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SEC Championship Game

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Article Genealogy
Parent: University of Tennessee Hop 4
Expansion Funnel Raw 53 → Dedup 12 → NER 7 → Enqueued 7
1. Extracted53
2. After dedup12 (None)
3. After NER7 (None)
Rejected: 5 (not NE: 5)
4. Enqueued7 (None)
SEC Championship Game
NameSEC Championship Game
CaptionThe SEC Championship Game trophy
StadiumMercedes-Benz Stadium
LocationAtlanta, Georgia
Previous2023
Next2024
OperatorSoutheastern Conference
Established1992

SEC Championship Game. The SEC Championship Game is the annual American football contest that determines the champion of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). First played in 1992 following the conference's expansion to twelve teams, it is one of the most prominent and lucrative events in college football. The winner receives the conference title and has historically earned a berth in a premier bowl game, often with implications for the College Football Playoff.

History

The game was created in 1992 after the SEC expanded to include the University of Arkansas and the University of South Carolina, allowing the conference to split into Eastern and Western Divisions and stage a championship contest. The inaugural game was held at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama, where the Alabama Crimson Tide, coached by Gene Stallings, defeated the Florida Gators led by Steve Spurrier. This event set a precedent for other major conferences to adopt similar championship formats. Throughout its history, the game has featured legendary coaches like Nick Saban of Alabama, Urban Meyer of Florida, and Les Miles of LSU, and has frequently decided participants in the BCS National Championship Game and later the College Football Playoff.

Format

The participants are the winners of the SEC's Eastern Division and Western Division, determined by regular-season conference records. Tie-breaking procedures, as outlined in the Southeastern Conference bylaws, are used if necessary. From 1992 to 2023, this divisional format was constant, but with the arrival of the Texas and Oklahoma in 2024, the SEC will eliminate divisions. The two teams with the best conference winning percentages will then advance to the championship game, a model similar to that used by the Big 12 Conference. The game is typically played on the first Saturday in December at a predetermined neutral site.

Venue

The game has been held in Atlanta, Georgia, for the majority of its existence. It was first played at the Georgia Dome from 1994 through 2016. Since 2017, the venue has been Mercedes-Benz Stadium, also located in Atlanta. The only exceptions were the first two contests in 1992 and 1993, which were held at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama. Atlanta's central location within the Southeastern U.S. and its status as a major transportation hub with facilities like Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport have made it the permanent home. The City of Atlanta and the Georgia World Congress Center Authority have longstanding contracts with the Southeastern Conference to host the event.

Results

The Alabama Crimson Tide hold the record for most appearances and victories, having won the game ten times under coaches Gene Stallings, Mike DuBose, Nick Saban. The Florida Gators have the second-most titles. Other multiple winners include the Georgia Bulldogs, LSU Tigers, and Auburn Tigers. Notable individual performances include Tim Tebow's leadership for Florida in 2008 and Cam Newton's Heisman Trophy-winning season culminating with a win for Auburn in 2010. The game has often served as a de facto national championship semifinal, such as in 2017 when Georgia defeated Auburn to advance to the College Football Playoff National Championship.

Records and statistics

Alabama's ten championships are the most by any program. The largest margin of victory is 39 points, set by Alabama in a 42-3 win over the Florida Gators in 1999. Individual records include Tim Tebow accounting for 533 total yards of offense for Florida in 2009 and Tre Mason of Auburn rushing for 304 yards in 2013. The highest-scoring game occurred in 2020 when Alabama defeated the Florida Gators 52-46. Attendance records were consistently set at the Georgia Dome, with the current record of 80,062 set at Mercedes-Benz Stadium during the 2023 game between Alabama and the Georgia Bulldogs.

Media coverage

The game has been broadcast nationally by CBS Sports since 2001, with a notable television rights agreement that made it one of the network's flagship college football properties. Prior to CBS, broadcast partners included ABC Sports and Jefferson Pilot Sports. The current contract with CBS runs through the 2023 season, after which the television rights will shift to ESPN and ABC starting in 2024. The radio broadcast is nationally syndicated by the ESPN Radio network, with local coverage provided by affiliates of the Alabama Crimson Tide Sports Network and other school-specific networks. The game consistently ranks among the highest-rated broadcasts of the college football regular season.

Category:Southeastern Conference football Category:College football rivalry games Category:Recurring sporting events established in 1992