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Jump inside below as the GatorsTerritory crew make their predictions for Saturday's SEC Championship between Florida and Alabama.
Corey: There is no doubt UF boasts the offensive firepower to rack up points against Saban's defense. The Gators are equipped with a pair of Heisman Trophy contenders in Kyle Trask and Kyle Pitts, while Kadarius Toney is capable of turning any play into six points as well; however, it's on the defensive side of the ball where UF is going to have its hands full. Like the Kyles in Gainesville, Alabama has its own dynamic duo in quarterback Mac Jones and receiver DeVonta Smith. Running back Najee Harris, the former No. 1 overall player on Rivals, is having a season to remember as well with 1,084 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns to show for it. The Gators have lacked defensive discipline all year and must manufacture their best performance to date if they want to have the opportunity to play in the College Football Playoff. I just don't see that happening against a juggernaut like the Crimson Tide.
SCORE: 52-31, Alabama
Nick: This game is going to come down to how many stops can the Gators' defense get. If Alabama has 11 drives, Florida is going to need five defensive stops this game. Can they do that? I think we all believe that Florida's offense can move the ball on anyone in the country but they haven't been great in the red zone the last three weeks. Sure, they scored seven of their nine trips but three of those scores were field goals. If you get into the red zone against Alabama and come away with three, that's a loss. Ultimately, I think today we see just how far Florida still needs to go if they want to compete for championships.
SCORE: 49-30, Alabama
Conner: Due to Florida’s consistent inability to prevent big plays, I expect Alabama to hit a few long touchdown passes to either Devonta Smith or John Metchie. Couple that with the fact UF’s defense has had trouble tackling running backs at times this year and they are about to go up against one of, if not the best running backs in the country, it doesn’t make for a lot of optimism on the defensive end. I do expect Florida to be able to score points, and I think Kyle Pitts will come out and have a big game for the Gators after missing last week. But I don’t think the defense will be able to get enough stops to win the game for Florida.
SCORE: 45-28, Alabama
Lauren: If this game were somehow based solely on offensive performance, I’d say Florida has a shot at taking out the top team in the country. However, that’s not how it works, so Alabama will come out on top. Florida’s offense has been national championship contender qualified, but its defense hasn’t been able to rise to the occasion this season. In this game, I expect to see Florida’s secondary get picked apart and wouldn’t be surprised if some players let their emotions get the best of them again in this game. I look for this to be a high-scoring game as both teams have spectacular offenses, but I look for Alabama’s defense to be able to outplay Florida’s tenfold.
SCORE: 52-35, Alabama
