TIDE!! ! ! ! !

[1damnisaidso]

The Alabama Crimson Tide is 10 points dogs. I think alot of people are talking about Florida's offense and not enough about Albama defense. 11.5 a game folks. This is gonna be a 1-7 point game.

[UMDBookingRook]

then why is the line down 5 points since it first opened at -14.5? I've seen at -9.5 on some. Florida will be too much over the long haul of the game. Alabama hasn't had to play come from behind all year. They are going to get severely tested in that manner. Tebow vs. Parker-Wilson?? no comparison. Florida WHOMPS 'bama. Sorry tide. If this game somehow gets to -7.0, jesus christ, biggest bet of my life on Florida.

Other games you might want to look into :

Louisville @ Rutgers (Thursday)

Buffalo @ Ball State (Friday)

Arizona State @ Arizona (Saturday)

Cincinatti @ Hawaii (Saturday)

East Carolina @ Tulsa (Saturday)

Boston College @ Virginia Tech (Saturday)


lots of opportunity this weekend.....

[Raji]

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) -Florida receiver David Nelson pulled out his 2006 Southeastern Conference championship ring the other night, slipped it on his finger and wore it for hours - a tangible reminder of what the Gators are playing for now.

Nelson kept his national title one stashed away, at least for a week.

Believe it or not, there has been little talk among players and coaches about the Bowl Championship Series implications that come with Saturday's SEC title game.

They surely know the winner is all but guaranteed a spot in the national title game in Miami. But they won't dare mention it, and not because they fear jinxing anything either.

For top-ranked Alabama and No. 2 Florida, getting to Atlanta has been the main goal all year. It was what motivated them in the offseason, what they talked about in the preseason and what they played for during the season. It also will have a huge impact on their postseason.

''There's stuff going around that we can go to some big-time bowl I guess, a big-time game,'' Nelson said with a smile. ''But this is our goal. During the offseason, there's no talk of Miami, there's no talk of Louisiana, it's all talk of Atlanta. Everything we did was to get here. We're here now and we're not just satisfied being here.''

Few gave Alabama (12-0) much of a shot at winning the West, especially not after finishing 6-6 last season and then beating Colorado in the Independence Bowl. The Tide was picked to finish third in the division, behind Auburn and defending national champion LSU.

Second-year coach Nick Saban, meanwhile, was telling his players something different. He was convinced they could get to Atlanta, and it wasn't just talk, either. He knew the talent was there, and given that each of the Tide's six losses in 2007 was by seven points or less, Saban figured hard work, perseverance and a little more confidence would help them pull out close games.

The Tide are 3-0 in games decided by less than a touchdown and on their way to the Georgia Dome.

''It's probably better to aim high and miss than to aim low and hit,'' Saban said. ''I think it's important to have high goals and aspirations for what you want to accomplish.

''I think it's more important to buy into the things that it takes to be able to do that. That's what this team has done so well. They just didn't believe that they could do it. They believed in the things that they needed to do to do it. That's where their commitment, their perseverance and their hard work has paid off for them.''

Alabama is making its first trip to the SEC title game since 1999, when the Tide beat Florida 34-7, and sixth overall. Only the Gators have more appearances (nine).

''It's been a while since Alabama has made it back to the SEC championship,'' safety Rashad Johnson said. ''And to come in and be such a big stage with so much on the line, it makes the game more exciting for the players, more exciting for the fans.''

Especially for the winner.

The Gators (11-1) were the preseason favorite to win the East. But their attention was focused on winning the division and returning to Atlanta for the second time in three years long before fall practice began. It started when Michigan manhandled Florida in the Capital One Bowl in January.

''Getting embarrassed in the last bowl games was one of the best things that ever happened to Florida football,'' Meyer said. ''It's hard to say that, but last year's team was an entitled, selfish group. ... They got slapped on New Year's Day. That was the best thing I think that ever happened to them.

''They realized you better get to work. Most of you guys really had nothing to do with that '06 team, so let's leave it alone and try to create your own here. They've done that so far.''

The Gators are reminded of all the program's SEC success daily. Pictures of Florida six SEC championship teams line the hallways in the athletic facility. Those championship years are commemorated on a wall inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. And Meyer brings in former champions to speak to the team on a regular basis.

All those former players say the same thing: that to even be in the hunt for the national title, you have to win the conference championship.

That's the main reason Nelson kept his 2006 national championship ring in the box Saturday night. This week is all about the SEC title.

''We're playing for a ring, we're playing for Florida history,'' Nelson said. ''It's the reason you come to Florida: to win championships. We're here again. I got in my head that I hadn't seen that ring in a while, so I pulled it out and had flashbacks to that season and how it felt and the memories of that season.

''I almost slept in it, but I don't want to jinx myself here.''

Raji

[jtsneaks]

I want to stay far away from this game--the line opening so high ( I saw 10) shows me something right there. I do like the Tide defense, but not sure if they have dealt with the offense that Florida brings to the table, I may look at the total! Any thoughts on the total guys?




JT

[premiumplaya]

im not even thinking about touching this game...im gonna go with the oklahoma over HARD

[Raji]

You can’t ask for a better matchup than weekend’s SEC championship game. The top two teams in the country playing for the conference championship and a certain invite to the BCS championship game.

To properly attack this game we enlisted two Covers Experts who love college football. Ted Sevransky makes the case for No. 1 Alabama while counterpart Alex Smart speaks up for the favored Gators.

Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Florida Gators (-10, 51.5)

No respect

TS: The Crimson Tide are undefeated following a rigorous SEC campaign, yet the betting marketplace doesn’t respect them. Bama is catching more than a touchdown against the one-loss Gators. Major conference undefeated teams at this stage of the season should NOT be underdogs in this price range against anybody.

The super-star effect

AS: Reigning Heisman winner Tim Tebow can run over you with his legs, or unload down field to his playmakers. Last week, against a solid Florida State team, Tebow and Co. racked up 502 total yards of offense - in the rain no less. Stopping the Gators is like trying hit 20 Nolan Ryan fastballs all at the same time.

Key injury

TS: Percy Harvin, Florida’s best offensive weapon, is nursing a severe ankle sprain. He’s expected to play, but if the Gators’ leading receiver and second leading rusher isn’t 100 percent we can expect Florida’s offense to suffer significantly.

The numbers lie

AS: Alabama possesses the third-ranked defense in the nation. A closer look on how these numbers and rankings show us that Nick Saban and his Tide’s defensive stats were padded against some lower-level offenses, including five opponents who rank lower than the top 100 in the nation and only two opponents ranked in the top 50.

Strength in the trenches

TS: Alabama’s offensive line has three first-day NFL draft choices and another future pro prospect. Defensive tackle Terrence Cody is a beast and an absolute game changer. Offensive and defensive linemen aren’t sexy, but they make all the difference in a game of this magnitude, where the importance of winning the battle at the line of scrimmage will be paramount.

Balanced attack

AS: For all the love Florida’s offense gets, its defense doesn’t get nearly the attention it deserves. The Gators boast the nation’s seventh-best D and haven’t given up more than 19 points in the team’s last six games. The Tide 53-ranked offense has become predictable and one dimensional. Bama’s use of a slow plodding ground attack behind a huge offensive line will be easy to read and will be slowed by one the nastiest and fastest front sevens in the nation. It must also be noted that Gators’ run D, ranks 12th in the country.

The coaches

TS: You are not going to find a head coach in all of college football with a stronger track record as an underdog - dating all the way back to his tenure at Michigan State in the late 90s – than Nick Saban. The Crimson Tide were underdogs twice this year, covering the spread by a combined 45.5 points in those two double-digit victories.

AS: Urban Meyer has said his team is well prepared after watching game film of the Tide for the past two weeks. He is considered by many the best tape analyzer in all of football.

The Gators have covered all six games they have played against above .500 teams this season, winning straight up by an average of 39.2 points per game. The Gators win this game and they win it big.


Raji

[1damnisaidso]

To note Raji great write up but if you look at Florida's 7th ranked defense they havent played any high explosive offense either. And Ole Miss beat Florida. putting up over 30.

[thegrinder]

here are my thoughts on this game
Alabama has been winning ugly and Florida has been blowing people away thus Alabama is a dd dog, the perception is that Florida will win this game easily but these are 2 top teams in the country capable of winning this game, i predict this will be a close hard fought game therefore i will take the dd points and Alabama