Florida vs. Alabama: Will It Be the Gators or Tide In 2014?

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Take a look at Urban Meyer’s Florida Gators and Nick Saban’s Alabama Crimson Tide and what do you see today?

You find two very talented programs heading back to Atlanta to do battle in the SEC Championship Game, and, should each complete the regular season undefeated, could determine the front runner in the quest for the crystal ball in Pasadena.

Now take a moment and focus your attention a bit further down the road for each team.

Don’t allow yourself to be distracted by either’s current offensive woes, recruiting controversies, officiating nods, or behavior issues.  More importantly, don’t be distracted by the fact that it’s very possible that one, or both, of these teams may find completing the season undefeated more of a challenge than previously thought.

Rather, use your imagination to envision what each program will look like in the future—after the 2009 regular season, past Atlanta, and hopefully beyond playing in Pasadena.

Go a bit further down this foggy road and ask yourself this question, “Which of these two programs is better poised to be successful over the next few years?”

That’s right… which of these two teams will be leading the pack and which will follow in three, five, or even 10 years from now? 

It’s an interesting question because Alabama and Florida both have the potential to become the standard bearer in the SEC for the foreseeable future just as easily as they could become a conference also-ran.

And it’s a question with an answer once you examine several key factors and their influence on each team’s future.

5 —Player Celebrities

For the Gator Nation, accepting the fact that the Tim Tebow era is almost at an end is a very sobering thought.

Tebow and Meyer will go down in history as one of the most successful coach/player relationships in college football history.  And as successful as this relationship has been, it also comes with a price.

Florida's success has been defined by Tebow, and to many potential recruits a Gator team without “Super Tim” will fail to reach championship heights again soon.  The impact, although subtle, has affected Florida recruiting within the five star community and has allowed other SEC teams to bridge the gap of talent that made the 2008 Gator squad so unique.

Moving forward in the short term, Alabama, perceived as a team on the rise, suffers not from a cult of personality, but actually benefits from Florida’s.  This is more than ironic since Gator merchandise sales have skyrocketed since Tebow began manning the helm in 2007.

1-3 Year Advantage—Alabama

3-5 Year Advantage—None

4 —Program History

The Bear Bryant formula for success is simple—recruit the very best talent you can to field a extraordinary rushing attack, and complement it with a competent passing game, smothering defense, excellent special teams, and a deep bench.

Gene Stallings subscribed to this theory and won a national championship.

Alabama is very fortunate that this formula defines “Tide Football,” and that its' latest practitioner, Saban, embraces it wholeheartedly since he used a similar strategy at LSU to win a national championship.

Florida, on the other hand, has no such identity.

Steve Spurrier put Florida on the map with his high octane Fun and Gun while Meyer has reclaimed Gator glory with spread and spread hybrid offenses.

As successful as Alabama has been when they play “Bama Ball,” Florida has displayed similar success when taking advantage of the latest in college football tactics and strategies.

Under current leadership, Alabama may be more consistent and Florida may be more cyclical but both teams will continue to challenge equally.   Put the variable, coaching changes, into play and both programs could also suffer equally.

Looking forward, Florida and Alabama represent the ends of the spectrum when it comes to winning with “tradition”.  Both have been successful when practicing their honored approaches to football and have suffered when they’ve strayed.

1-3 Year Advantage—None

3-5 Year Advantage—None

3 —Recruiting Bases

It’s simple, if you want to win the SEC championship you must win the recruiting war.

Both Alabama and Florida have made recruiting a top priority—and with good reason since there’s hardly a football program in Division 1 that doesn’t have a player from Georgia, Florida, or Alabama on its’ roster.

Part of the rebuilding mission for each coach was to repair or improve recruitment efforts in their own backyards, while expanding talent acquisition programs into new areas.

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