Theoretically, the 11th-ranked team in the country, playing at home, should be able to at least give the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide at least a soft challenge.
Well, that theory was put to the test Saturday at The Swamp in Gainesville, but the Florida Gators were nowhere near the same stratosphere as the reigning national champions.
Despite immense roster turnover and the loss of numerous stars to the NFL, coach Nick Saban’s dynasty in Tuscaloosa kept rolling on in Week 3 of the 2021 college football season.
Before the Gators even knew what hit them, Alabama had jumped out to a 21-3 lead in the first quarter. With Florida forced into obvious passing situations, and scattershot quarterback Emory Jones at the controls, it wasn’t going to be a pretty combination.
Who’s closest to challenging Alabama for No. 1? Read our college football top 25 rankings now
Meanwhile, new Crimson Tide field general Bryce Young, following the likes of current AFC East starting QBs Tua Tagovailoa and Mac Jones, is looking like the legitimate favorite for the Heisman Trophy.
Young threw three touchdown passes early on, as the Tide applied the pressure and didn’t let up until the outcome was essentially out of reach 15 minutes into this highly anticipated SEC showdown.
Even when the Gators scored a TD in the second quarter to cut the lead to 21-9, they watched their kicker shank an extra point wide right.
