Last Updated on December 1, 2009 1:45 pm by drew
SEC Championship
Atlanta,
Unbeaten Florida (12-0) and undefeated Alabama (12-0). No. 1 vs. No. 2. High-profile coaches Urban Meyer and Nick Saban. Heisman Trophy hopefuls Tim Tebow and Mark Ingram vs. two of the nation’s best defenses with a spot in the national championship game on the line.
A rematch of a classic game to boot.
The Gators and Tide clinched spots in the league title game weeks ago, a precarious position for the stretch run. Meyer and Saban worried about complacency, but their teams remained perfect despite close calls and essentially turned Saturday’s SEC showdown in
Oddsmakers from online sports book SPORTSBETTING.com have made
It’s college football’s most anticipated matchup since
“I can’t think of a bigger football game that I’ve been a part of, that we’ve been a part of,” Meyer said Sunday. “College football wants this game. I’ve been hearing it for a long time and trying to ignore it and push it back. Our players have been, too.”
Now, they can embrace it.
The winner advances to the BCS title game in
This game has been on both teams’ radar all season. Top-ranked
The Gators needed a last-second field goal to beat
“To think that we clinched a berth in this four weeks ago and still took care of business when everybody kept talking about the SEC championship game,” Meyer said. “Just great admiration for our guys to stay focused.”
The Crimson Tide edged
“Great teams, great competitors are never satisfied,” Saban said. “They always want to accomplish more and achieve more and they are very committed to that standard of excellence. This team is going to have an opportunity again to do something that last year’s team didn’t get done. … I’m extremely proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish this year.”
Ingram, the SEC’s leading rusher, bruised a hip against the Tigers and sat out most of the game-winning drive. But Saban said he expects him to be healthy against
“I think he’ll be fine,” Saban said. “We don’t think he has a significant problem. Those things are a little bit painful, especially when you first get them. It was late in the game when it happened and he never really had an opportunity to go back in. But we’ll see more (Monday) and how he moves around in practice. But we feel like he’ll be fine for the game.”
Ingram was held to 30 yards on 16 carries Friday. He probably will need a much better performance against the Gators to have a shot at winning the Heisman.
Tebow appears to be back in the hunt for college football’s most prestigious award, too.
He accounted for 311 yards and five touchdowns in Saturday’s 37-10 win against
So the SEC title game, in addition to national championship implications, could be a final Heisman showcase for both star players.
Nonetheless, Tebow said that even though there’s a lot at stake, the game won’t be an all-or-nothing affair.
“All these great memories, if something happened, they’re not just going to go away,” Tebow said. “We’re still going to have a lot of great memories from this year. Yes, that game means a lot and our goal is to win the SEC title every year, especially this year, but it’s not all or nothing. We still had a pretty special season.”
It certainly would be more memorable with a victory. The Gators dominated the fourth quarter against
Sky-high expectations followed all season. They will be there in
“The expectation level, it felt like it was on you the entire year,” Meyer said. “That’s where the biggest difference was. The players felt it and the coaches felt it.”
Posted: 12/1/09 1:45PM ET