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The Matchup: Florida (2-0) at No. 3 Alabama (3-0)
The Venue: Bryant-Denny Stadium
The Kick: 3:30 PM ET
TV: CBS Sports
Series record: 22-14, Alabama leads
Last meeting: Alabama crushed the Gators 38-10 on their way to the BCS Championship for the 2011 season. Trent Richardson ran for 181 yards and 2 touchdowns in the win Gainesville.
Coaches: Nick Saban (173-57-1 overall, 82-15 at Alabama), Will Muschamp (24-16 overall)
Last game (Alabama): The Crimson Tide steamrolled their way to 334 rushing yards and beat Souther Mississippi 52-12.
Last game (Florida): The Gators won a 3OT thriller against Kentucky, narrowly escaping with a win in Gainesville.
Alabama wins if: The running game dominates again. Florida’s defense is easily stronger than its offense, but if Alabama can keep that D on the field it’s going to be tough for Florida to keep up. This is one of the most talented offensive units Saban has had at Alabama, while Florida’s offense still hasn’t proven anything.
Florida wins if: They can win the turnover battle. It’s going to be tough to slow down Alabama’s running game, but if the Gators can hold onto the ball and get a takeaway or two it will keep them within striking distance.
What it means if Alabama wins: The Crimson Tide are still contenders for the College Football Playoff. The SEC West is deadly, so the Tide will need to take care of this cross-division opponent to stay in the hunt.
What it means if Florida wins: The Gators are truly back. The SEC East is wide open, and a win against Alabama would help put Florida at least in the front seat, if not driving the division.
A former freelance journalist from Philadelphia, Brett has made the trek down to SEC country to cover the greatest conference in college football.
