SEC Championship Game


The SEC Championship Game is an annual American football game that has determined the Southeastern Conference's season champion since 1992. The championship game pits the SEC West Division regular season champion against the East Division regular season champion. Since 2007, the game has typically been played on the first Saturday of December, and the game has been held in Atlanta since 1994, first at the Georgia Dome, and at Mercedes-Benz Stadium since 2017.
Ten of the fourteen current SEC members have played in the SEC Championship Game. Kentucky and Vanderbilt have yet to reach the game from the East, while Ole Miss and Texas A&M have yet to reach the game from the West. The overall series is led by the Western Division, 16–12.
While ten SEC members have played in the game, only six have won: Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee of the East Division, and Alabama, Auburn, and LSU of the West Division. Each of these teams has won the championship multiple times. LSU is the reigning SEC champion.

History

The SEC was the first NCAA conference in any division to hold a football championship game that was exempt from NCAA limits on regular-season contests. Such a game was made possible by two separate developments. The first came in 1987, when the NCAA membership approved a proposal sponsored by the Division II Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference and Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association that allowed any conference with 12 football members to split into divisions and stage a championship game between the divisional winners. The SEC took advantage of this rule by adding the University of Arkansas and the University of South Carolina in 1992, bringing the conference membership to 12, and splitting into two football divisions. The format has since been adopted by other conferences to decide their football champion.
The first two SEC Championship Games were held at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama. From 1994 until 2016 the game was played at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. With the Georgia Dome scheduled to be demolished after the 2016 season, the SEC chose to keep the title game in Atlanta at the Georgia Dome's replacement, Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The game will be played at the new stadium through at least 2027.
In 2016, Alabama and Florida met in the SEC Championship Game for the ninth time in the first 25 years of the game; the record for the most times any two teams have faced each other in the championship game. At least one of those two teams has qualified for the game in 15 of 27 seasons. The only other matchup in the SEC Championship played more than twice is Georgia and LSU, who have met there four times. Alabama has faced Florida in nine of its 12 SEC Championship Game appearances. In addition, the 2009 game marked the second consecutive year that the No. 1 and No. 2 ranked teams in the AP Poll met in the SEC Championship game. 2009 was the first time any conference championship game had featured two undefeated teams. Alabama won 32–13 and earned a berth in the 2010 BCS National Championship Game, which it went on to win as well.
Auburn and Missouri met in the 2013 SEC Championship Game. Auburn won the game 59–42, breaking the previous record of 56 points for most points scored by a single team in the SEC Championship Game.
In the final years of the Bowl Championship Series, the game was nicknamed the "national semifinal" for college football. The 2008, 2009, and 2012 games were essentially national semifinal games, as both participating teams were virtually guaranteed a berth in the BCS national championship game with a win. The 2013 game, the last held in the BCS era, was not thought of as such at the time of the game, but results of other games later that day meant that it effectively was such a semifinal.
Between 2006 and 2013 the winner of the SEC Championship Game went on to play in the BCS National Championship Game eight straight years, posting a 6–2 record in the game. Since 2014, the SEC Championship Game winner has gone on to appear in the College Football Playoff every season, posting a 5–1 record in the national semifinal and a 2–3 record in the national championship game.

Results

Results from all SEC Championship games that have been played. Rankings are from the AP Poll released prior to matchup.

SEC Championship Game Results by team

The team designated as the "home" team alternates between division champions. The designation goes to the East champion in even-numbered years and the West champion in odd-numbered years.
After the 2019 contest, the designated "home" team is 16–12 overall in SEC championship games.
In 2009, the West champion, Alabama, was the home team, ending a streak where the SEC West team had worn white jerseys in nine consecutive SEC Championship Games. This was because LSU had represented the West in the previous four seasons that the West Division champion was the "home" team, and LSU traditionally chooses to wear white jerseys for home games. Additionally, for the next three years, the East Division representative wore their home jerseys because in 2011, LSU again represented the West.

Rematches

While SEC schools play every other member of their own division, they do not play every member of the opposite division; thus, the SEC Championship Game is not guaranteed to be a rematch of a regular season game. The SEC Championship game has featured a rematch of a regular season game a total of seven times. The team which won the regular season game is 5–2 in the rematches, the exceptions being 2001 and 2017.

Common matchups

Matchups that have occurred more than once:
# of TimesEastern DivisionWestern DivisionRecordYears Played
9FloridaAlabamaAlabama 5–41992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2008, 2009, 2015, 2016
4GeorgiaLSULSU 3–12003, 2005, 2011, 2019
2GeorgiaAlabamaAlabama 2–02012, 2018
2FloridaArkansasFlorida 2–01995, 2006
2TennesseeAuburnTied 1–11997, 2004
2TennesseeLSULSU 2–02001, 2007

Selection criteria

Division standings are based on each team's overall conference record. The SEC Commissioner's Regulations requires each football team play all eight conference games in a season in order to be eligible to compete for a divisional title and play in the SEC Championship Game. Often, two or more teams tie for the best record in their division and each team is recognized as a divisional co-champion. However, tiebreakers are used to determine who will represent the division in the championship game.

Two-team tie-breaker procedure

  1. Head-to-head competition between the two tied teams.
  2. Records of the tied teams within the division.
  3. Records against the team within the division with the best overall conference record and proceeding through the division. Multiple ties within the division will be broken from first to last.
  4. Complete record vs. all non-divisional opponents.
  5. Complete record vs. all common non-divisional teams if there be any.
  6. Record vs. common non-divisional opponent with the best overall conference record and proceeding through other common non-divisional teams based on their order of finish within their division.
  7. Best cumulative conference winning percentage of non-divisional opponents
  8. Coin flip of the tied teams
NOTE: Although all division rivals meet during the season and NCAA overtime is played, the SEC has provisions in case a game ends in a tie, which is possible under NCAA Rule 3-3-3 and, Suspending the Game, and Commissioner's Regulations, or if the two tied teams did not play an official game because of weather, which is possible because numerous conference teams have had games affected by hurricanes but also lightning. As such, SEC rules, written before overtime was implemented in regular season play, still contain the remaining procedures if those circumstances were to happen.

Three or more-team procedure

  1. Combined head-to-head record among the tied teams.
  2. Record of the tied teams within the division.
  3. Records against the team within the division with the best overall Conference record and proceeding through the division. Multiple ties within the division will be broken from first to last.
  4. Complete record vs. non-division teams.
  5. Complete record vs. all common non-divisional teams.
  6. Record vs. common non-divisional team with the best overall Conference record and proceeding through other common non-divisional teams based on their order of finish within their division.
  7. Best cumulative Conference winning percentage of non-divisional opponents

    Winner's bowl performance

Currently the SEC champion plays in the Sugar Bowl unless it has been selected to play in a College Football Playoff semifinal bowl, or if the Sugar Bowl is hosting a CFP semifinal and the SEC champion either does not qualify for the CFP or has a seeding that prevents it from appearing in the Sugar Bowl. In the SEC Championship Game era, eleven winners of the game have gone on to win the national title, with thirteen SEC teams winning national titles overall, including seven consecutive titles from the 2006–2012 seasons. There are two occasions when the SEC champion advanced to the BCS or CFP but lost to another SEC team which won the national championship: In 2011 LSU won the SEC Championship Game and advanced to the BCS National Championship Game which they lost 21–0 to fellow SEC member Alabama, and in 2017 Georgia won the SEC Championship Game and advanced to the College Football Playoff, defeating Oklahoma in the semifinal and advancing to the CFP final game, which they lost 26–23 in overtime to SEC member Alabama.
Rankings are from the AP Poll at the time the game was played.
SeasonSEC ChampResultOpponentOpp. ConferenceBowl GameNational Champion
1992#2 AlabamaW 34–13#1 MiamiBig East1993 Sugar BowlAlabama
1993#8 FloridaW 41–7#3 West VirginiaBig East1994 Sugar BowlFlorida State
1994#5 FloridaL 17–23#7 Florida StateACC1995 Sugar BowlNebraska
1995#2 FloridaL 24–62#1 NebraskaBig 81996 Fiesta BowlNebraska
1996#3 FloridaW 52–20#1 Florida StateACC1997 Sugar BowlFlorida
1997#3 TennesseeL 17–42#2 NebraskaBig 121998 Orange BowlNebraska, Michigan
1998#1 TennesseeW 23–16#2 Florida StateACC1999 Fiesta BowlTennessee
1999#5 AlabamaL 34–35 OT#8 MichiganBig Ten2000 Orange BowlFlorida State
2000#7 FloridaL 20–37#2 MiamiBig East2001 Sugar BowlOklahoma
2001#12 LSUW 47–34#7 IllinoisBig Ten2002 Sugar BowlMiami
2002#4 GeorgiaW 26–13#16 Florida StateACC2003 Sugar BowlOhio State
2003#3 LSUW 21–14#2 OklahomaBig 122004 Sugar BowlLSU, USC
2004#3 AuburnW 16–13#9 Virginia TechACC2005 Sugar BowlUSC
2005#8 GeorgiaL 35–38#13 West VirginiaBig East2006 Sugar BowlTexas
2006#2 FloridaW 41–14#1 Ohio StateBig Ten2007 BCS Champ. GameFlorida
2007#2 LSUW 38–24#1 Ohio StateBig Ten2008 BCS Champ. GameLSU
2008#2 FloridaW 24–14#1 OklahomaBig 122009 BCS Champ. GameFlorida
2009#1 AlabamaW 37–21#2 TexasBig 122010 BCS Champ. GameAlabama
2010#1 AuburnW 22–19#2 OregonPac-102011 BCS Champ. GameAuburn
2011#1 LSUL 0–21#2 AlabamaSEC2012 BCS Champ. GameAlabama
2012#2 AlabamaW 42–14#1 Notre DameIndependent2013 BCS Champ. GameAlabama
2013#2 AuburnL 31–34#1 Florida StateACC2014 BCS Champ. GameFlorida State
2014#1 AlabamaL 35–42#4 Ohio StateBig Ten2015 Sugar Bowl Ohio State
2015#2 AlabamaW 38–0#3 Michigan StateBig Ten2015 Cotton Bowl Alabama
2015#2 AlabamaW 45–40#1 ClemsonACC2016 CFP National ChampionshipAlabama
2016#1 AlabamaW 24–7#4 WashingtonPac-122016 Peach Bowl Clemson
2016#1 AlabamaL 31–35#2 ClemsonACC2017 CFP National ChampionshipClemson
2017#3 GeorgiaW 54–48#2 OklahomaBig 122018 Rose Bowl Alabama
2017#3 GeorgiaL 23–26 OT#4 AlabamaSEC2018 CFP National ChampionshipAlabama
2018#1 AlabamaW 45–34#4 OklahomaBig 122018 Orange Bowl Clemson
2018#1 AlabamaL 16–44#2 ClemsonACC2019 CFP National ChampionshipClemson
2019#1 LSUW 63-28#4 OklahomaBig 122019 Peach Bowl LSU
2019#1 LSUW 42-25#3 ClemsonACC2020 CFP National ChampionshipLSU

Runner-up's bowl performance

Rankings are from the AP Poll at the time the game was played.
SeasonSEC Runner UpResultOpponentOpp. ConferenceBowl Game
1992#14 FloridaW 27–10#12 NC StateACC1992 Gator Bowl
1993#18 AlabamaW 24–10#12 North CarolinaACC1993 Gator Bowl
1994#6 AlabamaW 24–17#13 Ohio StateBig Ten1995 Citrus Bowl
1995#24 ArkansasL 10–20North CarolinaACC1995 Carquest Bowl
1996#16 AlabamaW 17–14#15 MichiganBig Ten1997 Outback Bowl
1997#13 AuburnW 21–17ClemsonACC1998 Peach Bowl
1998#25 Mississippi StateL 11–38#20 TexasBig 121999 Cotton Bowl
1999#10 FloridaL 34–37#9 Michigan StateBig Ten2000 Citrus Bowl
2000#20 AuburnL 28–31#17 MichiganBig Ten2001 Citrus Bowl
2001#8 TennesseeW 45–17#17 MichiganBig Ten2002 Citrus Bowl
2002#25 ArkansasL 14–29MinnesotaBig Ten2002 Music City Bowl
2003#11 GeorgiaW 34–27#12 PurdueBig Ten2004 Capital One Bowl
2004#15 TennesseeW 38–7#22 Texas A&MBig 122005 Cotton Bowl
2005#10 LSUW 40–3#9 MiamiACC2005 Peach Bowl
2006#12 ArkansasL 14–17#6 WisconsinBig Ten2007 Capital One Bowl
2007#16 TennesseeW 21–17#18 WisconsinBig Ten2008 Outback Bowl
2008#4 AlabamaL 17–31#6 UtahMountain West2009 Sugar Bowl
2009#5 FloridaW 51–24#4 CincinnatiBig East2010 Sugar Bowl
2010#19 South CarolinaL 17–26#23 Florida StateACC2010 Chick-Fil-A Bowl
2011#18 GeorgiaL 30–33 3OT#12 Michigan StateBig Ten2012 Outback Bowl
2012#7 GeorgiaW 45–31#16 NebraskaBig Ten2013 Capital One Bowl
2013#9 MissouriW 41–31#13 Oklahoma StateBig 122014 Cotton Bowl Classic
2014#16 MissouriW 33–17#25 MinnesotaBig Ten2015 Citrus Bowl
2015#19 FloridaL 7–41#14 MichiganBig Ten2016 Citrus Bowl
2016#20 FloridaW 30–3#21 IowaBig Ten2017 Outback Bowl
2017#7 AuburnL 27–34#10 UCFAmerican2018 Peach Bowl
2018#5 GeorgiaL 21–28#15 TexasBig 122019 Sugar Bowl
2019#5 GeorgiaW 26-14#8 BaylorBig 122020 Sugar Bowl

Game records

TeamPerformance vs. opponentYear
Most points scored59, Auburn vs. Missouri2013
Most points scored 42, Missouri vs. Auburn2013
Most points scored 101, Auburn vs. Missouri2013
Most points scored in a half35, LSU vs Georgia - 2nd half2011
Most points scored in a half 55, Auburn vs Missouri - 1st half2013
Fewest points scored3, Arkansas vs. Florida
3, Arkansas vs. Georgia		1995
2002
Largest margin of victory39, Auburn vs. South Carolina2010
First downs31, Auburn vs. Tennessee2004
Rushing yards545, Auburn vs. Missouri2013
Passing yards401, Florida vs. Alabama1996
Total yards677, Auburn vs. Missouri2013
IndividualPerformance, team vs. opponentYear
Total offense431, Jason Campbell 2004
Touchdowns6, Danny Wuerffel
6, Cam Newton 		1996
2010
Rushing Yards304, Tre Mason 2013
Rushing TDs4, Tre Mason 2013
Passing yards401, Danny Wuerffel 1996
Receiving yards217, Darvin Adams 2010
Tackles18, Omar Gaither 2004
Sacks2.0, done eight times
Last by Rueben Foster 		2016
Interceptions2, Michael Gilmore
2, Tommy Johnson
2, Marcus Spencer
2, Lito Sheppard
2, Derek Stingley Jr. 		1993
1993
1999
2000
2019
Long playsPerformance, team vs. opponentYear
Touchdown run87 yards, Justin Vincent 2003
Touchdown pass94 yards, Freddie Kitchens to Michael Vaughn 1996
Kickoff return50 yards, Lennon Creer 2007
Punt return85 yards, Antonio Callaway 2015
Interception return77 yards, Jayson Bray 1997
Fumble return95 yards, Ben Hanks 1995
Punt67 yards, Brad Wing 2011
Field goal52 yards, Cody Parkey 2013

Footnotes