12/03/1994. Georgia Dome (Atlanta, GA). The 3rd annual SEC Championship Game. The #3 Alabama Crimson Tide (11-0) vs. the #6 Florida Gators (9-1-1). Broadcast on ABC.
Agreed. How Spurrier was able to get Florida ready for this game a week after that infamous 31-31 tie with Florida State is beyond me. One of the best single game coaching jobs I can remember.
I try and not take for granted what's happening while Saban is the coach. It's special but I can easily remember the days in the early 2000's when we were happy just to have a winning record and go to a bowl.
I believe it was Bama"s defense back Eddie Jackson that almost had 2 interceptions on Florida's final drive that would have sealed the deal for Bama and a undefeated season. Bama matched up better against Florida St. than did. I believe Bama"s style of play would have given them the win over the Seminoles and at least a share of the Natty with Nebraska that year. What might have been!
@@rolltide9547 No they haven’t. They’ve had two coaches better than him. And those two coaches might also be the two best coaches in college football history.
Yes, IM one of those Gator Fans who had a lot of respect for Gene Stallings...Had a lot of respect for the Bama Program in general. Not such a big fan of Saban...But, I do have a lot of respect for him as well. I look forward to a day when UF and Bama, are taking turns winning the SEC Championship again, as was often the case in the Spurrier Era...
Spurrier was just a genius. As good of a coach as Gene Stallings was, Spurrier just knew exactly how to exploit our defense. He out coached Stallings as he did most all other coaches.
Painful loss. One play away from a potential undefeated season and perhaps a national championship claim. Bama would not have faced Nebraska in a bowl because the agreements were different back then
This was about the era when Spurrier (and Fulmer at UT) realized that if Bama was playing 5'9" DBs, then all they had to do was get some lanky 6'2" receivers and have a rag-arm QB just throw it up for grabs. It didn't matter if the DB ran a 4.25 /40 if he wasn't even looking for, or couldn't reach, the ball. Us Bama fans spent over a decade in furious frustration watching our blazing fast hobbit cornerbacks get routinely embarrassed by tall receivers wearing orange. Thank G-d for Saban......
This game was the biggest near miss Bama fans would look back to sadly during the "Dark Ages" between 97 and 07. Although in retrospect, the Tide probably would not have had much of a shot against Nebraska in 94.
They wouldn't have even played that's back when the big 8 champ went to Orange, and sec champ went to Sugar bowl no holds barred just like big 10 an Pac 10 champs went Tom rose regardless and they were iron clad with it! Bama would've played FSU in sugar bowl! And if they won which Florida didnt. Then there would have beenn3 undefeated teams with Bama having a extra game beingb13-0 as were Penn st and Nebraska werec12-0 and Bama would've finished 3rd or 2nd outside looking in just like Penn st was !
From 91 to 2000, UF won 6 SEC Titles. (91 Championship was prior to the SEC Championship Game). With the exception of a surprise appearance by Arkansas and Miss St, and a couple trips by Auburn, BAMA, was the SEC Program most often in UF's way. (BAMA beat Spurrier 2x in the SEC Title Game as well. 92 and 99) BAMA was by far and away, the best Conference Rivalry for us Florida Fans under Spurrier. Obviously, TENN was the biggest Divisional Rival in during those years. But TENN was constantly, badly out coached by Spurrier and Co. Gene Stallings was a great coach. Id say he was very much on par with Spurrier, and it always seemed that of all the SEC Coaches, Spurrier had the most respect for Stallings. Gene simply had the disadvantage, of being unprepared, personnel wise, on Defense, for the Spurrier offense, that routinely put 3 WR on the field, and later, 4 and 5. I remember Stallings saying he could not dress enough scholarship CB's vs Florida, in those first 5 years vs UF. Spurrier came in throwing the ball 50% in a league that was running the ball 70%. Defenses simply did not have the right personnel, to match with UF those 1st 5-6 years. Stallings seemed to have the most success vs Spurrier from a score differential standpoint with the mismatch.
Stallings was 70-16-1 in seven seasons at Bama. Averaging 10 wins a season back when they only played 11 regular season games is very impressive. His only trouble was beating Spurrier. He had two seasons [1991 (11-1) and 1994 (12-1)] where only losses on season were to Florida. If not for Florida, Stallings seven year run would have included 3 or 4 more SEC championships and maybe another national title.
Interestingly he’s not the only Bama legendary coach who had trouble beating Spurrier. Nick Saban was 1-3 vs Spurrier. All three losses for Saban were emphatic wins by Spurrier’s teams. 41-9 in 2000, 44-15 in 2001, and 35-21 in 2010 over Saban’s #1 ranked team.
Dan Bennett Well I must say your a true Alabama fan if you remember games like this one. I'm not an Alabama fan, but I live in Alabama, and it seems like ever since Saban came along, and they started winning titles, a lot of newer Bama fans have popped up, who only know about the recent years. They know nothing about the Gene Stallings era, or even guys like Shaun Alexander, David Palmer, or Freddie Millons
jf1971 a23 my first game was the Iron Bowl in 1983. Saw Bo Jackson run for 250+ yards on us. Definitely spoiled by Saban but I’ve been a fan through the lean years as well
It was a tough loss, but a well-played game between both teams. I think Barker got hurt at some point in this game. This was his senior year, the same season he threw for 395 yards vs Georgia. Even though Bama played from behind, they were very conservative after the first quarter.
@@tmarsh0307 I think many many people lose understanding for the ramifications of this game. Because with Penn State being tied to the Rose Bowl Alabama would have played against Nebraska had they won. That would have been an interesting matchup between Bama's defense and Nebraska's offense. But I also think it would have put more lore on Stallings time with the Tide.
@@TheJasonJackson84 1992-94 was the first phase of creating a championship game known as the Bowl Coalition. During these years, the SEC, Big 8, SWC, Big Ten and Pac Ten still had their traditional ties to their bowls. Bama would have gone to the Sugar to play FSU (which I would have loved to have seen). However, the highest ranked opponent not committed - ACC, Big East, Independent - would have matched up against the highest available opponent committed. We would have had the same matchups, except for Bama in the Sugar. The following year was the beginning of the Bowl Alliance, which matched up the top available teams regardless of conference affiliation, except, the Big Ten and Pac Ten continued their relationship with the Rose. Then, in 1998, the infamous BCS began, which included all conferencess. Still, in 1994 a 13-0 season and an SEC Championship would have been on the line.
@@tmarsh0307 when you read through the Bowl Coalition agreement, any conference champion of the SEC, Big East, Big 8, SWC, or ACC would have been released from their traditional bowl tie-in to play in a national championship if that team was either #1 or #2. With Alabama possibly remaining the number 3 team with a win, I'm of then opinion that the governing body would have released an 12-0 #3 Alabama to play against Nebraska had Nebraska not chosen to go to the Sugar bowl since Penn State was outside of the contract. But it's also possible that Alabama would have been ranked #2 had they won this game against a top 10 team. So, I really do believe Alabama had a slim chance to play for another national championship had they won this game.
@@TheJasonJackson84 I looked that up and you are correct. However, it was never mentioned in 1994. Would they be allowed out of their contract for 1 vs 3 (as Alabama was ranked)? Or, did it have to be a definitive 1 vs 2? I don't remember it ever being mentioned that Alabama could have played Nebraska (and I followed football much more closely then than I do now).
RollTide Roll ....???.... *COMING OFF THE CHOKE AT DOAK?????* Still, I can (kinda) believe it, considering the fact that Spurrier was 4-1 against you guys going into this game. Other than that, I cannot see why UF was such a big favorite, considering what happened to the Gators the previous week and also it was a similar scenario to '92 coming in (Florida having a overall disappointing season and a devastating result against their in-state rival the previous week; 'Bama having one of the best defenses in the nation and an offense playing just well enough to win [although they have better talent on paper on offense than '92) and winning a lot of close games en route to the undefeated regular season). BTW, I consider this the biggest upset in SEC Title Game history B/C, other than 2008 & 2009, the SEC Championship Game has been notorious for going along with the script, so to speak, when it comes to the final result.
Alabama had been scraping by all year with close wins over teams that weren't all that great. Our offense was borderline anemic for the vast majority of the season, averaging only 23.5 points per game, and the defense was good but not great. Strong senior leadership on both sides of the ball, however, helped us run the table in the regular season.
Randy Dubin Tennessee was a touchdown favorite over LSU in 2001 (LSU by 11), LSU was a 2.5 point favorite over Georgia in 2005 (Georgia by 20), Florida was a 7 point favorite over Alabama in 1999 (Alabama by 27), Florida a 5 point favorite over Alabama in 2009 (Alabama by 19), Missouri was a 2 point favorite over Auburn in 2013 (that is what wikipedia says, I was surprised and don't remember it that way) anyway Auburn won by 17. As far as Vegas non-favorite winners I think that is it. Biggest point spreads in an SEC championship game was Florida by 24 in '95 (Arkansas), Florida by 14.5 in '96 (Alabama) and Alabama by 14.5 in 2014 (Missouri) (all games covered by the favorites btw).
Randy Dubin Anyway I would go with LSU over Tennessee in 2001 as the biggest SEC championship game upset. That LSU team was good (probably better than their 8-3 record might indicate) but hardly an all-time great while Tennessee was playing for a spot in the National Championship game with a win (probably would have been killed by a buzz-saw of a Miami team anyway). Tennessee had beaten LSU earlier that year LSU was also beaten by Florida (by lots) and a middling Ole Miss team. LSU had beaten 2 ranked teams in the regular season Arkansas (24) and Auburn (25), neither team finished the season ranked. LSU came into the SEC championship ranked #21 and Tennessee came in ranked #2. I think Florida was really the best team in the league that year but they didn't get into the title game after losing to Tennessee late in the regular season. That is the only game on the list up above where I feel that the better team didn't win. Just my opinion though.
You know I just happened to realize this. I was only 10 years old and remember Nebraska and Penn St duking it out in the polls. I didn't realize Alabama was undefeated up until the loss in the SEC title game. Never really hear a peep about it here, I'm curious with the then Bowl Coalition how that would have played out. I assume Nebraska would have been the "host" team in the Orange Bowl vs Alabama or could Alabama faced Nebraska in the Sugar Bowl? Maybe it would have came down to money being ABC had the Sugar Bowl and NBC had the Orange Bowl. Sorry Bama fans but it was too sweet beating Miami in their backyard I'll never forget that!
Todd Smith I can almost guarantee it would have been Alabama playing in the sugar bowl against Nebraska and Miami would have played an at large team in the orange bowl (Penn state had no choice) Nebraska would have been the sugar bowl's first choice.
@@Theycallmekenney Alabama would not have played Nebraska. This was the final year of the Bowl Coalition. The SEC still had the Sugar Bowl, the Big 8 the Orange Bowl, the SWC had the Cotton, and the Big Ten and Pac Ten were tied to the Rose. The Fiesta could still take at large teams. The Bowl Coalition matched up the highest ranked team available with the highest ranked team already tied to a bowl. Nebraska got the highest ranked team available - #3 Miami - because they were #1. Penn State and Oregon were tied to the rose. Had Alabama won, their opponent still would have been Florida State. So, if Alabama finished 13-0, they would have been on the outside looking in.
@@tmarsh0307 Alabama would be the SEC champion they would play in the Orange Bowl verses Nebraska for the national championship Miami would play Florida State again this time in the sugar Bowl in New Orleans which would be must see TV
