it played stunk. The defense will be the 100% real deal,
and yeah, like Ohio State the past two years, solid all-around play
in a mediocre conference would all of a sudden amount to an epic
season with one monster win at the end of the long journey.
The Tide might not be pretty like Florida, but like Texas gets the
wrong end of the respect stick competed to the flashier Oklahoma,
Bama has been every bit as dominant as Florida; it just happens to
do more with the defense. There was the overtime survival against
LSU, but take that game away for a moment, and four of the last five
games have been decided by a combined score of 132 to 16.
Methodical, mistake-free, and as mentally sharp and tough as any
team in the country, this team gets it. There’s nothing fluky about
this run to the No. 1 spot in the BCS rankings.
Would an Alabama win be a shocker? A little bit, considering how
much national love Florida is getting. Would a close win by Florida
make Oklahoma, assuming the Sooners beat Missouri in the Big 12
title game, a big favorite in the national title game? Maybe. But if
nothing else, these two programs that dominated the early days when
the SEC started playing championship games, are probably playing
round one of an ongoing rivalry that could become the best in
college football. Alabama is only going to get better. Florida isn’t
going to go away any time soon.
In the end, this might not end up being a playoff game. This might
be the national championship. It might also end up being the game of
the season.
Players to watch: Alabama doesn’t have the nationally known,
household name who demands the Heisman spotlight like Florida,
Oklahoma and Texas boast. It’s unfortunate that offensive linemen
don’t get into the Heisman mix because junior left tackle Andre
Smith might just be the “most outstanding college football
player in the United States for 2008.” The 6-5, 330-pounder future
NFL multi-bazillionaire, along with left guard Mike Johnson,
center Antoine Caldwell, right guard Marlon Davis, and
right tackle Drew Davis, have been the reason why Alabama is
unbeaten and No. 1. In tight games, Alabama simply runs the ball,
because it can. In blowouts, Alabama simply runs the ball, because
it can. Whenever the offense needs something to happen, it runs over
Smith and Johnson on the left side and it always produces, because
it can.
The key to this game will be how that Alabama offensive line is able
to pound away on the talented, but suddenly thin Florida defensive
line. The tackles will be lacking depth, with Lawrence Marsh
coming off an injury and Brandon Antwine out for the season
with a knee injury. Sophomore Terron Sanders has quietly had
a strong year and will have to be an anchor throughout in the
middle. If Sanders has a bad game, Florida might be in trouble.
If the Alabama running game is able to consistently get past the
Gator front four, expect junior LB Brandon Spikes to clean up
the mess. With 80 tackles on the year, he’s been the leader and the
defensive star of the show. He’s big, fast, active, and soon to be
very, very rich as he’s expected to be one of the first linebackers
taken in next year’s draft if he chooses to leave a year early.
Of course, Alabama has a few defensive superstars of its own, with
sophomore middle linebacker Rolondo McClain and senior free
safety Rashad Johnson in charge of keeping the big plays
Florida has been living on to a minimum. McClain leads the Tide in
tackles with 82, while Johnson is second with 73, and each has been
a disruptive force all season long when they get around the ball.
McClain has three sacks and a pick, while Johnson has five
interceptions and took two back for touchdowns.
Alabama
will win if...
it controls the tempo and the clock. The Tide is eight in the nation
this year in time of possession, holding on to the ball for 32:33
per game. While the stat might turn out to be a bit misleading if
Florida starts hitting home runs and going on quick-strike drives,
Bama likely can’t pull off the win unless it’s going on long drives
that pound away on the Gator defensive front, while it needs its
defense to get off the field as soon as possible.
The key will be for Alabama to not panic if Florida gets up early or
comes up with a few big bombs early on. Over time, the Tide running
game will work and there will be chances over the second half to
take control of the game. No one has really tried to get physical on
Florida this year outside of Ole Miss, who did as good a job as
anyone of running the ball effectively. However, it’s all relative.
No one has run wild on the Gators this year, but Bama will have to
try.
Florida will win if... the athleticism of the Florida
defensive front gives the Alabama offensive line problems. The Tide
front five had penalty issues with false starts and holding calls
against two of the better defensive lines it faced this year:
Kentucky’s (when it was healthy) and Mississippi’s. The Ole Miss
defensive front held Alabama to just 107 rushing yards, and while
the Tide ran all over the Wildcats, Myron Pryor, Jeremy Jarmon, and
the rest of the front four won their share of battles.
It’s no coincidence that Alabama had two of its toughest games
against the Wildcats and Rebels, and it had one of its other nasty
games, the overtime win over LSU, when it had to face another
athletic, talented run defense.
Of course, for Florida, the game will ultimately come down to Tim
Tebow. This is his chance to push for a second Heisman, and with the
way he’s been playing since the Ole Miss loss, he might actually get
it with one more huge game. On the year he has thrown 25 touchdown
passes and just two interceptions, and he has rushed for 12
touchdowns over the last nine games. He’s making every right
decision and every right play, and for Florida to win, he’ll have to
be at his sharpest against the most talented defense he has faced
this year by far.
What will happen: Alabama will play well early on and will
weather the storm, and then two big haymakers thrown by the Florida
offense will open things up. Bama QB John Parker Wilson will throw
two key interceptions in the second half to turn a close battle into
a rout, making the fourth quarter all about the coronation of the
Gators as they grind out the clock with its own solid running game.
Line: Florida -9.5 ... CFN Prediction: Florida
31 … Alabama 20
2007
SEC Championship
LSU 21 ...
Tennessee 14
LSU outgained Tennessee 464 yards to 343, but needed a bid play from
the defense to win the SEC championship. Jonathan Zenon took a long
Erik Ainge out pattern throw the other way 18 yards for an LSU
touchdown for the winning score. The Vols had one last big chance,
but a fourth and four pass on the LSU 21 was dropped by Denarius
Moore. Their final drive ended with an interception. The Tigers got
two Colt David field goals and a 27-yard Demetrius Byrd touchdown
catch from Ryan Perrilloux, who injured his finger, but stay in for
most of the game. Tennessee played well with two Erik Ainge
touchdown passes with an 11-yarder to Chris Brown and a six-yard
play to Josh Briscoe.
Player of the game: LSU CB
Jonathan Zenon made six tackles, broke up a pass, and picked off a
pass for the game-winning touchdown. Tennessee's Jerod Mayo made 15
tackles and a tackle for loss.
Stat Leaders: LSU - Passing: Ryan Perrilloux,
20-30, 243 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Jacob Hester, 23-120. Receiving: Early
Doucet, 5-29
Tennessee - Passing: Erik Ainge, 20-40, 249
yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Arian Foster, 21-55. Receiving: Josh Briscoe,
8-79, 1 TD