SO LONG SEC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: Announcement of the CFP 24-team playoff ends game's run
By GRAHAM DUNN
When the two finalists for this year’s SEC Championship game meet in Atlanta on Dec. 5, it will mark the end of a run of 35 years of what could be called excellence.
The Southeastern Conference announced on Monday that the 2026 SEC Football Championship Game will be the final edition of the event. The decision coincides with the College Football Playoff’s expansion to a 24-team format.
The 2026 SEC Football Championship Game, to be played on Dec. 5 in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, will be the 35th edition of the game that began in 1992.
“The SEC Football Championship Game has been a defining event in college football for more than three decades, producing unforgettable moments and crowning legendary champions,” said SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey. “What began with the vision and leadership of Commissioner Roy Kramer in 1992 helped reshape the landscape of college football and established a tradition that has endured for 35 years. As the sport evolves with an expanded College Football Playoff, we look forward to celebrating the remarkable legacy of this event with its 35th and final edition and recognizing the city of Atlanta, Mercedes-Benz Stadium and AMB Sports and Entertainment, and the many partners who have contributed to its success”
The SEC Championship Game debuted in 1992, at Legion Field in Birmingham, with Alabama beating Florida, 28-21.
After a second edition at Legion Field in 1993, the game moved to Atlanta in 1994 and became a fixture at the Georgia Dome. The Georgia Dome hosted 23 consecutive SEC Championship Games from 1994 through 2016 before the event transitioned to its current home at Mercedes-Benz Stadium beginning in 2017. The game's history spans three iconic venues and two host cities, each contributing to its enduring legacy.
Over the 34 previous editions, the game has featured some of the most compelling matchups in conference history, drawing capacity crowds and helping launch 14 SEC teams to a national championship. With the shift to a 24-team playoff structure, the 2026 contest will mark the end of an era for the event that helped pioneer the modern conference championship format.
With one game remaining, Alabama owns the most appearances in the game with 16 and the most wins with 11. Florida and Georgia each have 13 appearances with Florida having seven wins and Georgia having six. Georgia also has the most losses in the game with seven.
Only five of the current 16 teams have never made the championship including the original 12 teams that were in the league when the game began in 1992 including Kentucky, Vanderbilt and Ole Miss. Oklahoma and Texas A&M have not made the title game.
Georgia has played in the last four games, winning three of the four.
Other notable facts…
Alabama and Florida faced off in four of the first five games with the Gators winning four of those games.
Only three programs have won consecutive championship games - Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Tennessee.
The game has featured the two top ranked teams in the country twice (both Alabama and Florida in 2008 and 2009).
The game has featured the No. 1 team in the country 11 times.
Only once has the game needed overtime - 2024 when Georgia defeated Texas, 22-19.
Quarterbacks have won the MVP award a total of 18 times, the most of any position.
A defensive player has won the MVP award six times, including the first one with Antonio Langham of Alabama.
Nick Saban has won the most championship games as a coach, seven at Alabama and two at LSU.
Between 2006 and 2013, the winner of the SEC Championship Game went on to play in the BCS National Championship Game eight straight years.
Since 2014, the SEC Championship Game winner has appeared in the College Football Playoff every season, posting a 8–2 record in the national semifinals and a 4–4 record in the national championship.
Two of the losses in the national championship were SEC teams, including a rematch of the 2021 SEC Championship game in the eventual National Championship in Alabama and Georgia.
The game, typically played on the first Saturday of December, was played on the second Saturday in 2011 due to the attacks of Sept. 11. The SEC title game of 2020, was moved back to the third Saturday in December due to the delayed beginning of the season as part of the COVID-19 pandemic.