Know Your Opponent: Alabama

The 1963 Florida Gators pulled off one of the most shocking
upsets of the year when they took down Alabama in
Tuscaloosa. The Gators came into the game struggling with a
1-1-1 record and were heavy underdogs against Bear Bryant's
third-ranked Alabama powerhouse. The Tide had not lost a
home game since 1957 and hadn't surrendered more than
seven points since 1960. However, on that day, Ray Grave's
Gators were inspired. The Gators took the lead at Denny
Stadium after kicking a field goal on their first drive. In the
final quarter, Gator halfback Dick Kirk took a hand-off 42
yards for the score, putting the Gators up 10-0 late in the
game. The last drive by quarterback Joe Namath prevented
the Tide from being shutout, but it was too late, and the
Gators won, 10-6. The Seminole

The Gators are returning to Atlanta for the SEC Championship Game for the first time in six years. This season, their opponents from the SEC West are the Crimson Tide of the University of Alabama. Plans to establish a public institution of higher education in Alabama date back to 1819, before the territory was admitted to the Union. It was built in Tuscaloosa, then the capital of Alabama, and opened its doors in 1831. Anticipating the breakout of the Civil War, the Alabama state legislature converted the university into a military school in 1860. The academy trained Confederate troops until Tuscaloosa was captured by Union forces in April, 1865. Due to its role in the rebellion's war efforts, the Federal army razed the entire campus aside from a few buildings. The university reopened in 1871 and promptly abandoned its martial focus. The university began enrolling women in 1892, after the lobbying of noted reform advocate Julia Tutwiler. Today, over 37,000 students are enrolled at Alabama, with almost 31,000 being undergraduates. The school colors are crimson (a slightly purplish red) and white.

The Crimson Tide are unquestionably the most successful college football program in the American South and, arguably, in the entire country. Few schools can truly rival the accomplishments of the Tide. Alabama's first gridiron team was fielded in 1892 and sported distinctive crimson stockings. Around the turn of the century, a sports writer likened the Alabama football team to a moving tide, the way it gradually willed itself down the field. Since 1907, the team has embraced the moniker "Crimson Tide". In 1921, Alabama became a founding member of the Southern Conference and won four SoCon titles during their 12-year tenure. Since 1933, the Tide have been charter members of the Southeastern Conference; the Crimson Tide have won 24 SEC championships, more than any other school and 11 more than Tennessee (who are second among SEC teams). Alabama won the first-ever SEC championship in 1933 as well as the most recent, in 2014. The Crimson Tide also hold a winning record against every conference opponent. Even more impressive, Alabama claims 15 national titles, although only 10 are recognized by consensus sources and nine by the AP. The Tide play in one of the country's largest venues, Bryant-Denny Stadium. Bryant-Denny can host just under 102,000 spectators. The field was originally named "Denny Stadium", after George H. Denny, president from 1912 to 1936. In 1975, the state legislature added the name of Paul "Bear" Bryant, then the coach of the Crimson Tide, to the name of the stadium.

As a college student in the 1930s, Bear Bryant had been a player for the Crimson Tide and was a part of two SEC titles, one Rose Bowl victory, and a national title. After the Second World War, Bryant became a successful head coach at Maryland, Kentucky, and Texas A&M. During his time with the Aggies, his alma mater had fallen on hard times. Alabama suffered through an 0-10 winless season in 1955 before winning just four games across the next two seasons. Bryant arrived in 1958 and won five games in his inaugural season. From that point until his retirement at the end of the 1982 season, Bryant led his Tide to 13 conference titles and six national championships. No Bryant-coached team at Alabama ever finished its season with a losing record. To this day, Bryant remains the winningest head coach in Alabama and SEC history, recording a 232–46–9 record with the Tide during his 25-year stint. Four weeks after his final game, Bryant died of a heart attack.

Alabama's 10 national titles recognized by either the AP or Coaches' polls were won in 1961, 1964, 1965, 1973, 1978, 1979, 1992, 2009, 2011, and 2012. In addition, Alabama has enjoyed 10 undefeated seasons and nine perfect, untied seasons over its history. Of the previously mentioned national champions, four (1961, 1979, 1992, and 2009) went undefeated. Among all these great teams, the 1979 and 2009 squads may be remembered as the greatest. The 1979 team, Bryant's last national title squad, dominated most opponents with its suffocating defense on its way to a perfect 12-0 season. The 2009 team managed to go undefeated through a very difficult schedule, overpowering other teams with its sturdy defense and powerful offensive line. Surprisingly, the Tide have produced just one Heisman winner, Mark Ingram in 2009.

The 1963 Gators ended their season 6-3-1, but key wins over
Alabama, Georgia, Miami, and Florida State ensured they'd
be remembered fondly. Alabama would go on to lose just one
more game that season, a two-point loss to Auburn. Ray
Graves would only coach against Alabama and Bear Bryant
once more. In 1964, Grave's Gators would come within three
points of upsetting the Tide again at Denny Stadium; no other
team would come so close to defeating Alabama in the
regular season of their national title year. The Seminole

Among all the opponents of the Crimson Tide, two stand out as their greatest rivals. Alabama and Auburn first met in 1892, the first multi-game season for both teams. As tensions rose between the two schools and programs, the rivalry became untenable and was cancelled after 1907. Despite both being founding members of the Southern and Southeastern conferences in 1921 and 1933, respectively, the political climate in the state of Alabama prohibited the meeting of the two state schools separated by just 157 miles. Finally, in 1948, the state legislature threatened to withdraw funding for both schools unless they renewed their series. The rivalry resumed and has been played annually since. Traditionally, the rivalry had been played at Legion Field in Birmingham, although by 2000 it was a home-and-home series. Its history in Birmingham, well-known for its steel industry, led to the rivalry being nicknamed the "Iron Bowl". Overall, Alabama leads the series 44-35-1. Alabama and Tennessee have played every year since 1928 (barring the war year of 1943) and 97 total times since their first contest in 1901. The two schools rank first and second in overall conference wins as well as in conference championships. Power has swayed back and forth between these two southern powers, as the series is characterized by streaks of dominance. Currently, the Crimson Tide lead the series, 52-38-7.

The Gators and the Tide have played a total of 38 games; the first was in 1916. Despite this long history, they have never met on a consistent basis. Of the 13 SEC charter members, Florida has only played Mississippi, Sewanee, and Tulane on fewer occasions. However, the teams have met on many occasions in the SEC Championship Game. Alabama leads the series with 24* wins to Florida's 14. On the seven occasions the teams have met for the conference championship, the Gators have won four times. The two schools met in the first-ever conference title game in 1992, with Alabama winning 28-21 at Legion Field on their way to the national title. However, the Gators would win the next four SEC title games (including three over Alabama) in a streak that has yet to be matched.

*Excluding the vacated victory in 2005, Alabama has 23 victories over Florida.