Lack of respect for No. 1

Gainesville, Fla. —- Undefeated Alabama, the unanimous and unquestioned No. 1-ranked team in every college football poll, takes the field Saturday in the SEC championship game as an underdog to BCS No. 4 Florida.

By 9 1/2 points. On a neutral field at the Georgia Dome.

“I don’t know how you can favor a [lesser-ranked] team over a No. 1,” Gators receiver David Nelson said.

Even the Vegas line-setters are surprised.

“We were talking about that this morning. It’s kind of unprecedented,” said Mike Seba of Las Vegas Sports Consultants, which sets the lines for 90 percent of Vegas sports books. “I can’t remember a time when a No. 1 team was a double-digit dog, especially on a neutral field.”

It has happened at least once, in the 2001 Orange Bowl. No. 1 Oklahoma was a 10-point underdog to No. 2 Florida State, but the Sooners won the game 13-2.

But has there been a No. 1 team with less hype and star power than this year’s Alabama squad?

“That’s just because they don’t make ESPN highlights as easily,” CBS analyst Gary Danielson said.

The Crimson Tide thrive on a no-name defense that ranks No. 3 in the nation in yards allowed and points per game (11.5), and with a discipline instilled by coach Nick Saban, whose team improved from 7-6 to 12-0 this year, his second season.

Alabama lacks a true signature victory because its top opponents —- Clemson, Georgia, LSU, Auburn, Tennessee —- all had disappointing seasons. The Tide rank 53rd in total offense and 79th in strength of schedule.

And Saban’s roster lacks the star power you would expect of a No. 1 team.

Senior quarterback John Parker Wilson is perhaps the biggest name, but he has thrown only nine touchdown passes. Hard-core college football fans might know running back Glen Coffee (1,235 yards), receiver Julio Jones (723 yards), punt returner Javier Arenas (two touchdowns) and nose tackle Terrence Cody (370 pounds), but all lack national recognition.

“The Alabama sum is greater than its parts,” Danielson said. “Their front seven only had two returning starters, and they definitely play better as a unit than they look individually.”

On the other sideline is the reigning Heisman winner (Tim Tebow), two potential first-round picks in the next NFL draft (Percy Harvin and Brandon Spikes) and a coach with a national championship ring (Urban Meyer).

Since losing to Ole Miss on Sept. 27, Florida is on an eight-game winning streak, outscoring its opposition 414-97. The Gators are third in the nation in scoring offense, fourth in scoring defense and first in turnover margin.

And they have covered the point spread in seven of the eight games, barely missing the 55-point spread in a 70-19 victory over The Citadel.

“Florida would have to be favored over anybody,” said Seba, who predicted Florida as a three-point favorite over Oklahoma if they meet in the title game. “Plus, the game is in Miami.”

When the five oddsmakers met Sunday, Seba said they all pretty much had Florida as a 10-point favorite, with little disagreement. If Harvin doesn’t play, the spread might drop.

“You’d rather be in a position, as a sports book, to need a team like Florida than you would to need Alabama,” he said. “Florida is the kind of team that can run up the score, where Alabama kind of wins with defense, so their point production is limited because they have a limited offense.”

The Alabama players, naturally, are using the underdog label as motivation.

“We probably play better in those games than we play in some of the games that we were expected to win,” said cornerback Rashad Johnson, who leads the Tide with five interceptions. “It adds to the focus to the entire team of making sure we go have a great week of practice.”

SEC CHAMPIONSHIP

> Who: Alabama (12-0) vs. Florida (11-1)

> When; where: 4 p.m. Saturday; Georgia Dome

> TV; radio: CBS; 680 AM