College Football Corner: No. 1 vs. No. 2

It's a game that requires no introduction. But we at the Corner, having nothing else better to do, will anyway. Call it the de facto national title game -- No. 1 Florida (12-0) vs. No. 2 Alabama (12-0) (4 p.m. EST Saturday, CBS in Atlanta). Call it -- though we'd advise against it, abhorring, as we do, cliché -- the Game of the Century. Call it, then, the Game of the 2009 regular season, one that college football fans and sports-media hacks the nation over have been hyping, for good reason, it turns out, all year.

Tim Tebow Florida quarterback

Call it a referendum on the 2009 Heisman campaign -- Tim Tebow against a banged-up Mark Ingram. Call it a referendum on whether defense, as the old saw would have it, really does win championships. Call it a referendum on the spread vs. the smash mouth. Call it, indeed, a chess match, with Florida's Urban Meyer, guru of the spread-option, matching wits with his defensive-minded counterpart, Alabama's Nick Saban, who prefers to pound it.

And so the stage is set -- though there will be no blue-gray sky for these players to outline themselves against, only the vaulted off-white ceiling of Atlanta's Georgia Dome. The winner will fly to Pasadena for a shot at the BCS national title crown; the loser will likely take a bus to New Orleans for a dissatisfying berth in the Sugar Bowl.

On to the handicapping, then. Everyone knows about Alabama's defense, with its Mount Cody and its ultrafast secondary, though the group did show signs of vulnerability last week against Gene Chizik's innovative Auburn offense in the annual Iron Bowl intrastate feud. The Tide won, of course, 26-21, but surrendered an uncharacteristic 332 yards, 151 of them on the ground.

The Tide has faced down other close calls as well this season, including a contentious -- some might say "zebra-aided" -- victory against Louisiana State, and then that madcap affair vs. Tennessee, which required two blocked field goals by the inimitable Cody for 'Bama to emerge unscathed.

For its part, Florida last week easily handled the soon-to-be Bowden-less Florida State Seminoles. Its closest call all year came midseason against Arkansas, when the Gators barely squeaked out a win by a field goal on the back of a game-winning, Tebow-copyright drive.

Despite Florida's success so far this year, some grumbling has been audible among the Gator faithful, who have scratched their heads over a somewhat inconsistent offense and a rather middling passing game. Florida ranks just 63rd in the nation as measured by raw yardage. (Better, at least, then Alabama's, the 93rd best passing attack in the land.)

Nick Saban, Alabama coach

The game's outcome could very well hinge on Ingram's health -- he bruised his hip against Auburn -- though Saban said in his weekly presser, "I think he'll be fine," words that may not exactly reassure the jittery Alabama populace, a large portion of which is likely en route via recreational vehicle eastward to Hotlanta at this very moment.

And then, of course, there's Tebow, the Theseus of the Sunshine State, who has suffered through a lackluster patch or two this season, not to mention a concussion. If his latest outing means anything -- against Florida State, he killed, throwing for 311 yards and five touchdowns -- the Tide should worry. The game may very well come down to a two-minute drill executed by the quarterback, and everyone knows how Tebow thrives on heady high pressure. A year ago, with the rankings reversed, Tebow didn't require any last-second heroics. (Then again, he had Percy Harvin to throw to.) For the rematch, however, the Corner thinks he will. The Gators in a skull-clutcher. Corner's choice: Florida 28, Alabama 27 -- Scott Eden.

No. 5 Cincinnati (11-0) at No. 15 Pittsburgh (9-2), 12 p.m EST (ABC): The Bearcats will need to put any distractions aside about the possibility of their Coach Brian Kelly headed north to coach Notre Dame -- because an undefeated record, a Big East title and a BCS bowl game are on the line in this one. The Bearcats have their 6-6 senior quarterback Tony Pike back in the fold, and if there was any doubt about his return from a wrist injury, he threw for a school-record six TDs in a 49-36 victory over Illinois last week.

Pitt is coming off a demoralizing whupping at the hands of West Virginia. Yes, the score was only 19-16, but any time Pitt tried to get the upper hand, the Mountaineers were there to knock them down, both offensively and defensively.

Brian Kelly, Cincinnati coach

The Panthers will have to mix up their attack against Cincy, using running back Dion Lewis more than they did in Morgantown. Quarterback Bill Stull will need to distribute the ball to WR Jonathan Baldwin and TE Dorin Dickerson. The Bearcats also have shown a tendency to give up the big play on defense.

The Panthers should avoid kicking the ball to WR Mardy Gilyard, who averages 30 yards a return and ran one back for a score against the Illini, and look to put some pressure on Pike with their outstanding defensive line. Pitt will probably put some points on the board, but not as many as Cincinnati will. Corner's choice: Cincinnati 34, Pitt 24 -- William Hennelly

No. 12 Georgia Tech (10-2) vs. Clemson (8-4), 8 p.m. EST, Tampa, Fla., ESPN: Both clubs head into the ACC championship game coming of losses to in-state rivals (Georgia and South Carolina). These two teams met on a Thursday night in September, a big-play thriller in which the Yellow Jackets prevailed, 30-27.