BillyVance 35 #1 December 1, 2008 So here it is now. #1 Alabama vs #4 Florida (or #1 vs #2 AP poll) for the SEC championship, and it also doubles as a national semi-final of sorts. The winner, whoever it is, is virtually guaranteed to play for the national championship. Odds makers have pegged Florida as a 10 point favorite, and for the life of me, I can't remember ever seeing an undefeated #1 team this late in the season being rated a 10 point underdog. Of course, Florida has destroyed every team they've played in the last 2 months. However, the Gators, as strong as they've played lately, hasn't faced a defense like Alabama's, and Alabama hasn't faced an offense clicking on nearly all cylinders like Florida's. Both teams are clearly the class of the SEC, ranked #1 and #2 in most of the statistical categories, with Florida getting the edge in a majority of them. It's really funny though. All the Gator fans on the online blogs under the internet stories predict a 40+ to 10+ blowout win over Alabama. Even most of the newscasters and sports experts are already talking about Oklahoma vs Florida for the national championship. Helloooooooo? They aren't there yet! Alabama was supposed to be in this position 2 years from now, not this year, so I can't complain. Win or lose this Saturday, I'm happy with the way the season went. Of course I want Alabama to win, just to shut the fucking arrogant Gator fans up. But if we lose, then all I hope for is that it's close, and not a blowout loss. But boy, that Tim Tebow is a warrior on the field. He won't taunt you, but if you taunt him, he'll play that much harder just to beat your ass. You bloody his face, he'll take it personal and run you over. I like this kid. I just wish he was on our team, and we came tantalizingly close to getting him out of high school. John Parker Wilson has grown up big time this year. He's cut down on the mistakes of the past couple years and managed the game much better, but this year he's responded and led the team to victories when we needed them. Alabama has done all this with just 9 scholarship seniors, and only 5 of them are healthy enough to play every game, fewest in the nation. The defense was supposed to be a question mark coming into the season, especially the linebackers, but they've responded big time. The nation's #1 recruiting class has produced several big time true freshmen players, none bigger than WR Julio Jones #8. I haven't seen a true freshman haul in so many 3rd down passes and make first downs out of them before and he makes it hard for DBs to tackle him. Even then, he's not the only playmaker WR on the team. Alabama plays a bruising smash you in the mouth football game with 3 very good running backs and an average but effective short passing game to keep defenses honest. I say average passing game because we haven't really had to rely on it too much. It works when we need it, that's all. Florida is almost the same way, but with more speed and passing. Don't listen to Saban when he says Florida plays a finesse game. That was the old Florida under Spurrier. It's going to be an awesome game. 2:30 PM CST kick off on CBS. I really don't want to put up a predicted score, but I'll say Alabama 24 - 21, just to go against the grain. They are getting no respect. It's time to go out there and get it, and prove people wrong. RAMMER JAMMER YELLOWHAMMER GIVE 'EM HELL, ALABAMA!!! Oh, as for the Big 12, it is my opinion that Texas got screwed. If the Big 12 used head-to-head as a criteria for determining tie-breakers, like the SEC and other conferences with championship games do, they would most likely get the Big 12 title game berth over Oklahoma with that 45-35 win over the Sooners on a neutral field. But alas, the Longhorns lost later in the season than the Sooners did. All Oklahoma did was score 60+ points in each of their last 4 games, including Texas Tech and Oklahoma State. I guess that is what swayed the voters and computers to Oklahoma's favor. Now here's an interesting thought - what if Missouri shocks the world and beats Oklahoma, and Alabama does the same in beating Florida? There's Texas at #3 and Southern Cal at #5. USC won the PAC 10 and Texas didn't even play for its conference championship. I'd still pick the Longhorns due to the schedule they played including murderer's row with 4 straight games against top 11 teams, and a last second loss on the road to Texas Tech. However you look at it, somebody's gonna be pissed."Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nutz 0 #2 December 1, 2008 WTF?????? Is this a skydiving site? When did it become a college football site? Poor Alabama fans, haven't had anything to cheer about for so long...... "Don't! Get! Eliminated!" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BillyVance 35 #3 December 1, 2008 Quote WTF?????? Is this a skydiving site? When did it become a college football site? Poor Alabama fans, haven't had anything to cheer about for so long...... Ummm, this is The Bonfire... we can talk about ANYTHING except politics, religion and guns. But yeah, you're right, we haven't had much to cheer about in a while. Is there a problem? "Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
monkycndo 0 #4 December 1, 2008 You know the drill. ra!50 donations so far. Give it a try. You know you want to spank it Jump an Infinity Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BillyVance 35 #5 December 1, 2008 Quote You know the drill. rammer jammer yellow hammer give 'em hell Alabama! You forgot the rest of it. "Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
monkycndo 0 #6 December 1, 2008 Quote Quote You know the drill. rammer jammer yellow hammer give 'em hell Alabama! You forgot the rest of it. Fine. Go local sports team and or college. Feel better. ra.50 donations so far. Give it a try. You know you want to spank it Jump an Infinity Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billeisele 130 #7 December 1, 2008 resisting a long winded answer: as much as I dislike FL, no need to play another game except to sort out spots 2-25 after FL is done making AL look silly they will do more of the same to TX or OK or whomever else wants a piece Give one city to the thugs so they can all live together. I vote for Chicago where they have strict gun laws. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sletzer 3 #8 December 1, 2008 If Alabama was favored by more than 7 in a spread, I'd pick Florida as a lock. On the flip side, I wouldn't expect Florida to win by more than say 10. It should be a relatively close game. Even if it's a blowout, should still be fun to watch. I definitely believe the two best SEC teams are going into this game. We'll soon find out who's destined to head to the championship game.I will be kissing hands and shaking babies all afternoon. Thanks for all your support! *bows* SCS #8251 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FlyingJ 0 #9 December 2, 2008 Take a look at this article: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/BCS-Realpolitik-Oklahoma-it-is-but-a-new-route?urn=ncaaf,125550 Puts some perspective on how the computer aspect of the BCS score could completely hose Florida if they win.Killing threads since 2004. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PLFKING 4 #10 December 2, 2008 Quote Of course I want Alabama Florida to win, just to shut the fucking arrogant Gator Bama fans up. And Saban's success in the SEC proves that the Big Ten is a tougher conference. He never won a Big Ten title in 5 years, but he's run roughshod over the SEC. Same coach, same philosophy, but weaker opposition. My prediction -- Florida 35, Bama 17, but I hope it's a better game than that. Don"When in doubt I whip it out, I got me a rock-and-roll band. It's a free-for-all." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lindercles 0 #11 December 2, 2008 Dude, I didn't have the patience to read your whole post, or any others for that matter, but lets be honest, Florida will win this game. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FlyingJ 0 #12 December 2, 2008 I guess I failed to add my prediction to my other post. Though a Georgia fan at heart, my tendency is to pull for Florida in this one. Not sure why. I think it's mainly just pulling for the SEC East as opposed to Florida specifically. I think Alabama deserves it though. They made it through the regular season undefeated, against a relatively heavy schedule, etc. I will DIE though if Florida wins and the computers kick them out of contention for the championship. I would like to see the SEC take it for yet another year. The main team I'm watching now is Cincinnati. Shit, the high school marching band competition held in the college stadium drew more fans than the homecoming game when I was in school there, but it's good to see them stepping up and playing ball.Killing threads since 2004. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SuFantasma 0 #13 December 2, 2008 Sports predictions belong in the Speakers Corner!Y yo, pa' vivir con miedo, prefiero morir sonriendo, con el recuerdo vivo". - Ruben Blades, "Adan Garcia" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BillyVance 35 #14 December 2, 2008 QuoteTake a look at this article: http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/blog/dr_saturday/post/BCS-Realpolitik-Oklahoma-it-is-but-a-new-route?urn=ncaaf,125550 Puts some perspective on how the computer aspect of the BCS score could completely hose Florida if they win. That's a very good point. If Florida were to squeak by Alabama in a close game, and knowing that the bottom 10 SEC teams are having a down year, that could conceivably mean the computers don't get impressed enough to rank Florida high enough. Probably, but unlikely. A blowout Gator win should remove the uncertainty though. Wins over top 3 teams have been very rewarding this year with big jumps in the polls for the victors. Even I can concede that Florida looks like they could blow Alabama out, but they simply haven't played a defense as good as Alabama's all year. It should be a great game, win or lose."Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FlyingJ 0 #15 December 2, 2008 I believe Alabama is going in with the tougher mental game to play. They are undefeated, they've been #1, they are getting all the hype. They can only lose from where they are now. Of course both teams have the championship on their mind, but Florida has been there more recently and it won't be as fresh for them as for Alabama. I sure as hell hope that both the SEC and Natl championship games are good games this year. It's been a joke here lately. I'm all for blowouts by the SEC, but a good game would be nice to watch. Something along the lines of the OU/OSU game would be nice - lots of scoring, nothing decided until right up to the last minute.Killing threads since 2004. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nutz 0 #16 December 2, 2008 ra! "Don't! Get! Eliminated!" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BillyVance 35 #17 December 2, 2008 A little inside info coming out. It was reported that one of the Alabama coaches had a chat with Will Muschamp, Defensive coordinator at Texas and formerly the same at Auburn the past few years. Muschamp says Alabama's defense can slow the Gators down. And this defense is better than the Auburn defenses that held Florida down to 17 points in each of the last two years (27-17 Auburn win in 2006 and 20-17 Auburn win in 2007), and Auburn was the only team to beat Florida in their 2006 national championship season. They did it because they knew the coaches up in the skybox would change the offensive plays after seeing the way the defense lined up, so the defense would change their play right before the ball got snapped. This is going to be interesting..... I'm not saying Alabama IS going to slow Florida down, I'm just putting it out there that they can with the right game plan, and you know Bama's coaches do a great job of that."Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BillyVance 35 #18 December 4, 2008 Have fun with this joke... Gator fan and his blonde girlfriend.... A Gator fan took his blonde girlfriend to her first football game. They had great seats right behind their team's bench. After the game, he asked her how she liked the experience. 'Oh, I really liked it,' she replied, 'especially the tight pants and all the big muscles, but I just couldn't understand why they were killing each other over 25 cents.' Dumbfounded, her date asked, 'What do you mean?' 'Well, they flipped a coin, one team got it and then for the rest of the game, all they kept screaming was: 'Get the quarterback! Get the quarterback! ' I'm like...Helloooooo? It's only 25 cents. "Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BillyVance 35 #19 December 7, 2008 Well, it was a close game until late in the 4th quarter. Alabama led 20-17 going into the 4th quarter (SURPRISE!), but Florida just made the plays when they had to and Alabama couldn't. Florida won 31-20. Bama's Glen Coffee ran for more than 100 yards and a TD and freshman Julio Jones had 5 catches for more than 120 yards, and freshman Mark Ingram ran for the other TD, but there just wasn't much else. Florida had more playmakers, as expected, but they had somebody Alabama didn't. Tim Tebow. Enough said. I can't believe Alabama was so close to signing him away from Florida, but hey, if we hadn't, we might not have Saban as the coach now. Call it a silver lining. Florida is the better team. I'll pull for them to leap over Texas and get into the national championship against Oklahoma. I'm not sure who's going to win, but it's going to be crazy! Two of the nation's top three scoring offenses - Florida has scored 30 or more points against every SEC team it played, and Oklahoma is the first team in history to score 60+ in 5 straight games. The edge goes to Florida on defense, but boy, that's a really tough assignment for the Gators. Go SEC!"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FlyingJ 0 #20 December 7, 2008 I'm just happy that the big game should be a good one this year. I'm tired of watching Ohio State get walked all over.Killing threads since 2004. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
popsjumper 2 #21 December 7, 2008 Man, I thought 'Bama had 'em going into the 4th. I had 'Bama scoring more in the 4th to put it away. Pretty good game on both sides.My reality and yours are quite different. I think we're all Bozos on this bus. Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billeisele 130 #22 December 7, 2008 great game, much better than i expected looks like FL and OK, should be another good matchupGive one city to the thugs so they can all live together. I vote for Chicago where they have strict gun laws. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BillyVance 35 #23 December 8, 2008 Quote I'm just happy that the big game should be a good one this year. I'm tired of watching Ohio State get walked all over. Then remind me not to watch the Fiesta Bowl... They play Texas. "Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billeisele 130 #24 December 8, 2008 Quote Quote I'm just happy that the big game should be a good one this year. I'm tired of watching Ohio State get walked all over. Then remind me not to watch the Fiesta Bowl... They play Texas. yes, "walked all over" is a gentle term, what Texas is liable to do won't be so gentle, they will be fighting to argue that they are #2 behind whoever wins the FL & OK gameGive one city to the thugs so they can all live together. I vote for Chicago where they have strict gun laws. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BillyVance 35 #25 December 8, 2008 Quote Quote Quote I'm just happy that the big game should be a good one this year. I'm tired of watching Ohio State get walked all over. Then remind me not to watch the Fiesta Bowl... They play Texas. yes, "walked all over" is a gentle term, what Texas is liable to do won't be so gentle, they will be fighting to argue that they are #2 behind whoever wins the FL & OK game Exactly what I meant. Boy am I glad Alabama's not playing that angry Longhorn team, even if it would be a great matchup. That's not to say Utah wouldn't be a great matchup, they beat Michigan on the road (albeit one of the worst Michigan teams ever). The Utes use pretty much the same system Florida does, because Urban Meyer left Utah for Florida 4 years ago and his protege is the head coach at Utah. Auburn is rumored to be looking at Turner Gill (Buffalo coach and former Nebraska QB in the 80's), the Ball State coach, and the Utah coach to replace Tommy Tuberville."Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
