If the Florida Gators are the same-old football team, can this season’s SEC title game be any different?
Once again, the Gators are a heavy underdog to Alabama, which once again has a national title in its grasp. Once again, it’s easy to wonder if Florida has enough sizzle on offense to pull off an offense over over one of the Tide’s best defensive teams.
In some ways, this season was just a sequel to Jim McElwain’s first season with the Gators. He broke in one quarterback, then finished with another. The Gators were 10-3 and ranked 18th going into the game; this year, they’re 8-3 and ranked 15th.
Last year, the Gators were 111th in the nation in total offense; this year, they’re 114th. Last year, they were eighth in America on defense; this year, they’re sixth. Last year, they were 100th in scoring offense; this year, they’re 104th.
In other words, not much has changed for the Gators in a year. They still have a stubborn defense; they still have a sluggish offense.
Maybe that’s why Florida is an underdog by as many as 24 points.
“I don’t look at it as a mismatch at all,” McElwain said. “I look at it as an opportunity.”
