Florida vs. Alabama: Score, Highlights and Reaction from 2015 SEC Championship

The Alabama Crimson Tide's College Football Playoff credentials can no longer be questioned. Instead, the only remaining query should focus on where the Crimson Tide will rank among the CFP semifinalists following Saturday's 29-15 SEC Championship Game win over the No. 18 Florida Gators. 

According to CBS Sports' Jon Solomon, No. 2 Alabama became the first team since the Tennessee Volunteers in 1998 to repeat as the SEC champion.

Although it wasn't always pretty, Alabama's offense uncovered enough continuity to solve a stingy Florida defense. Derrick Henry rushed 44 times for 189 yards and a touchdown, setting the SEC's single-season record for rushing yards in the process, per ESPN.com's Alex Scarborough.

Jake Coker completed 18 of 26 passes for 204 yards and two scores, and his 32-yard touchdown toss to ArDarius Stewart late in the third quarter dashed Florida's SEC title hopes once and for all.

Treon Harris didn't experience a similar degree of success. The Gators quarterback totaled 165 yards, one touchdown and one interception on 9-of-24 passing as Alabama finished with a 437-180 advantage in total yardage.

Elsewhere in the offensive-ineptitude department, Florida finished the day 0-of-11 on third-down conversions and possessed the ball for just 16 minutes, 31 seconds.

The first half was a smashmouth affair of the highest order—with one exception. While Alabama failed to sustain long drives against Florida's defense early, a 55-yard pass from Coker to Calvin Ridley set Henry up for a two-yard touchdown plunge to help put the Crimson Tide up 12-7 entering halftime, per CBS Sports: 

Florida's first half amounted to a complete struggle on offense. Had it not been for an 85-yard punt-return touchdown by Antonio Callaway, the Gators would have been shut out. 

Alabama outgained Florida 175-84 over the first two quarters, and SB Nation's Ryan Nanni provided the perfect analogy to describe the Gators' inability to keep the chains moving: 

As if inefficiency through the air wasn't bad enough, Florida recorded zero rushing yards in the first half. According to ESPN Stats & Info, the goose egg represented Florida's fewest first-half rushing yards since 2011, when it recorded a minus-32 mark against Georgia.

If there was a positive for the Gators, it was that their fifth-ranked scoring defense made Henry fight for each and every yard as Alabama never established an ideal offensive balance. 

However, Alabama kept plugging away. Head coach Nick Saban's squad made enough dents in the Gators' defensive armor to emerge as the superior squad throughout the second half, and the nation's third-ranked scoring defense held up its end of the bargain to seal things for the Tide. 

And now the fun begins.

While we know Alabama is a shoo-in for a playoff spot, we don't where the selection committee will slot the SEC champion Sunday afternoon. At the least, the No. 2 spot figures to be the Crimson Tide's floor since they dominated Saturday's proceedings.

However, some late-night drama in the ACC Championship Game could improbably throttle Alabama into the top spot.

But regardless of their final seed, the Crimson Tide look like the nation's most dangerous team. With September's loss to Ole Miss a thing of the past, Alabama is cooking with some serious heat as it seeks to avenge last year's semifinal loss to Ohio State.

Postgame Reaction

The SEC Network relayed field-level video of Alabama's celebration: 

Following Henry's record-setting performance, Saban touted his running back's Heisman Trophy credentials, per Bleacher Report's Barrett Sallee: 

Saban also revealed a source of motivation for his team, according to Sallee: 

On the flip side, Florida head coach Jim McElwain praised his quarterback's play despite a shaky stat line, according to the Orlando Sentinel's Jordan McPherson: 

"We never backed down," McElwain said, per McPherson. "We're a program on the rise and a program on the build."