Just a mere week away from the start of the Southeastern Conference’s 2020 football schedule, the “SEC Nation” television crew gave its opinions on the upcoming season in a preseason preview show broadcast on Saturday morning.
Analysts Jordan Rodgers, Roman Harper and Tim Tebow all shared their picks for who will win each respective division title, with the Florida Gators and Alabama Crimson Tide both unanimously selected to face off in the SEC Championship Game.
The Gators and the Tide have a rich and storied history against each other in the SEC Championship Game having faced each other 12 times, with the Tide holding a firm 8-4 edge in the series; UF has an overall 7-5 record in the title game.
Who ya got in the SEC Championship game? 🏈@JRodgers11: 🐊 vs. 🐘@Harp41: 🐘 vs. 🐊@TimTebow: 🐊 vs. 🐘#SECNation pic.twitter.com/I1HaPkruz3
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) September 19, 2020
The championship rivalry dates back to the inaugural matchup back in 1992, which ‘Bama won thanks to the infamous interception of Shane Matthews by Antonio Langham. Florida would face the Tide in four of five of the first title games — with the Gators appearing in all five of the first SEC title games — taking the next three against Alabama while winning four in a row themselves with a victory over the Arkansas Razorbacks sandwiched in.
Florida went on to win just one more SEC Championship Game battle with ‘Bama in 2008 en route to their third and last national championship. The last two matchups between the Crimson Tide and the Gators in the Georgia Dome came in 2015 and 2016, with ‘Bama winning by a combined score of 83-31 — 29-15 and 54-16, respectively.
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