As the Southeastern Conference prepares to stage its 25th football championship game, it’s only fitting that the participating teams are the two programs most associated with the event.
Alabama and Florida met in the first three SEC championship games and will collide for a ninth time Saturday afternoon with a league title at stake. The teams have split the previous eight encounters, with the Crimson Tide pulling even last December in the Georgia Dome with a 29-15 win.
“These are two storied programs that year in and year out expect to be in Atlanta,” Florida second-year coach and former Alabama offensive coordinator Jim McElwain said. “Part of that is a mindset and an understanding, and the players who come to these schools have the expectation to always play that extra game in December, and this year is no different.”
The SEC birthed its championship game in 1992 after becoming a 12-team league with the additions of Arkansas and South Carolina. The first two title tilts were held at Legion Field in Birmingham, with Alabama topping Florida 28-21 in the inaugural contest on Antonio Langham’s 27-yard interception return for a touchdown with 3:16 remaining.
Alabama entered the first SEC title game with an 11-0 record and a No. 2 ranking, and the Crimson Tide’s escape of the Gators allowed them to travel unscathed to the Sugar Bowl, where they stunned top-ranked Miami 34-13 to win the program’s lone national championship between the robust Bear Bryant and Nick Saban eras.