Florida vs. Alabama: Tide Will Roll over Gators in SEC Showdown

This game may not have as much luster as it did when Tim Tebow was leading the Gators against the Tide, but it's still a huge game in the SEC.

LSU has started to distance itself from the rest of the pack in the conference, but the winner of this game has to be considered the biggest challenge to the Bayou Bengals.

Once the dust settles on Saturday, it will be the Crimson Tide standing tall as the team with the best shot at knocking LSU down from the top of the conference.

The defensive talent on the field in this game will be off the charts.

Florida has had to lean on its defense this season and it has responded. So far this season, the defense has allowed only one team to score more than 10 points. Considering that team was the Tennessee Volunteers led by Tyler Bray, a possible all-conference quarterback, you can understand it.

As good as Florida's defense has been, Alabama's has been better. The Crimson Tide have allowed all of 32 points in their four games. Their most impressive performance was just last week against the Arkansas Razorbacks. They held the Razorbacks, a team known for putting up big point totals, to 14 points.

This game will come down to which team gets more out of its offense, and I think that team will be Alabama.

A.J. McCarron has settled into his role as the starting quarterback and Trent Richardson is hitting his stride.

As a matter of fact, I think Richardson will be the biggest key for Alabama. This game promises to be low-scoring. Big plays will be at a premium. It then becomes a game of which team can control the ball. Richardson's hard-running style will give that edge to the Crimson Tide.

This one won't be for the faint of heart. There will be no shortage of hard hits and it won't be pretty on the offensive end.

What it will be, though, is a good barometer to see which team is most ready to take on the LSU Tigers, the class of the SEC.