SEC Championship 2015: Final Odds, Preview, Prediction for Florida vs. Alabama

Speculation that Alabama's dynasty may be over following its Week 3 loss to Ole Miss seems like ages ago. 

Many put the Crimson Tide on the back burner after their early-season defeat—Alec Shirkey of SEC Country chronicled the many brash columns declaring such—yet No. 2 Alabama can clinch its second straight berth in the College Football Playoff with a win over the No. 18 Florida Gators in Saturday's SEC Championship Game.

Its star running back, Derrick Henry, could probably secure the Heisman Trophy with another strong outing in the process.

Alabama is going for its fourth conference crown in the eighth season of the Nick Saban era, though it won the national title in 2011 without playing in the SEC title game.

The Gators, meanwhile, are here for the first time since the penultimate game of the Urban Meyer-Tim Tebow era. Florida took the nation by storm, marching to a surprising 10-2 record under first-year coach Jim McElwain, a protege of Saban.

Here is a preview of Saturday's game in Atlanta. 

Date/Time: Saturday, Dec. 5 (3:30 p.m. ET)

Venue: Georgia Dome (Atlanta, Georgia)

TV: CBS

Live Stream: CBSSports.com

Odds: Alabama (-17.5), per Odds Shark

Tickets: ScoreBig.com

Not since Georgia and Alabama clashed in the epic 2012 title game has there been what would be considered an even matchup in what was once pegged the most monumental game in college football outside of the national championship game.

This year's 17.5-point spread in favor of Alabama is tied for the second-largest in the game's history, according to VegasInsider.com.

That hefty margin manifested out of Florida's sluggish finish to the regular season. The Gators are coming off a 27-2 loss to Florida State and needed overtime to beat 3-9 Florida Atlantic the week prior. 

McElwain doesn't care about what Vegas thinks. Florida was predicted by writers to finish fifth in the lackluster Eastern division at SEC media days, and he's just happy to be gracing the sidelines Saturday.

"We have an opportunity to go play the game," McElwain said, per Bleacher Report's Barrett Sallee. "Everybody in this conference, their goal is to get to Atlanta, right? And you know what, the Florida Gators are in Atlanta. I'm OK with that."

What's somewhat lost in the pregame analysis is that McElwain is becoming yet another success story from the Saban stable. 

David Goldman/Associated Press/Associated Press

Among the prominent Saban proteges include head coaches Jimbo Fisher at Florida State and Mark Dantonio at Michigan State, along with former head coaches Will Muschamp, Josh McDaniels, Pat Shurmur and Derek Dooley. 

Current Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart, considered one of the most sought-after head coaching prospects, could be next, as Chip Towers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported he will take the Georgia job. 

McElwain was Saban's offensive coordinator from 2008-2011 and helped Saban win his first two national titles at Alabama. He cherished his time in Tuscaloosa and acknowledges he wouldn't be in the position today without the guidance gained, per Mark Long of the Associated Press:

"

I want to make him proud. ... I was able to learn from him in a lot of different things that were valuable. Whether he believed it or not, I sat there and soaked every second and word he had. Took notes. Tried to learn as much as I can. I do the same thing here. ... I get a chance to visit with a lot of people. It's all an opportunity to learn and he gave me that opportunity. The guy is really good now. Sometimes the public perception doesn't do justice for what a good guy he is.

"

Now for McElwain comes the challenge of pitting his offense, third-worst in the SEC (214.9 yards per game), against Saban's defense, second-best in the FBS (264.6 yards per game). 

Barring a late safety last weekend, Florida was on the verge of being shut out for the first time since 1988, and it hasn't appeared in sync since clobbering Georgia 27-3 on Halloween. 

The Gators will be leaning heavily on their fifth-ranked defense to keep them in the game, and Henry will pose plenty of challenges. 

The junior tailback has racked up an FBS-best 1,797 yards on a bruising 295 carries and is considered a favorite for prominent postseason awards, per ESPN College GameDay:

Henry and Alabama have been here before, but Alabama's edge will be in overall talent rather than experience.

It's been a remarkable run for McElwain and the Gators—one they'll assuredly build on in what's shaping up to be a successful tenure in Gainesville—but it's not their time quite yet.

Prediction: Alabama 31, Florida 13