The SEC Championship Game is one of the biggest stages in all of college football, but there seems to be less buzz than usual heading into the game. Top-ranked Alabama is, of course, returning to Atlanta, but their matchup with Florida feels much more like a waiting game than a real contest.
Alabama vs. Florida, SEC Championship 2016: Time, live stream, TV schedule, and 3 things to know
Can the Gators stop Alabama’s coronation?
John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Alabama is the last remaining major-conference team with no losses, and they have easily been the best team in college football this season. It’s difficult for Nick Saban teams to come across new accomplishments, but an undefeated season and their fifth championship since 2009 would make it impossible to argue his place among the sport’s greatest all-time coaches. He also won a national championship while at LSU.
Florida, meanwhile, finished the season 2-2 in November, and has struggled mightily to score points. Head coach Jim McElwain has been mentioned in rumors for the Oregon vacancy, and despite yet another SEC East championship, it doesn’t seem like all is totally well in Gainesville. An upset win over Alabama would certainly rank as one of the bigger conference title game upsets of all time.
How to watch, stream, and listen
TV: 4 p.m. ET, CBS
Online streaming: CBSSports.com
Spread: Alabama is favored by 24 points.
Make friends: Get to SB Nation’s team blog chats for this game at Roll Bama Roll for Alabama fans and Alligator Army for Florida fans.
Three big things to know
1. This is the second consecutive year that the Gators and Tide have met in the SEC title game, and the ninth time overall. These two teams may not be in the same division, but they certainly know each other well. Alabama has a five-game winning streak over the Gators stretching back to 2009.
2. There isn’t an immediately obvious path to victory here for Florida. The Gators have one of the strongest defenses in the country, but so does Alabama, and the Tide’s offense is miles better than what Florida can offer. The Gators are ranked 96th in Offensive S&P+, and that’s probably too big a mismatch to overcome. If you offered people odds whether the Alabama defense and special teams would outscore the Florida offense, there would probably be a good number of takers.
3. With a win, Alabama will clinch their third straight College Football Playoff berth. They're the only team to appear in both of the previous Playoffs, as well, and they could become the first team to win more than one Playoff title if they can finish strong.
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