SEC Power Rankings, Week 12: Florida clinches SEC East
By John Buhler
SEC East Champions
Hats off to the Florida Gators for winning the 2016 SEC East division title. They had to win a very difficult home game on the road against the No. 16 LSU Tigers in Death Valley. If Florida didn’t beat LSU in Baton Rouge, it was almost certain that the Tennessee Volunteers were going to win the SEC East.
It was a defensive struggle, but keen execution in goal-line situations and in special teams helped propel the Gators to back-to-back SEC East division titles. Florida head coach Jim McElwain became the first head coach in SEC history to win his division in his first two seasons as head coach.
The SEC has been ridiculed for not having elite coaches after Alabama’s Nick Saban. However, we have to give credit where it is due for McElwain, coincidentally a Saban disciple. The Florida offense is still largely mediocre, but the Gators are stout defensively.
Florida should expect to get boat raced by No. 1 Alabama in the 2016 SEC Championship. Should the Gators beat in-state rival Florida State in Doak Campbell Stadium this weekend, maybe it gives the Gators even more confidence to take on Alabama? Didn’t the Gators just win a home game on the road in Death Valley? Yes, they did.