SEC Championship
#8 Arkansas vs. #4 Florida
Opening
Line: Florida - 2.5
Saturday, 6:00 pm Eastern
CBS
The fourth ranked Florida Gators face No. 8 Arkansas in the
SEC championship game in Atlanta on Saturday and the Gators
still have an outside shot at the BCS title game. For the
Gators (11-1, 7-1) to get into the BCS title game on Jan.
8 a lot has to go right. They have to hope UCLA can beat No.
2 USC on Saturday. Then they have to do enough against Arkansas
to jump ahead of No. 3 Michigan in the polls. ''I think the
BCS has done the best they possibly could in a very difficult
situation,'' Florida coach Urban Meyer said. ''For anybody
who thinks logically, it's not the best system, but it's probably
the best at this time.'' SBG
Global reports that the betting public is thinking
logically and loading up on the Gators.
The Gators better not be looking past Arkansas (10-2, 7-1).
The Gators have found a way to win nearly every week this
season but it has not been pretty. Meyer is now the first
coach in school history to beat Tennessee, Georgia and Florida
State in each of his first two seasons.
''We're a bunch of scraping, fighting guys that find a way,''
Meyer said. ''What we do have is very good chemistry and guys
that believe in each other and fight to the end. If you had
a choice, that's the kind of team you'd like to be around.''
The Gators have played the nation's toughest schedule according
to the NCAA, and can match the school record for wins in a
season with a victory over Arkansas.
Florida is a 2.5 point favorite with a total of 44.5 at SBG
Global.
Florida is banged up heading into this game. Running back
DeShawn Wynn who leads the Gators with 632 yards rushing,
is likely out with a shoulder injury and starting linebacker
Earl Everett might also miss the game.
The Razorbacks are in the SEC championship game for the third
time, and feel like they should be there. ''We feel different
this year. The last time we went to Atlanta we felt like we
went in through the back door,'' Arkansas coach Houston Nutt
said. ''This year we came through the front door. We won it
outright with one (SEC) loss. We feel good about that. We
feel like we have a legitimate chance to win the ball game.''
The Razorbacks have two of the more exciting running backs
in college football. Heisman Trophy contender Darren McFadden
had 182 yards rushing against LSU, including an 80-yard touchdown
run, and set the school's single-season rushing mark with
1,485 yards. Felix Jones added 137 rushing yards against LSU
and needs 39 more to reach 1,000 for the season.
Florida has won its last five meetings with Arkansas to take
a 5-1 lead in the all-time series. The Gators beat the Razorbacks
45-30 in 2004, in the last meeting between the teams, and
also won 34-3 in the 1995 SEC championship game.
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