Opportunity knocks

If Alabama is to add another national championship trophy to its Bryant Museum, the Crimson Tide will have to do something they've never done before.

Beat Texas.

The No. 1 Crimson Tide and No. 2 Longhorns were paired Sunday evening to play in the BCS national championship game, which will take place Jan. 7 in Pasadena, Calif. Alabama is 0-7-1 lifetime against Texas, most recently losing in the Cotton Bowl after the 1981 season.

"We know Texas is a great program and a great team, but great moments are created by great opportunities, and this is a great opportunity," Tide coach Nick Saban said.

The rest of the SEC bowl picture includes Florida vs. Cincinnati in the Sugar, LSU vs. Penn State in the Capital One, Auburn vs. Northwestern in the Outback, Ole Miss vs. Oklahoma State in the Cotton, Tennessee vs. Virginia Tech in the Chick-fil-A, Kentucky vs. Clemson in the Music City, Arkansas vs. East Carolina in the Liberty, Georgia vs. Texas A&M in the Independence, and South Carolina vs. Connecticut in the Papajohns.com.

Alabama, which is seeking its first national title since 1992, opened as a 4-point favorite. The Crimson Tide punished reigning national champion Florida 32-13 in Saturday's SEC title game in the Georgia Dome, while the Longhorns struggled to defeat Nebraska 13-12 for the Big 12 championship.

Saban appeared on ESPN Sunday night and bristled at the thought Alabama should be a decided favorite after what transpired this past weekend.

"I don't know why you guys have to seem like you've got to make somebody Goliath and somebody David in every one of these games, because then it's a psychological advantage or disadvantage for somebody," he said. "They have the best quarterback in the country probably in terms of statistics and his chances of winning the Heisman Trophy, so why can't it just be a great game with two great teams playing?

"Our team can't be set up by you guys making them think Texas is not a great football team and this is not going to be a great football game. It makes for great news, but that's not the way it is, and our players need to understand that every time they see and hear that, they're being set up."

Two years ago, Alabama was 6-6 in Saban's first season and carried a four-game losing streak into its third Independence Bowl trip since 2001. Included in that skid was a home loss to Louisiana-Monroe.

"I hoped this could happen, but I never really knew for sure," Tide senior kicker Leigh Tiffin said. "It's amazing. It's a special group of guys."

Saban admitted he's never been prouder of a team "in terms of everybody just playing great." Florida entered the SEC title game allowing 233 yards a game, but Alabama racked up 403 through three quarters and 490 overall.

Quarterback Greg McElroy completed 12 of 18 passes for 239 yards, while Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson combined for 193 yards on 39 carries.

Texas assistant head coach and running backs coach Major Applewhite was Saban's offensive coordinator in 2007. Longhorns defensive coordinator Will Muschamp had the same role under Saban in 2002-04, when the two were at LSU.

"I really think that stuff gets overrated, because when we play, we'll know so much about each other's team and its tendencies," Saban said. "We'll watch the entire season and will have a really good feel for it. Those two guys have done a fantastic job, but we also know how they think, too, so it kind of goes both ways."

Around the league

Florida coach Urban Meyer was treated for dehydration Sunday in a Gainesville hospital. ... Saturday's SEC title game on CBS had the highest rating in the event's 18-year history and was the highest-rated regular season college football game on the network since Miami-Notre Dame in 1989.