ATLANTA -- For the better part of a long, frustrating decade, Alabama watched Florida set the trends and set the pace in the Southeastern Conference.

	Alabama's Marcus Spencer is engulfed by Alabama fans in the stands after Alabama defeated Florida 34-7.

The balance of power shifted Saturday night.

In a 34-7 victory over the team that defined the 1990s, the Crimson Tide out-Gatored the Gators, lining receivers up at quarterback, gaining 462 yards and throwing more imaginative formations and plays at Florida than it could handle.

"They set the standard by which all programs are measured and all programs are judged in the SEC," said Alabama coach Mike DuBose. "It's fortunate we were able to close the gap before the next century starts."

Not only did Alabama (No. 8 ESPN/USA Today, No. 7 AP) close the gap, it created a new one for the rest of the conference -- Florida included -- to grasp for with its win in the SEC championship game.

In three seasons as Alabama's coach, DuBose has carved a deep slice out of the talent gap the Crimson Tide (10-2) suffered through when it lost scholarships because of probation in the mid-1990s.

The talent was on display in the form of a pair of quarterbacks, Andrew Zow and Tyler Watts, who proved they both can run the Alabama offense with efficiency.

It showed up in the form of Freddie Milons, a receiver who can run, catch and pass. He had 116 yards rushing, including the key 77-yard touchdown that broke the game open and made him the game's Most Valuable Player.

And it showed up on the offensive and defensive lines, most notably from defender Reggie Grimes, who returned an interception for a touchdown, and in left tackle Chris Samuels, who helped Alabama churn out 300 yards rushing and turn Florida pass-rush specialist Alex Brown into a nonfactor.

The coaching has caught up, too.

Quarterbacks coach Charlie Stubbs came to Alabama after the 1997 season, when DuBose went 4-7 in his debut season, and installed an offense built to compete with the Gators.

Five-receiver sets are in at Alabama. So are slip screens and end arounds, neither of which Florida could stop Saturday, or in the 40-39 victory over Florida earlier this year that offered a preview of things to come.

"Everything worked out great," Watts said. "We had a great gameplan. You've got to do whatever is working. This feels great."

Alabama loyalists will be quick to note that this is the second SEC title for the Crimson Tide this decade. They remember the first one, in 1992, when Gene Stallings took a team built on ball control and defense to the conference and national titles.

In retrospect, that season might have symbolized the last great moment of the long, successful Bear Bryant era.

The Crimson Tide closes the decade in a very different manner. These days, DuBose runs a program that learned from the best -- Florida and Steve Spurrier -- then finally figured out how to beat them.

"This was a tremendous feeling to be in this game," DuBose said. "I hope our players understand how special what they just participated in really is."

If things keep going in the same direction, it seems a good bet they'll be back soon.