Tide Tidbits - December 5, 2008

SI: Game of the Week: No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 2 Florida
The common perception is that the Big 12 has stolen the SEC's spotlight as the premier conference this season, what with its bevy of top-10 showdowns and collection of Heisman candidate quarterbacks. But it's the SEC that has the two top teams facing off in Atlanta for a spot in the national title game. This may be the Big 12's season, but all eyes will be on the Georgia Dome Saturday afternoon, when new school and old school clash for the SEC title. Three things you should care
about:

CBS: Gators' speed vs. 'Bama's power in SEC title game
Don't get caught up in a race with those Florida Gators, who can dart to the edges and wave goodbye if a defender doesn't react awfully quick. Then again, it might not be a good idea to try to go toe-to-toe with Alabama, which can pound teams into the ground with massive front lines and hard-nosed tailbacks. Saturday's Southeastern Conference championship game is shaping up as a classic showdown: Speed vs. Power. Although neither team is ready to concede the edge in either category. "They have a lot of speed," Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said. "They have probably three or four players that are unique space players in terms of speed and quickness. They have some good runners. They have a lot of speed. They have a lot of speed on defense.

ESPN: Gators, Crimson Tide clash worthy of the buzz
The SEC had the original conference championship game, and it remains by far the best of them. Empty seats? Forget about it. Lackluster matchup? Impossible. The setting in downtown Atlanta at the crossroads of the conference is perfect. I am generally not a fan of the conference title games. They were designed as money grabs and act as impediments to a playoff system. But I have to admit that the SEC's annual rumble is almost enough to change my mind.

SEC Championship Game Preview
While there’s no doubt the SEC is not as strong as a whole this year as in 2007, it’s hard not appreciate the significance of this weekend’s SEC Championship game. Florida was expected by most to make it. Alabama was expected by most to be a year or two away. And now the two clash in Atlanta for the right to call themselves SEC Champions.

Florida Gators running back Rainey should play despite groin injury
While there is still no answer regarding the status of Percy Harvin's sprained right ankle, another Florida playmaker is banged up. Redshirt freshman running back Chris Rainey, one of those expected to step in if Harvin can't play in Saturday's SEC title game against Alabama, left practice five minutes early Thursday with a slight limp.

Alabama's All-Americans... and other stuff
Alabama coach Nick Saban is talking on his weekly radio show, which is always the first sign that a game is about to take place soon. And he sounds pretty pumped. He said his defense can compete with Florida's offense, "If we do what we need to do." Saban is ready to play: "Being SEC champion defines your season," he said. "That's what you want. Beating those guys last week, that's OK. This one is what we're all about."

Roll Tide!