Gators win SEC Crown

College Confidential Community
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<p>Win might give Gators a shot at the Buckeyes</p>

<p>By PAT DOOLEY</p>

<p>Sun sports writer
December 03. 2006 6:31AM</p>

<p>ATLANTA — The celebration had spilled from the field to the locker room, but then it was spilling back. Dallas Baker, down to his undershirt and football pants, came running back onto the Georgia Dome surface followed by the happiest team in the nation Saturday night.</p>

<p>They had to get the picture, the one just like all those ones they have seen in the football offices and their locker room, fingers pointed skyward and an SEC sign in the front.</p>

<p>Florida won the SEC Championship Game for the sixth time and took its seventh SEC title with a 38-28 win over Arkansas. They may have won more than rings and hats on a crazy night.</p>

<p>With Southern Cal losing to UCLA earlier in the day, Florida's victory means that voters and computers will be crunching numbers today to decide whether it's Michigan or Florida facing Ohio State in the national title game.</p>

<p>"Michigan had their chance," said UF wide receiver Andre Caldwell. "It's time to pass it on to the next guy."</p>

<p>Florida, fourth in the BCS entering the weekend, trailed No. 3 Michigan by .32 of a point. The final standings will be announced tonight at 8 on Fox Sports.</p>

<p>"I am beat to death right now," said Florida coach Urban Meyer. "I can't move. I'm sure the players feel the same way. I'm not too concerned with style points. I'm just concerned with 21 seniors who went out and won a championship.</p>

<p>"Florida belongs. We deserve a shot. I think the country needs to see the Big 10 champion vs. the SEC champions. I have great confidence that the University of Florida is going to get that opportunity."</p>

<p>The Gators advanced to 12-1 on the season while Arkansas, which has lost two in a row, heads to a bowl game with a 10-3 record.</p>

<p>Florida jumped out to a 17-0 lead, but a pair of Chris Leak interceptions helped the Razorbacks take a 21-17 lead in the third quarter. Florida's Wondy Pierre-Louis recovered a fumbled punt in the end zone to give Florida back the lead and Percy Harvin, voted the MVP of the game, ran 67 yards for another score.</p>

<p>After Arkansas cut the lead to 31-28, Leak guided the Gators to the clinching score as Caldwell passed to tight end Tate Casey for the touchdown.</p>

<p><a href="http://gainesville.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061203/LOCAL/61203035/-1/news%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://gainesville.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061203/LOCAL/61203035/-1/news&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>The Buckeyes will easily beat the Gators. The "real" national championship was the Ohio vs. Michigan game. I think those two teams are clearly the best in the nation and are evenly matched. </p>

<p>I still don't think that any team this year is as good as Texas or USC last year. They were always the top 2 and were both undefeated. Their championship game will surely be a classic.</p>

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<p>1 - Michigan couldn't even win their own conference. </p>

<p>2 - Their strength of schedule is weaker than UF's. </p>

<p>3 - Lastly UF is more deserving due to the fact that they were able to go 12 - 1, and were able to win the SEC Conference (which is the best in all of college football)!</p>

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<p>Michigan couldn't win their own conference because they had the #1 team in their conference. Of the games they won, only 1 was won by 7 points or less. Florida had 5 of these games, 3 against unranked teams. If your Gators are so dominant, why did they just squeak by teams like Vanderbilt and South Carolina, teams that aren't exactly football powerhouses? The only game Michigan lost was against the #1 team in the country by a mere 3 points.</p>

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<p>How can you say the SEC is the best conference in CF when they only have one team with a one loss record, while the Big Ten has two teams with one loss records and one undefeated team? There is not one SEC team that could beat OSU or Michigan!</p>