No. 3 Crimson Tide to host Florida Gators for its SEC opener

Florida Gators at Alabama Crimson Tide (-14.5, 52.5 o/u)

In the tough SEC, it’s just a typical season for the Crimson Tide (3-0, 0-0), which so far has crushed its early season opponents. This week brings the Florida Gators (2-0, 1-1) to Tuscaloosa, which will provide insight into the third-ranked Crimson Tide’s talent level.

Specifically, it’s the matchup between Alabama’s next NFL-ready receiver Amari Cooper against Florida’s next NFL-ready defensive back Vernon Hargreaves III.

Said Alabama head coach Nick Saban, “So far, what we’ve tried to do has been effective and it’s worked. A lot of it is going through Amari Cooper.”

Currently, Cooper leads the nation with 33 catches and is third with 454 yards receiving. That’s not lost on Hargreaves, who knows he’ll be tested this Saturday afternoon. He said, “I’m excited for the matchup. Everybody knows what’s coming. Obviously, I’m going to be covering him. I’m excited for it.”

While Alabama hasn’t lost its SEC opener in nearly a quarter of a century, Florida already has a conference loss and almost had its second last weekend. The team ended up winning a tight 36-30 triple overtime game over the Kentucky Wildcats.

Florida Gaters head coach Will Muschamp said, “There’s going to be games like that when you play in our conference, and you’ve got to find ways to win those games. Our guys found a way to win the game. That’s a huge positive, and it shows some resiliency and fighting through adversity.”

Still, this is Alabama at home we’re talking about here. However, instead of laying 14.5 points, the 52.5 total could be the play with the Gators 2-0-0 o/u this season.