College Football Rewind: 5 most important games from 2008 season
3. (2) Florida 31, (1) Alabama 20
In what wound up being one of the most hyped SEC championship games of all time, Florida punched its ticket to the national title game with a flawless fourth quarter performance by Tim Tebow and the Gators’ offense, who was missing electric receiver Percy Harvin for the game.
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Alabama was a resurgent program under Nick Saban in his second year and the Tide rode an elite defense and running game to a 12-0 start.
Alabama led 20-17 heading into the fourth quarter, but the Gators scored twice and had a key sack with defensive end Jermaine Cunningham to seal the game and send Florida to Miami.
This game is significant because with a win, Alabama may have started its dynasty a year early and the Gators may have been left with just one title in the Urban Meyer era, as he would retire after the 2010 season.
The Gators would go on to defeat Oklahoma 24-14 and claim their second title in three years, but they had to go through an excellent Crimson Tide team first.