Could the Carlos Dunlap Arrest Be the Stone that Kills Goliath?

David vs Goliath. It's a common analogy. One I think is accurate for the SEC championship game in Atlanta this Saturday.

There have been many programs that reached what is often called “Dynasty Status.” To get to that level means winning multiple national championships in a short period of time. Florida is clearly a dynasty.

Several programs have gotten to that level during my lifetime, and at times it seems they will win every championship from that time forward. Football, however, is much like life, and life goes in cycles. 

College football is different from pro football by nature of recruiting. In pro football, the worst teams get the best players coming out of college, while in college the best tend to draw the better players. 

There are limits to this as eventually some high school players start looking elsewhere for fear they will sit the bench their entire career, but most of the bluest of blue-chip players tend to gravitate toward the best programs.

So what is to stop Florida from winning forever? The answer is deep in the heart of humanity. It shows up in a word, apathy.

With the exception of a few red-shirted freshman every Florida player is wearing a national championship ring. Many of the upper class men who constitute the bulk of the travel squad are wearing two.

As a program becomes more and more successful each additional championship, be it SEC or national, has less value than the ones before.   

It's in our nature as humans to develop a sense of entitlement. This isn't just a failure of the weak minded. Humans were not designed for success, but for survival. They always function at the highest level when the chips are down, when the dark clouds are gathering, when facing an uphill battle.

Such was the case several thousand years ago when a young Hebrew named David faced down a rather large intimidating and seemingly unbeatable Philistine named Goliath.

David was just a young man at the time, and he would go on to be a great leader and king, but on that day, David was at his best because things were at their worst.

Alabama will need to be at their best this Saturday in the Georgia Dome. Florida is the finest program in college football. It's not even a debatable issue at this point. They expected to be in Atlanta. They expect to win the game, and they expect to win again in Pasadena. Losing hasn't even entered their minds.

Positive thought is a powerful thing to overcome. When a team believes they are going to win, they often find a way to make it happen. If things go badly they don't panic, they play through adversity and continue to do the things that have won for them in the past.

Both Alabama and Florida have shown those traits all season but the fact remains that since the loss by Florida in 2008 to Ole Miss, no team has bested the Gators.

At the head of the beast is Tim Tebow. I hate to even mention his name because its been a subject chewed on far too much over the last four years. But Tebow is a force of nature on the field. 

Alabama had Florida on the ropes last year in Atlanta and he took over the game. He has done that repeatedly throughout his career. He will most certainly try again Saturday. But stopping Tim Tebow may not be the most important factor in an Alabama victory.

The arrest of Carlos Dunlap this morning for a DUI may be a sign the Florida football dynasty may be cracking. The pressure of maintaining perfection over such a long period may be weighing heavily on the team.

David took down Goliath with a single stone, in reality it probably just knocked him out,  but David didn't dance a jig to celebrate, he cut the man's head off and showed it to the Philistines for effect. Was the Carlos Dunlap arrest the stone that Alabama needs to take down Goliath?

Urban Mayer has a choice to make for which he will be judged forever. Its not important to me what choice he makes regarding Dunlap. Dunlap's lack of focus could run far deeper. Was he the exception, or the rule? It only took a small stone to kill a giant. 

The mountain in front of the Crimson Tide could not be higher, or more intimidating.  Hopefully it will bring out the best in Alabama, and that best will be enough.