Gators receiver Antonio Callaway leaps to make a catch in last season's game at LSU. (Photo: Tim Casey/UAA Communications)
SEC in 2016 is Alabama and 13 Others; Can Gators Rise to Challenge Trend?
Wednesday, November 16, 2016 | Football, Scott Carter
The SEC West has won seven consecutive league championship games.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – If you're old enough to remember when the Southeastern Conference split into divisions in 1992 and began to play a league championship game, you remember when the SEC East dominated.
In fact, after SEC West champion and eventual national champion Alabama defeated the Gators in Birmingham in the inaugural championship game 24 years ago, the SEC East won the next six, four consecutive by the Gators followed by Tennessee in '97 and '98.
From 1992 to 2008, the East was 11-6 in the SEC title game and had lost two in a row only once. That trend changed in 2009 when Alabama defeated the Gators to shift power from the East to West.
The SEC West has won seven consecutive league title games and dominated the East in the regular season, too, told in more detail here by Jordan McPherson of MiamiHerald.com.
In a small room outside Florida's locker room at Razorback Stadium 11 days ago, Gators coach Jim McElwain was asked about the great divide following Florida's 31-10 loss at Arkansas.
"It's pretty big,'' he said. "You know as the Florida Gators, it is our responsibility to get it closer."
The No. 21 Gators (7-2, 5-2) have an opportunity to take a huge step in that direction on Saturday at No. 16 LSU (6-3, 4-2). The Gators can clinch a second consecutive SEC East title with a victory.
In a season when there's been so much discussion about the disparity between the East and West, Florida winning the East on a West rival's home field would certainly give the East a boost.
And, of course, the Gators a berth in the SEC Championship Game against No. 1-ranked Alabama, who for all the talk about the West's supremacy, has already clinched the division prior to its annual Iron Bowl matchup against Auburn.
While every team in the SEC East has at least two conference losses, so does every team in the West except the Crimson Tide.
Yes, the East is lagging behind. But in reality, so is the West. In 2016, it's Alabama and 13 others, and the Gators have the best chance at reversing that trend.
In fact, after SEC West champion and eventual national champion Alabama defeated the Gators in Birmingham in the inaugural championship game 24 years ago, the SEC East won the next six, four consecutive by the Gators followed by Tennessee in '97 and '98.
From 1992 to 2008, the East was 11-6 in the SEC title game and had lost two in a row only once. That trend changed in 2009 when Alabama defeated the Gators to shift power from the East to West.The SEC West has won seven consecutive league title games and dominated the East in the regular season, too, told in more detail here by Jordan McPherson of MiamiHerald.com.
In a small room outside Florida's locker room at Razorback Stadium 11 days ago, Gators coach Jim McElwain was asked about the great divide following Florida's 31-10 loss at Arkansas.
"It's pretty big,'' he said. "You know as the Florida Gators, it is our responsibility to get it closer."
The No. 21 Gators (7-2, 5-2) have an opportunity to take a huge step in that direction on Saturday at No. 16 LSU (6-3, 4-2). The Gators can clinch a second consecutive SEC East title with a victory.
In a season when there's been so much discussion about the disparity between the East and West, Florida winning the East on a West rival's home field would certainly give the East a boost.
And, of course, the Gators a berth in the SEC Championship Game against No. 1-ranked Alabama, who for all the talk about the West's supremacy, has already clinched the division prior to its annual Iron Bowl matchup against Auburn.
While every team in the SEC East has at least two conference losses, so does every team in the West except the Crimson Tide.
Yes, the East is lagging behind. But in reality, so is the West. In 2016, it's Alabama and 13 others, and the Gators have the best chance at reversing that trend.
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