Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt is the only private school in the SEC, and the only SEC school that has never won the UCFC. The Commodores are 0-7-2 in UCFC games. On October 12, 1907, Vandy tied UCFC holders Navy 6-6. Sixty-seven years later, Vandy tied holders Tennessee 21-all. That's as close as Vandy has come to taking the title. But the Vandy faithful will be hoping to shock the world next week.

Georgia 31 - 34 Florida (Final -- Overtime)

So, for the fourth week in a row, the UCFC has changed hands. This has not happened since 1995. Florida's record in UCFC games is now 24-14. The Gators have regained the crown that they lost during last year's SEC Championship game. This is the fifth consecutive season in which the Gators have held the UCFC for at least one week. In 2006, they beat Ohio State in the BCS title game to take the UCFC. In 2007, they held the title for five weeks before losing to Auburn. In 2008, they beat Oklahoma in the BCS title game to take the UCFC. In 2009, they held the title until losing to Alabama in the SEC Championship. And now they have the title again.

Georgia, which had not held the UCFC title since 1989, loses the title after only one week. The Bulldogs' all-time UCFC record drops to 25-10.

Next week, the Gators will travel to Nashville to defend their title against the Vanderbilt Commodores. The title will not change hands against next week.

Georgia 31 - 31 Florida (Overtime)

Now it's Florida's turn:

1-10, GA 25: Rainey 3-yd run

2-7, GA 22: Brantley pass to the end zone is incomplete

3-7, GA 22: Burton pass to Demps for 3 yards

4-4, GA 19: At this point, Florida's kicker Chas Henry came on to win the game. Two weeks ago, with only 9 seconds left in the game, Henry missed a field goal that would have tied Mississippi State, and the Gators lost 10-7. Earlier in this game, Henry missed another field goal. But this time, Henry nailed it through the uprights, and the Gators regained their UCFC title.

Georgia 31 - 31 Florida (Overtime)

Georgia is going first.

1-10, FL 25: Incomplete pass

2-10, FL 25: King 1-yd run

3-9, FL 23: Andy Murray throws an interception. The Gator defensive back tried to run the interception all the way back for a safety that would end the game and give Florida the UCFC. But he was eventually knocked out of bounds at about the Georgia four-yard line.

Under overtime rules, Florida does not get the ball at the Georgia four. Instead, they start at the Georgia 25. But if Florida can score at all, the game will be over.

Georgia 31 - 31 Florida (end of 4th Quarter)

OVERTIME!

Florida drove to Georgia's 35-yard line, but that was too far for their feeble kicker. So they took a delay of game and punted down to the 4. Georgia couldn't do anything, and punted back to the Florida 42. Florida couldn't do anything else, so we are going to overtime.

I hate college football's overtime rule, which takes way too long and doesn't really seem like normal football. There is the whiff of penalty kicks around the whole thing.

Georgia 31 - 31 Florida (4:36 left in 4th Quarter)

About 25 minutes ago, I ran out to get dinner for the family. Here is what I missed:

Georgia scored a touchdown and made the two point conversion: 24-24

Florida had a 51-yard run for a touchdown and made the extra point: 24-31

Georgia responded with another touchdown and extra point: 31-31

Now it's Florida's turn. Given what has happened to their defense, the Gators would be smart to try to run out the clock and kick a game-winning field goal.

NOTE: This entry was edited at the request of a person to whom I am related by marriage.

Georgia 16 - 24 Florida (10:05 left in 4th Quarter)

Florida pads its lead with a 34-yard field goal. Georgia probably wishes they had the extra point that they threw away after the last touchdown.

Georgia 16 - 21 Florida (13:05 left in 4th Quarter)

Florida is charging back. The Gators ran the kickoff back to the 50, and have now driven down to the Georgia 22.

Georgia 16 - 21 Florida (14:57 left in 4th Quarter)

OK, it's game on, now. Georgia scores, but fails in a two-point conversion. It will be interesting to see whether that lost point makes a difference.

Georgia 10 - 21 Florida (end of 3d Quarter)

The UCFC has not been decided yet. Georgia has cut into Florida's lead, and the Bulldogs have a first and goal at the Florida 4 yard line.

Georgia 7 - 21 Florida (3:28 left in 2d Quarter)

While I was talking to my parents, Florida took advantage of three Georgia turnovers to jump out to a 21-7 lead. Georgia has been very competitive, but they are having real problems stopping the Gator passing attack. It would be ironic if Florida captured the UCFC only a few weeks after they were blasted by Alabama in a UCFC game.

Georgia 0 - 0 Florida (5:38 left in 1st Quarter)

Not too much action so far. Florida has missed a field goal, and that's about it.

Georgia v. Florida

You're not supposed to call it the "World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party" anymore -- the schools prefer to call it the "Football Classic." But I don't care -- it will always be the "World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party" to me.

You're also not supposed to call it the "Gator Bowl" anymore. The old Gator Bowl stadium was torn down in 1995, and replaced with something called Jacksonville Municipal Stadium. But then that stadium was renamed Alltell Stadium, and now it's called EverBank Field. I'm just going to call it the Gator Bowl.

This is, of course, one of the greatest rivalries in college football. Played in Jacksonville every year, the game features huge blocks of fans who group on opposite sides of the Gator Bowl and scream at each other. There used to be more games played on neutral fields like this, but with so many large on-campus stadiums these days, they have largely died out. But this one continues.

For a long time, Georgia held the upper hand in this series. And to this day, the Bulldogs lead the series 47-39-2 (or 46-39-2, because Georgia counts a victory in 1904 that Florida refuses to recognize). But since Steve Spurrier came to Florida, the tables have been turned. Since 1990, Florida has gone 17-3 against the Bulldogs. The Gators currently enjoy a two-game winning streak in the series, with wins of 49-10 and 41-17 in the last two years. But those Gator teams featured Tim Tebow -- and they did not come into this game on a three-game losing streak, like this year's team does. On the other hand, Florida has not lost four consecutive games since 1988. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs got off to a terrible 1-4 start, but have since rallied, beating Tennessee 41-14, Vanderbilt 43-0, and Kentucky 44-31. Put it all together and Georgia is a one-point favorite to keep the UCFC today.

This is the first time since the 1970s that both teams have come into this game unranked, so it is ironic that this edition of the rivalry would be a UCFC game. This will be the fourth time Florida and Georgia have played in a UCFC game. In the other three matchups, the holder kept the crown -- and none of the games were close. In 1942, one of the all-time great Georgia teams (led by Charlie Trippi) blasted Florida 75-0 and went on to finish undefeated and take a trip to the Rose Bowl. In 1971, another strong Georgia team blasted Florida 49-7 -- but lost the UCFC in their next game to Auburn. And last year, Florida hammered Georgia 41-17 on their way to the SEC title game (where they lost the UCFC to Alabama).

The greatest Florida-Georgia game of all time, of course, was the 1980 version, where Georgia hit a 92-yard pass (Buck Belue to Lindsay Scott) late in the game to pull out a miraculous 26-21 victory and send Georgia on the way to the national title. But that was not a UCFC game, as the title was held by USC at the time.

This game will tell us a lot about who will hold the UCFC at the end of the season. If Florida wins, they will hold the title next week against Vandy and then take it to Columbia for a showdown with South Carolina. On the other hand, if Georgia wins the game, they would hold it against Idaho State and then set up a showdown with Auburn.

Personally, I think Florida has one of the best coaches in America in Urban Meyer, and I think the Gators will find a way to pull this out.

Kentucky 31 - 44 Georgia (FInal)

So, for the third week in a row, the UCFC has changed hands. Georgia rolls to a relatively easy win, bringing their record to 25-9 in UCFC games. Kentucky loses the title after only one week; their record drops to 1-8.

Next week, the UCFC heads to Jacksonville, Florida, where the title will be decided in one of the legendary rivalries of the South: Georgia v. Florida.

Kentucky 25 - 41 Georgia (10:52 left in 4th Quarter)

You know, Kentucky really hasn't been that bad in this game. The Wildcats have 376 yards of offense, to only 250 yards for Georgia. But Kentucky has committed four turnovers, while Georgia hasn't committed any, and that's very difficult to overcome.

Kentucky 10 - 28 (1:09 left in 2d Quarter)

If nothing else, Kentucky is used to playing from behind. The Wildcats take the kickoff, drive the length of the field, and score.

Kentucky 3 - 28 Georgia (6:47 left in 2d Quarter)

Well, this is getting sad. Kentucky committed yet another turnover (they have three so far) giving Georgia the ball at around the UK 20. It didn't take long for Georgia to score again.

Kentucky 3 - 21 Georgia (13:04 left in the 2d Quarter)

Kentucky went for a fourth and inches at its own 40, didn't make it, and left Georgia with a short field -- which quickly led to another touchdown for the Bulldogs.

This is Kentucky's third consecutive SEC home game. In the last two weeks, Kentucky fell way behind and then fought back. They ended up losing to Auburn 34-37, and they beat South Carolina 31-28. It will be interesting to see if they can come back again.

Kentucky 3 - 14 Georgia (4:57 left in 1st Quarter)

Well, that wasn't good for the Wildcats. Georgia runs the kickoff back 100 yards for a touchdown and an 11-point lead.

At this pace, the UCFC will be heading to Jacksonville next week for the World's Largest Cocktail Party.

Kentucky 3 - 7 Georgia (5:14 left in 1st Quarter)

Kentucky responds nicely, with a very steady drive that results in a field goal.

Kentucky 0 - 7 Georgia (11:57 left in 1st Quarter)

Georgia got off to a terrible start this year; they were 1-4 after five games. But in their last two games they beat Tennessee 41-14 and beat Vandy 43-0. So they're on a bit of a roll right now, and they took the opening kickoff and scored with remarkable ease.

Kentucky v. Georgia

As I have previously indicated, this is historically a very one-sided rivalry, although last year Kentucky did win in Athens for the first time since 1977. It should be noted that Kentucky has never beaten Georgia in back-to-back years. On the other hand, Kentucky has never held the UCFC before.

The Trey

This week's UCFC game between Georgia and Kentucky will be broadcast on something called "CSS." If you don't get CSS where you live, the game will also be shown on ESPN3.com.

Georgia

Unlike Kentucky and South Carolina, the Georgia Bulldogs are one of the historic powers of the SEC. In fact, Georgia is 49-12-2 all-time against Kentucky and is 46-15-2 against the Gamecocks. The Bulldogs are also 24-9 in UCFC games. Many of those wins game during 1942, when Frank Sinkwich led Georgia to one of its greatest seasons. Georgia also held the title through most of the 1971 season -- although they lost it to Auburn in November of that year. Interestingly, since 1971 Georgia has only played for the UCFC five times -- the great Hershel Walker teams never played for the title. The Bulldogs are 1-4 in those games. The last time Georgia took the title was in 1989, when they beat Mississippi State 23-6. Georgia lost the title to South Carolina the very next week. Now they will have a great chance to get it back.

Kentucky 31 - 28 S. Carolina (Final)

But NOOOOOO!!!!! Carolina goes for the win, as expected, and Carolina quarterback Steven Garcia throws the ball into the end zone -- where it is tipped, tipped again -- and finally INTERCEPTED! KENTUCKY HAS DONE IT! For the first time in their history, the Wildcats hold the UCFC title!

What an utter disaster for South Carolina. Ranked number 10 in the country, with an 18-point lead and a chance to take a firm grip on first place in the SEC East, the Gamecocks utterly fell apart. And then, when they only needed an easy field goal to send the game into overtime, they throw an interception -- the one way they could have lost the game. As well-coached as Carolina looked last week -- they looked that bad in the second half this week.

Kentucky fans will, of course, see this as payback for last year's basketball game in which Carolina knocked UK from the ranks of the unbeaten.

So Kentucky is now 1-7 in UCFC games. The Wildcats will mount their first UCFC defense in history next week in Lexington. They will face the Georgia Bulldogs.

South Carolina loses the UCFC title after only one week. The Gamecocks' all-time UCFC record falls to 4-12.

Kentucky 31 - 28 S. Carolina (11 seconds left in 4th Quarter)

The Gamecocks hit another pass and they are now at the Kentucky 20. Carolina calls its final timeout. They are in very good shape for the field goal, but Spurrier will no doubt try to win this game in regulation.

Kentucky 31 - 28 S. Carolina (15 seconds left in 4th Quarter)

Well, now that the Gamecocks need to score, they are moving down the field. A series of passes has given South Carolina 1st and 10 at the Kentucky 37. They could try a long field goal now, but one more pass could make it an easy field goal.

Kentucky 31 - 28 S. Carolina (1:15 left in 4th Quarter)

The Big Blue gets two! Randall Cobb sweeps in on a reverse to give UK a three-point lead. Kentucky has now outscored South Carolina 21-0 in the second half. Can the Kentucky defense hold the Gamecocks one more time?

Kentucky 29 - 28 S. Carolina (1:15 left in 4th Quarter)

On 4th and 7 from the Gamecock 23, the Wildcats do not call time. Instead, they go for the whole ball of wax -- and no one is covering UK receiver Randall Cobb who is all alone in the end zone to put Kentucky in the lead.

Of course, now, since Kentucky failed to get a two-point conversion before, they have to go for two again.

Kentucky 23 - 28 S. Carolina (7:41 left in 4th Quarter)

I should point out that Marcus Lattimore, South Carolina's great running back, left the game with an injury after rushing 15 times for 78 yards. Since then, the Gamecocks' attack has stalled. South Carolina punts again, and Kentucky takes over. But the Wildcats were called for a block in the back, so instead of starting on their own 42, they will start on the UK 32.

Kentucky 23 - 28 S. Carolina (10:19 left in 4th Quarter)

Kentucky goes three and out. South Carolina takes the punt at the 10, but the runner is actually tackled back at the Gamecock 2.

Kentucky 23 - 28 S. Carolina (11:07 left in 4th Quarter)

The Kentucky defense -- which has not given up any points in the second half -- holds again. The punt goes to Randall Cobb (Kentucky's main big-play threat), who fumbles it. But Kentucky recovers the fumble. The Wildcats will take over at their own 28.

Kentucky 23 - 28 S. Carolina (12:24 left in 4th Quarter)

Well, things are starting to get interesting. Kentucky hit a 39-yd touchdown pass to cut the lead to five. The Wildcats went for two, but did not make it.

Kentucky 17 - 28 S. Carolina (15:00 left in 4th Quarter)

Kentucky is hanging around. The Wildcats wrap up an 80-yard drive and cut the Gamecock lead to 11.

Kentucky 10 - 28 S. Carolina (2:04 left in 2d Quarter)

That took just over a minute.

Kentucky 10 - 21 S. Carolina (3:15 left in 2d Quarter)

South Carolina fumbled a punt, giving Kentucky the ball at the Carolina 10. This led to a UK field goal.

Kentucky 7 - 21 S. Carolina (9:55 left in 2d Quarter)

And, no. They cannot stop the Gamecocks, who go straight down the field for another touchdown.

By the way, in the last two games the Gamecocks have reached the red zone eight times and scored eight touchdowns.

Kentucky 7 - 14 S. Carolina (13:10 left in 2d Quarter)

Kentucky does have a pretty good offense. They lost 34-37 to Auburn last week. They have now scored, and we will see if they can stop the Gamecocks.

Kentucky 0 - 14 S. Carolina (4:40 left in 1st Quarter)

Well, this has been very pathetic from Kentucky so far. South Carolina holds, gets the ball, and drives the length of the field for another touchdown.

Kentucky 0 - 7 S. Carolina (11:53 left in 1st Quarter)

That didn't take long. South Carolina took the opening kickoff, drove straight down the field, and scored an easy touchdown.

Kentucky 0 - 0 S. Carolina (14:54 left in 1st Quarter)

And we're underway on a beautiful evening in Lexington!

Kentucky v. South Carolina

Kentucky and South Carolina only met three times before the Gamecocks joined the SEC East in 1992; since then they have played every year. When South Carolina joined the SEC, Kentucky fans hoped that the Gamecocks would be one of their easier conference games, but it hasn't worked out that way. South Carolina leads the all-time series with a record of 14-6-1 and has won the last 10 match-ups between the two teams.

It should also be pointed out that Steve Spurrier, the Gamecock coach, has an all-time record of 17-0 against the Big Blue in his years of coach Florida and South Carolina. I do not think that streak will be broken today.

The Deuce

The next UCFC game, between the Kentucky Wildcats and the South Carolina Gamecocks, will be played at 6 PM Eastern Time. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2.

Kentucky

The Kentucky Wildcats are one of the few teams in the SEC never to have won the UCFC. In fact, they have only played in seven UCFC games. Here they are:

December 6, 1924: W. Virginia Wesleyan 24, Kentucky 7

September 19, 1942: Georgia 7, Kentucky 6

November 25, 1967: Tennessee 17, Kentucky 7

October 23, 1971: Georgia 34, Kentucky 0

November 23, 1974: Tennessee 24, Kentucky 7

October 17, 1987: LSU 34, Kentucky 9

September 26, 2009: Florida 41, Kentucky 7

It will be interesting to see whether Kentucky scores 10 points in a UCFC game for the first time next week.

S. Carolina 35 - 21 Alabama (Final)

Well, that's that. A very, very impressive performance by the Gamecocks, who knock off the number one team for the first time in history, and who are now 4-11 in UCFC games. They take the title for the first time since 1989, and they will defend it next week against the Kentucky Wildcats.

Alabama's run as UCFC champion ends at six. They fall to 29-13 in UCFC games, and they will be hoping that they get another shot at the title this year -- perhaps in the SEC title game.

S. Carolina 35 - 21 Alabama (7:01 left in 4th Quarter)

Alabama fans will spend a lot of time analyzing this game, and wondering if this or that play might have made a difference. But the truth is that this game is very easy to analyze: Alabama cannot stop South Carolina's offense. The Gamecocks took over from the missed field goal and zipped down the field for yet another touchdown. They still have only punted once, and they have never been forced to settle for a field goal.

The UCFC is coming to Lexington next week.

S. Carolina 28 - 21 Alabama (11:34 left in 4th Quarter)

Alabama intercepted a Carolina pass and took over at the Carolina 38. But on 3d and 4 from the 18, McIlroy was sacked at the 25. Alabama -- which, as you will recall, does not have a good kicker -- tried a fake field goal, but it was not successful.

S. Carolina 28 - 21 Alabama (14:51 left in 4th Quarter)

What a game! Alabama responds with a 51-yard pass and run, as Greg McIlroy (who has been sacked five times in this game) found Darius Hanks wide open in the middle of the field. Now, the question becomes: can Alabama's defense finally hold Carolina?

S. Carolina 28 - 14 Alabama (1:42 left in 3d Quarter)

This is one of the best coaching jobs I have ever seen. Spurrier has got Alabama's defense totally figured out. The Gamecocks take the kickoff and drive down the field on 15 plays. They have only punted one time today, and they have scored a touchdown every time they reached the red zone. Just great, great football.

S. Carolina 21 - 14 Alabama (9:37 left in 3d Quarter)

Alabama took over after the safety, and its drive stalled at the Carolina 22. The bedraggled Alabama kicker made this field goal, and the Carolina lead has been cut to seven.

Alabama has gotten 14 points with a touchdown (six points), two field goals (six points) and a safety (two points).

S. Carolina 21 - 11 Alabama (14:49 left in 3d Quarter)

Steve Garcia, the South Carolina quarterback, has been tremendous. He is 9/9 for 94 yards and three touchdowns. But he just made one of the dumbest plays I have ever seen. On first down, Garcia is in the shotgun and gets a bad snap. He picks up the ball on the three-yard line and throws it out the back of the end zone for a safety. He could have fallen on the ball. He could have thrown an incomplete pass. He could have committed intentional grounding. Nothing would have been such a disaster. Alabama gets two points and the ball.

S. Carolina 21 - 9 Alabama (Halftime)

Carolina just ran out the clock. So the Gamecocks are only 30 minutes away from the UCFC championship.

S. Carolina 21 - 9 Alabama (38 seconds left in 2d half)

Alabama scored a touchdown on a beautiful pass from Greg McIlroy (who hasn't lost a game as a starter since the eighth grade) to Julio Jones -- and then missed the extra point. Not a good game for the Alabama kicker.

South Carolina will now have two possessions in a row. They will get this kickoff and then they get the kickoff to start the second half.

S. Carolina 21 - 3 Alabama (44 seconds left in 2d Quarter)

Alabama has the ball 3d and goal at the Carolina 8. The Gamecocks have called time.

S. Carolina 21 - 3 (1:57 left in 2d Quarter)

A holding penalty killed Carolina's drive. The Gamecocks punted, and a good return has given Alabama the ball at the Carolina 40. The Tide will have one more chance before the half.

S. Carolina 21 - 3 Alabama (4:37 left in 2d Quarter)

Alabama fought back with an agonizingly long 13-play drive -- and then missed a 31-yard field goal.

So far Carolina has had three possessions and scored three touchdowns. If they can get one more before the half, this game will truly be over.

S. Carolina 21 - 3 Alabama (13:52 left in 2d Quarter)

Well, now this is getting ugly. Greg McElroy, the Alabama quarterback, was hit and fumbled. South Carolina took over at the Alabama 42, and a few plays later Steve Garcia, the Carolina quarterback (who is now 8 for 8 in the game), threw his third touchdown pass of the half.

Alabama looks totally shell-shocked at this point. The folks in Lexington, Kentucky better get ready, because it appears that they will be hosting a UCFC game when Carolina comes to town next Saturday.

S. Carolina 14 - 3 Alabama (35 seconds left in 1st Quarter)

Alabama was held, and their punt only went 17 yards, allowing South Carolina to take over at their 37. On 4th and 2 from the Alabama 33, it appeared that Alabama had the Carolina quarterback trapped in the backfield, but he broke free and scampered to the 27. On the next play, he threw a beautiful touchdown pass.

So Alabama is once again in big trouble on the road. They came back against Arkansas. Can they do the same here?

S. Carolina 7 - 3 Alabama (7:20 left in 1st Quarter)

Years ago, Steve Spurrier was a genius -- an offensive wizard who brought a whole new level of subtlety to SEC football. No one could stop his teams, as they rolled up and down the field throughout the 1990s. Today he looked like a genius again, as Carolina took the ball and simply picked Alabama apart with short passes and draw plays. Carolina scored with remarkable ease, and Columbia is a madhouse right now.

S. Carolina 0 - 3 Alabama (10:32 left in 1st Quarter)

Alabama took the opening kickoff, drove steadily down the field until their drive stalled at the Carolina 15, and then kicked an easy field goal.

S. Carolina 0 - 0 Alabama (14:53 left in 1st Quarter)

It's 84 degrees in Columbia, and another UCFC game is under way!

S. Carolina v. Alabama

ESPN has taken College Gameday to Columbia, South Carolina -- an unusual compliment for a game that will be televised on CBS. It should be a pretty good game. The Gamecocks are number 19 in the country, they are at home, and they have had two weeks to get ready. Alabama, on the other hand, is playing its third game in three weeks against a ranked opponent.

South Carolina only joined the SEC in 1992, and the Gamecocks have always been in a different division from Alabama, so this game doesn't get played all that often. In fact, this is only the 15th matchup all-time between South Carolina and Alabama -- the Tide leads the all-time series 12-2.

South Carolina

As befits a team with an all-time record of only 506-509-42, the Gamecocks have not been very successful in UCFC competitions. Their record is only 3-11, and their only success occurred during the bizarre 1989 season.

When that season began, the UCFC was held by Florida State, one of the great powers of that time. But on September 2, 1989, FSU suffered one of the all-time legendary UCFC upsets, losing to Southern Mississippi 30-26, due to a remarkable performance by the Southern Miss quarterback, Brett Favre. But Southern Miss immediately lost the title to Mississippi State, who immediately lost it to Georgia, who immediately lost it to South Carolina -- making September 1989 one of the very few months (if not the only month) in which five different teams held the UCFC. South Carolina actually defended the title for two more weeks -- beating East Carolina and Western Carolina -- before they lost the title to N.C. State. They have never gotten it back.

Alabama 31 - 6 Florida (Final)

So that turned out to be easier than expected, in large part because turnovers killed any chance Florida had to get going or to be competitive. They will be much tougher to beat in the SEC Championship. Having said that, it is very impressive that in this game -- which was a revenge game for Florida -- Alabama was able to play this well despite coming off of what had to have been an exhausting game in Arkansas.

Florida's record in UCFC games falls to 23-14.

Alabama defends its title for the sixth time; the Tide runs its record in all UCFC games to 29-12. It should be noted that Alabama's six defenses include wins over Texas, Penn State and Florida. They will next defend the crown on Saturday, October 9 when they travel to Columbia to take on the South Carolina Gamecocks. This will be Alabama's third game in three weeks against a ranked opponent.

Alabama 31 - 6 Florida (6:10 left in 3d Quarter)

Alabama took the kickoff and couldn't really do much, but their punt was downed at the Florida 1. This did not intimidate the Gators who quickly moved out to their own 36. At this point, however, the roof fell in. Under pressure, the Florida quarterback tried a short pass -- which was picked off (Alabama's third interception of the game) and returned for a touchdown.

This is really a remarkable score. Since September 27, 2008, Florida has a record of 27-1 (27-2 if they lose tonight). But Alabama beat them last year 32-13, and now they are beating them again, 31-6. I still think Florida is likely to get a rematch in the SEC Championship game -- and they will be much more dangerous there. Nevertheless, this is the first team to give Urban Meyer this sort of trouble since he entered the SEC. It will be interesting to see how he responds.

Alabama 24 - 6 Florida (10:23 left in 3d Quarter)

Florida did get the opening kickoff of the second half, and marched promptly down the field -- but stalled at the 3. So they kicked another field goal.

Alabama 24 - 3 Florida (36 seconds left in 2d Quarter)

An exchange of punts (a great one for Florida and a bad one for Alabama) left the Gators with the ball at the Alabama 38. They didn't go very far with it, but they did go far enough to get a field goal. Florida will also get the ball to start the second half, so they can get back in the game with a score there.

Alabama 24 - 0 Florida (6:09 left in 2d Quarter)

And now, a little comedy. Alabama intercepts an errant Florida pass and takes over at the Gator 19. Alabama goes into the Wildcat formation with Marquis Maze -- yet another one of the Tide's talented skill-position players -- at quarterback. With Florida all set for a run, Maze flips an easy pass to a wide-open Michael Williams for yet another Alabama touchdown.

Alabama 17 - 0 Florida (7:50 left in 2d Quarter)

So Alabama stopped Florida, took the punt, and drove straight down the field for another touchdown -- Ingram again. This has simply been a clinic so far.

Alabama 10 - 0 Florida (14:14 left in 2d quarter)

Still no punts in this game. Alabama drives 80 yards; Mark Ingram ambles in from about six yards out for his fifth touchdown in three games, and the Tide has a 10-point lead.

Alabama 3 - 0 Florida (2:21 left in the 1st Quarter)

There's only one Tim Tebow.

Florida took the Alabama kickoff and drove down to the Alabama 1, where the Gators decided to go for it on fourth and goal. They tried Tebow's old jump pass -- the one where it looks like he's going to plunge into the line, and at the last minute he jumps up and hits someone wide open in the end zone. But Tebow's no longer there, and this version of the jump pass was intercepted by Alabama in the end zone. The Tide will take over at the 20.

Alabama 3 - 0 Florida (9:28 left in 1st quarter)

Alabama took the opening kickoff, strolled down the field to about the 10, and then kicked a field goal. Pretty easy stuff so far.

Alabama v. Florida

Although both Alabama and Florida are founding members of the Southeastern Conference, the two teams have never played that many games against each other. Tonight's game will only be the 36th meeting in over 100 years of football (Alabama leads the series 21-14), and seven of those games took place in the SEC championship:

1992: Alabama 28, Florida 21 (Alabama went on to win the national championship)

1993: Florida 28, Alabama 13

1994: Florida 24, Alabama 23

1996: Florida 45, Alabama 30 (Florida won national title)

1999: Alabama 34, Florida 7

2008: Florida 31, Alabama 20 (Florida won national title)

2009: Alabama 32, Florida 13 (Alabama won national title)

In fact, in the last two meetings Alabama and Florida were ranked #1 and #2. In both games the number 2 team beat the number 1 team. Tonight is merely number 1 (Alabama) versus number 7. But it should still be a pretty good game.