As stated above, I originally wrote this article on 12/06/2009 just after Alabama's dismantling of the Florida Gators in the SEC Championship game. What I saw then was the possibility of Florida playing Alabama a possible six times in a four year period in which Nick Saban's uber-stingy defense would play chess with Urban Meyer's innovative offense. I saw the supposed upcoming battles combined with the two previous matchups, ('08 and '09) as a real life battle for SEC supremacy. This "would be" historic rivalry looks to be derailed with Meyer's retirement and neither Florida nor Alabama making it back to the SEC Championship game in 2010.
Starting last year, the battle for the SEC began. Florida took it to Alabama and owned the fourth quarter. Alabama wanted this matchup for a year. They wanted to get to this game and they specifically wanted the fourth quarter. Tonight, though the Battle for the SEC would be knotted up at 1 game a piece, tonight, Alabama sent a message that this would not be a conference that Florida would solely dominate. Tonight, Alabama notified Florida that there was a new rivalry for the Gators and one in which Florida wasn't guaranteed to dominate. Tonight what had been a dynasty like the Chicago Bulls in the 90s became a battle of Dynasties like the 49ers vs the Cowboys in the 90s. Tonight Urban Meyer's Gators allowed the most rushing yards they had ever allowed. Tonight, the #1 Defense in the Nation conceded 490 total yards, the second most ever under Urban Meyer's Gators. Tonight Florida suffered their worst defeat under Urban Meyer since . . . 2005 when Alabama beat Florida 31-3, a game in which high school senior Tim Tebow was visiting Tuscaloosa and after the game Alabama fans were chanting Tebow's name.
I'm not gloating. I think Urban Meyer is one of the classiest and great coaches in the SEC. Tim Tebow is the only player of a rival SEC team I have ever loved like one of my own. The importance of tonight isn't so much "Yeah Alabama." Tonight we are possibly seeing the birth of a rivalry that we will all fondly remember fifty years if we live that long, (I'll only be 90).
I mention the above stats for a simple reason. For the first time in a very long time, Florida faced a team that was clearly as good as they were and clearly could punch them in the mouth. Yes, Florida has lost other games but those were "upsets." This was an upset only on paper. Alabama didn't have to trick Florida. Alabama played the same game tonight that they played all year. Even at the end of the game, Alabama ran every single play, Florida knew it was coming and yet couldn't stop the Tide. Alabama knew what Tebow was going to do and they plainly stopped the greatest college football player I have seen in twenty years and possibly in my lifetime.
If you can't get enough of this, you don't have to wait a year for Game 3. On October 2nd 2010, Game 3 will be played in Tuscaloosa. Alabama had to wait a year to exact revenge. I think tonight, Alabama finally got Florida's attention. Florida will want revenge. Florida will give Alabama their best punch on 10/02/2010. The winner on 10/02/2010 will take a 2-1 advantage in the Battle for the SEC. One thing to think about. For the second year in a row, the National Championship game seems kind of anti-climatic to the SEC Championship.
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