Mac Jones, No. 1 Alabama Beat No. 7 Florida to Win 2020 SEC Championship

The Alabama Crimson Tide are SEC champions once again.

After the LSU Tigers claimed the crown last year, the top-ranked Tide recaptured the conference title with a 52-46 victory over No. 7 Florida.

It's the ninth SEC Championship Game win for Alabama and the seventh for head coach Nick Saban. No two teams have met more in the SEC Championship than Alabama and Florida with Saturday marking the 10th occasion and moving the Crimson Tide to 6-4 over their rival on the conference's biggest stage.

The victory also virtually assures Alabama will remain No. 1 in the final College Football Playoff rankings as the program prepares to challenge for its 18th national title.

That's where Saban and Co. will turn their attention now as a most unusual college football season ends with the most predictable of results: Alabama back in the playoff.

Notable Performers

Mac Jones, QB, Alabama Crimson Tide: 33-of-43, 418 yards, 5 touchdowns, 1 interception

Najee Harris, RB, Alabama Crimson Tide: 31 carries, 178 yards, 2 touchdowns; 5 catches, 67 yards, 3 touchdowns

DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama Crimson Tide: 15 catches, 184 yards, 2 touchdowns

Kyle Trask, QB, Florida Gators: 26-of-40, 408 yards, 3 touchdowns

Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida Gators: 7 catches, 129 yards, 1 touchdown

Kadarius Toney, WR, Florida Gators: 8 catches, 153 yards, 1 touchdown

Tide Offense Overpowers Gators

The last time Alabama won the SEC Championship, it needed just 35 points to knock off the Georgia Bulldogs in 2018. Saban's offense has come a long way since then.

Saturday night saw the Tide break a number of school and conference records as its three-headed monster of Mac Jones, Najee Harris and DeVonta Smith each made a final case to take home the Heisman Trophy.

The 35 points Alabama scored in the first 30 minutes were the most in an SEC Championship half. Jones' 418 passing yards now stand alone as the most in the SEC title game, while Florida quarterback Kyle Trask's 408 passing yards are No. 2 all-time in the conference championship. The five touchdowns recorded by Harris—two rushing, three receiving—are the most by one player in the SEC Championship.

Harris became just the second SEC player ever to record five touchdowns in multiple games, while his performance Saturday made him the first to do it twice in one season, per ESPN Stats & Info. The electric tailback is now second to former Alabama star Derrick Henry for the most touchdowns in an SEC season with 27. Henry had 28 in his Heisman-winning campaign in 2015.

Yet Harris now has something no other player in his program's history can claim: the most career touchdowns ever scored by an Alabama player (54).

It's those type of numbers that make college fans recall how Saban's program had long been feared for its defense. Now there are fewer weaknesses than ever around Alabama.

As the College Football Playoff committee finalizes its rankings, there's no question the Tide have done everything possible to lock up the No. 1 seed.

At 11-0, the only thing left to do is bring home another national title.

What's Next for Florida?

As much as falling to Alabama on Saturday hurts, it's last week's loss at home to LSU that may sting most for Gators fans.

With Notre Dame pummeled by Clemson in the ACC Championship earlier on Saturday, a two-loss Florida team with a win over No. 5 Georgia and a three-point loss to No. 21 Texas A&M would have given the committee enough to consider moving it into the Top Four.

Now that's moot, and an effort against Alabama that could have put the Gators over the top will remain one of this college season's many what-ifs.

After falling behind 35-17 late in the second quarter, Florida manufactured back-to-back touchdowns to open the third frame, bringing itself within four points of the lead. It was as close as the Gators could get, as Alabama scored the next 10 straight points before Smith's final touchdown with 4:59 remaining put the game out of reach.

Head coach Dan Mullen can certainly build on this season—his first as SEC East champion—but it'll take some work. According to 247Sports' composite rankings, Mullen has built a top-10 recruiting class in the country in two of his first three years at Florida, but it hasn't gotten the program back to contending for national titles. With Trask graduating this year, it's not guaranteed he'll be able to stay atop the East in 2021.

The last time Florida lost to Alabama in the SEC Championship it took the program four years to return to the stage. If Mullen is going to succeed as the coach of the Gators, he'll need to return much quicker than that.

What's Next?

It's officially bowl season for both Alabama and Florida now. The two powerhouse programs will learn their respective opponents and destinations in the coming days with the Tide expected to land one of the four coveted semifinal spots in the final CFP rankings Sunday.