The good news is, Percy Harvin’s ankle is improving, and he might play. What’s better, Harvin at 75% or no Harvin? The Alabama defense will be the most physical one the Gators have faced since .. shhhheeeet, all season?

Kirk Herbstreit’s beloved Gators, they off the speed and finesse, are staggering 9.5 point favorites against unbeaten No. 1 Alabama. Not surprisingly, all the UF slurp jobs in the media  have quietly angered the Tide. They won’t even talk about the Gators. It’s a trend with the Tide – who cares about the other guys and how good they are? “Have you seen my highlights?”

It’s easy to root for speed and offense … tougher to get excited about a defense that doesn’t get nearly the hype of USC’s, yet has played a much tougher schedule. (In the Gators’ defense, their defense has been surprisingly strong, as well.)

We’re not huge on comparing wins and losses, but but if you care to do so, there’s a good tally here. Couple things to keep in mind – UF got LSU and Miami at home; ‘Bama had to go on the road and played Clemson at a neutral site. UF beat Georgia at a neutral site, Alabama on the road.

Anyone remember when Alabama played in the 1992 National title game against Miami? The Tide’s defense dominated that game against the media-hyped Hurricanes, and we’ll never forget braggart Lamar Thomas getting caught from behind and stripped by George Teague (2:55 in the above video). This Alabama team, like that one, has no Heisman candidate and doesn’t partake in offensive orgies.

We said weeks ago that we’d go with Alabama in this game. And we’re sticking with that pick. Amazingly, someone at ESPN (it should be a noted, he’s writing a book about Georgia football) feels the same way. The only problem we forsee for ‘Bama is a deficit early. They’re at their best chewing clock and letting the defense generate turnovers. Down 10-14 points in the first half could spell doom. Just don’t have that much faith in John Parker Wilson.

Then again, what do we know? We thought the Tide, following an arrest-happy offseason, would be garbage this season.