Should Alabama And Florida Play Their Last Games?
*This is an opinion piece
On Saturday Alabama defeated LSU 55-17 in Baton Rouge, Louisana. The win earned the Crimson Tide the SEC West Championship and a spot in the SEC Title game on December 19th. In the SEC East, Florida defeated Tennessee to claim the SEC East Championship Saturday afternoon.
The matchup is set. Alabama will take on Florida in a matchup of two high power offenses led by Kyle Trask from Florida, and Mac Jones from Alabama. This matchup is one that college football fans are waiting to see not just for the on-field action, but it is also an important step in the Heisman race as both Jones and Trask are currently the favorites for the award.
Both of these teams will play one more game next Saturday. Alabama will travel to Arkansas, and LSU will take on the Florida Gators. The question is, however, does the game need to be played? The ACC has decided to forego the last game for the two teams in the ACC Title game (Clemson and Notre Dame) for Covid-19 purposes.
I have 3 questions for you and why I personally believe that Alabama and Florida should both NOT want to play this game?
1.What if someone gets hurt?
Trust me, I want to see football just like everyone else. However, would I like to take a chance seeing Mac Jones, Najee Harris, Kyle Pitts, or Kyle Trask get injured in a game that means nothing at all? The simple answer is, no. I would rather a team take a week off and see them in one of the biggest games of the year, then see a big time player get hurt in a game that has nothing to do with standings or rankings.
2. Wouldn't both teams be better resting their players for one week before the SEC Championship game?
The answer to this is easy. YES! This season has been anything but normal as I mentioned earlier. However, it doesn't mean that there aren't tired players or injuries that the student-athletes are trying to recover and work their way back from. Going back to the 1st question also, this would give these same star players that I mentioned another opportunity to rest and prepare as well.
3. If preparation equals success, wouldn't another week of preparation be beneficial to either team?
This question is the core of my argument. The match ups in the SEC Championship game are going to be something to behold. How will the Florida defense match up against this unbelievable domination of Alabama's offense? How will Alabama's defense prepare for arguably the best tight-end in the country?
Another week would not only help both teams to answer this question, but to possibly solve the problems both teams have had this season. Preparation is going to happen regardless, but an extra week can only benefit both teams.
As a college football fan, I love football. I am excited for both match-ups, but at the end of the day, I think every fan of both Alabama and Florida are going to hold their collective breaths next Saturday and hope for good health and for their teams to make good choices on the coaching side.