David PaschallThe Southeastern Conference football championship is a neutral-site game in location only.
As Alabama continues to thrive in its dominating decade under coach Nick Saban, the Georgia Dome has been overrun more and more in early December with crimson-clad supporters. In the Crimson Tide's 42-13 rout of Missouri in 2014 and their 29-15 thumping of Florida last year, Alabama players essentially competed inside a domed Bryant-Denny Stadium.
More of the same is expected Saturday when No. 1 Alabama faces No. 15 Florida in the 25th anniversary of the league's groundbreaking event.
"Our fan base travels well wherever we go, but it travels really well for Atlanta," Crimson Tide senior tight end O.J. Howard said this week. "I think we'll have another great crowd. Whenever we can go to Atlanta and it feels like home, I think it's great for our players and especially the younger guys on our team just to feel that environment.
"It's as if it's a home game for us."
Alabama has been making Atlanta its second home since 2008, when the Crimson Tide played their first of four Chick-fil-A Kickoff games under Saban. They will make a fifth such appearance next September by opening their 2017 season against Florida State in the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where the Atlanta Falcons will start playing next year.
Saturday could mark the first of five potential Atlanta appearances for the Tide in their next 18 contests - this weekend's SEC title game, the Peach Bowl national semifinal on New Year's Eve, next year's opener against Florida State, next season's SEC title game and next season's national championship game.
Florida made Atlanta its second home during much of the 1990s under coach Steve Spurrier, and the Gators did it again a decade ago under coach Urban Meyer. Current Florida coach Jim McElwain has made history by becoming the first SEC coach to reach the league championship in his first two seasons, but until the Gators can start closing the gap with Alabama on the field, they won't close the gap in crowd support.
"That's not something I'm worried about when I go out there," Florida cornerback Quincy Wilson said. "I'm not worried about the fans or whatever. I'm just worried about who's on that field."
Pasquali's Pix:
Colorado vs. Washington: Having the top four teams in the next-to-last playoff rankings prevail just seems a little too simple this particular year. Buffaloes 24, Huskies 21.
Temple at Navy: That the Midshipmen punted just twice in November is stout, and it's almost as impressive as all 31 of their seniors recently receiving the military service of their preference. Midshipmen 33, Owls 28.
Oklahoma State at Oklahoma: There are times, such as this year, when this really seems like a flourishing rivalry, and then you see the Sooners hold an 85-18-7 series advantage. That's more lopsided than Alabama-Mississippi State. Sooners 41, Cowboys 34.
UTC at Sam Houston State: The Mocs have knocked on the door the past two seasons against New Hampshire and Jacksonville State. This time, they kick through. Mocs 27, Bearkats 20.
Baylor at West Virginia: The Bears continued to operate at breakneck speed this season, racing to a 6-0 start before free-falling to 6-5. Mountaineers 38, Bears 17.
Alabama vs. Florida: The only way to make this 25th SEC championship game compelling would be to break out the time machine and allow Danny Wuerffel or Tim Tebow to quarterback the Gators in his prime. Crimson Tide 30, Gators 3.
Clemson vs. Virginia Tech: According to the Pasquali Sports Bureau, this is the first conference title game to be relocated due to potty preference. Tigers 31, Hokies 24.
Penn State vs. Wisconsin: It's been a great but weird year for the Big Ten, especially given that its title-game participants went 1-3 against Ohio State and Michigan. Nittany Lions 27, Badgers 24.
Last week:
Winners......................17
Shoops........................8
Pasquali is now 253-72 overall (77.8 percent) this season.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.