Alabama football: 5 predictions for Crimson Tide vs. Florida Gators

Alabama and Florida meet in a rematch of last year’s SEC Championship Game.

The No. 1 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide take on the No. 11 Florida Gators on Saturday in the biggest game on the college football schedule. Both the Tide and Gators are coming off blowout victories, but enter this week’s matchup with question marks to varying degrees. For the Tide, it’s how focused they will be after head coach Nick Saban was critical of the team’s preparation vs. the FCS opponent. For the Gators, it’s how they will handle the quarterback position moving forward as two players have been receiving significant time.

5 predictions for Alabama Crimson Tide vs Florida Gators

1. Alabama vs. Florida predictions: Gators QB Anthony Richardson outplays Emory Jones

If his health permits. While Emory Jones is the starter, Richardson has seen significant time in both of Florida’s first two wins and has outperformed Jones. Richardson has done a better job at protecting the football and has provided the Gators with more explosive plays, two key things needed to beat a powerful Alabama team. The only concern is that Richardson appeared to pull his hamstring on his last play against USF, an 80-yard touchdown run. If Richardson is good to go, he should get the bulk of the work behind center.

2. Alabama vs. Florida predictions: Richardson leads Gators in passing and rushing, again

Richardson led Florida in rushing in both of the first two games. Whether it is Richardson or Jones taking the snaps against Alabama, one of them will lead the team in rushing. Both possess the ability to run the ball, and the Tide are pretty tough against the traditional run game. Quarterbacks with the ability to run have long given the Tide trouble. The Gators will need rushing production from the quarterback position in order to win.

3. Alabama vs. Florida predictions: Jahleel Billingsley will have an impactful game

The third-year tight end and frequent contributor to last year’s championship team was slated for a breakout season. After a rocky fall camp for Billingsley, which was described by Nick Saban using words like “buy-in”, Billingsley hasn’t received a significant amount of playing time. After a viral moment of Saban and Billingsley having a conversation on the sideline during the Miami game, it seems as if Billingsley is working his way back into the good graces of the program. Billingsley’s flashes of contributions last season showed that he has the talent to impact a game.

4. Alabama vs. Florida predictions: Bryce Young will pass for 400-plus yards

The talented quarterback shot to the top of the Heisman rankings with an impressive debut in the opener vs. Miami. Last week he started slowly against Mercer, but eventually got things rolling. In his small career as a starter, he has yet to pass for over 400 yards, something that has become common for Alabama quarterbacks over the past few years. After a slow day against Mercer, a more efficient offensive explosion is likely for the second-year quarterback and the offense.

5. Alabama vs. Florida predictions: Alabama wins 56-17

Last week leading up to the Mercer game, Nick Saban made it clear he was upset with his team’s mindset. It showed in their play. Sure they won 48-14, but they were not as clean as they were in the first half of the Miami game. In the post-game interview this weekend, Saban said of his team “If they don’t wake up and shake themselves, they’ll get shook.” With the message likely received internally, the preparation should be better, the intensity should be higher, and the execution for Alabama should be better. All of this results in a long game for the Florida gators.

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