#1 Florida Gators vs. #2 Alabama Crimson Tide for the SEC Championship

Georgia Dome, Atlanta
Thursday, December 5 - 4 PM ET

BetUS NCAA Betting Odds: FLORIDA -5, Total 41

Remember that these teams are in different divisions of the SEC, so interestingly enough, if it wasn't for the SEC title game, they would have met only three times in the last decade.

Both these defenses are among the best in the country - that much goes without saying.

Here are some of the College Football Gambling Trends as they relate to this matchup:

• FLA has won its last 22 games SU
• FLA has played seven of its last ten games UNDER the total
• BAMA has covered two of its last six games
• BAMA has won its last 12 games SU
• BAMA has covered four of the last five meetings
  

If you don't mind, let's go ahead and list the superlatives for each team, using the national rankings in each category:

• Rushing Defense - Alabama 2nd, Florida 8th
• Pass Efficiency Defense - Alabama 1st, Florida 2nd
• Passing Yards Allowed - Florida 1st, Alabama 5th
• Total Defense - Florida 1st, Alabama 3rd
• Scoring Defense - Florida 1st, Alabama 2nd
• Third-Down Conversion Defense - Florida 2nd, Alabama 5th
• Red Zone Defense - Alabama 4th (tie), Florida 12th (Tie)
• Sacks - Florida 18th, Alabama 25th
• Interceptions - Florida 4th (Tie), Alabama 7th (Tie)

Interestingly enough, neither of these teams is in the top 100 when it comes to recovered fumbles. Between them they have only recovered nine all year. But hey - not all of this can be perfect!

Florida Gators -5 vs. Alabama Crimson Tide >> Join Now to Bet

Here's the point: there is a lot of defensive athleticism between these two teams this season, and when you have two squads that are so good at stopping opponents, it is not at all unreasonable to take a good, long look at the "under." In eight SEC games, the Tide has six games go under the total in the odds, while Florida has six unders, one game over the total and one push in conference play.

The Gators have allowed as many as 20 points only once, while 'Bama has done so three times, although the Auburn game last week was the only one where they did not win by double digits.

Both clubs not only have great talent on the defensive side but also great depth; in fact, Florida returned its entire two-deep from last year, and is talented enough that the Gators can weather the suspension of star defensive end Carlos Dunlap (DUI charge) with Justin Trattou, a junior and very highly-touted recruit who had a 53-yard interception return against South Carolina.

It wouldn't be surprising for both teams to play a little close to the vest, knowing that field position will be currency. In a game like this, you are looking for the guy who makes the key play that makes the ultimate difference in the outcome, not just on a straight-up basis but also in football odds.

Alabama probably has the most productive running back in the game in Mark Ingram (1429 yards, 6.5 ypc), the great return man in Javier Arenas, and maybe (maybe, we say) the receiver with the most upside in Julio Jones, who was one of the bigger recruits the Tide has had in years. However, we have some doubts about the Tide's trigger man, Greg McElory, who has passing stats that are similar to Tim Tebow's (16 TD's, 4 INT's, 2211 yards) but little ability to make things happen with his feet, and considerably less experience on the "big game stage" than Tebow, who has the Heisman and two national titles under his belt and has made his throws count for more (8.9 yards an attempt).