GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Gators are struggling on offense, banged up on defense and overmatched on paper in virtually every category. Alabama, and its fans, have plenty of reasons to believe the 24-point favorites will cruise to the team’s third consecutive SEC Championship and fifth overall under Nick Saban.

RELATED: 5 reasons Alabama will whip Florida

There’s a reason they play the games – just ask Louisville about big underdogs from the SEC East. If the one-penalty, turnover-free Gators from two-weeks ago show up in Atlanta, there are ways for the Gators to pull off another huge upset.

Here are five reasons Florida can stun Alabama:

1. With Eddy Pineiro, the Gators have more opportunities to score: How do you score points when your offense struggles to move the ball? Have your kicker boom the ball 50 yards.

If the Florida defense can keep Alabama out of the end zone (the Tide scored just once against LSU), then the Gators have an equalizer, and an advantage, in Pineiro. Alabama kicker Adam Griffith is 17-of-23 on the year, with a long of 48 yards. Pineiro, on the other hand, is 18-of-22, and 3-of-3 from 50-plus yards. In a game of inches, those extra yards make a big difference.

The SEC Championship Game has already played a part in the Pineiro story at Florida. The JUCO soccer player looking to try his hand, or should I say foot, at college football watched last year’s 29-15 Alabama win and saw that UF had an immediate need in the kicking department. Days later, Pineiro flipped his commitment from the Crimson Tide to the Gators.

Coach Jim McElwain realized that kicker was possibly the most critical missing piece for Florida.

“Instead of coming to a quarterback’s house or a running back’s house, he was at my house at 8 o’clock the next morning after he lost the SEC Championship,” Pineiro recalled of McElwain’s visit, “and I’m like ‘This guy really wants me to be here.'”

2. Bounce-back boys: Nothing seems to wake up the Gators’ defense quite like a loss.

After an embarrassing collapse on Rocky Top, the defense tightened up the following Saturday against Vanderbilt for a 13-6 win. It was an ugly victory for the Gators, but the important takeaway is that the Commodores and elite RB Ralph Webb were kept out the end zone.

In Arkansas’ 31-10 win over Florida, Hogs RB Rawleigh Williams III gashed the Gators for 148 yards and 2 touchdowns on 26 carries. It looked like the Gators would have no hope against LSU and Derrius Guice two weeks later after a South Carolina tuneup, but that wasn’t the case. Florida’s defense kept Guice from making big plays and buckled down in the red zone to pull off the 16-10 upset.

Last week’s 31-13 loss at FSU was the third of the season. On Saturday the Gators are due to bounce back.

3. The Crimson Tide could fumble the game away: Alabama has great weapons on offense and all are threats with the ball in their hands, when they can hold onto it.

Fumbles play right into Florida’s hand by taking time off the clock and points off the board. In the Gators’ 16-10 upset at LSU, Guice fumbled inside the 10-yard line, killing a golden scoring opportunity.

Florida is outmatched on paper, but if the defense can force turnovers, that levels the playing field like it did two weeks ago in Death Valley.

4. Pressure gets to Jalen Hurts: For Florida defensive coordinator Geoff Collins, the game plan is simple: Pressure Jalen Hurts, pressure him again and pressure him some more.

Hurts, a true freshman, is a phenomenal talent. He’s fun to watch and has launched a Heisman campaign from highlight plays in Alabama’s big wins over teams like Texas A&M and Tennessee. He fueled the comeback win over Ole Miss and scored the only touchdown against LSU. The dual-threat quarterback can make plays with his arm or with his legs, but if the Gators defense can get into the backfield, they can export a glaring vulnerability.

There are risks that come with bringing constant pressure, particularly in pass coverage, but that’s why the Gators have future first-round cornerbacks Teez Tabor and Quincy Wilson to anchor the secondary. If Tabor or Wilson comes up with a pick – they’ve combined for seven this season – either one is a threat to take it to the house.

Florida’s combination of pass-rush and pass-coverage is probably why Lane Kiffin isn’t looking forward to facing the Gators.

5. Alabama is already in the Playoff: Alabama finished the regular season 12-0, without a blemish. That’s something Crimson Tide players aren’t used to. The last time Alabama went undefeated, Jim McElwain was still wearing crimson on the sideline (2009).

Regular-season losses, however, haven’t stopped Alabama from winning national championships. Despite upsets by Texas A&M (2012) and Ole Miss (2015) in recent years, the Crimson Tide buckled down and won the SEC West, the SEC Championship, and eventually the national championship. Those regular-season losses put Alabama in do-or-die mode, and that seemed to bring out the best of the Crimson Tide.

This year, however, it’s different. At No. 1, 12-0 and every other Playoff contender having a loss, Alabama can afford a late-season slip up. Crimson Tide players will come into the SEC Championship Game knowing they don’t really have to leave Atlanta with a victory. And with that kind of thinking, they won’t.