For younger fans it’s probably difficult to comprehend a time when Alabama played the underdog role, but on December 5, 2009, Alabama rolled into Atlanta to face the defending national champion Florida Gators as just that. That Florida team was deemed virtually unbeatable with nine players who would be drafted the following April, including six in the first two rounds, and Vegas liked them by a touchdown over Nick Saban’s surging Tide.
Most importantly, Florida had Heisman QB Tim Tebow, a player some deemed the greatest in college football history.
The two teams had met in the same game in 2008, with the Gators pulling away late to claim their spot in the BCS title game.