SEC Championship Game 2010: Power Ranking the 18 Previous SEC Title Games
The SEC Championship Game has always been one of the highlights of the college football season, and in recent years it has become a springboard for National Champions.
The 2010 edition looks to be more of the same, pitting West Division Champion Auburn against East Division leader South Carolina.
As always, this year's game at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta will feature two ranked opponents, with the Tigers at No. 2 and the Gamecocks currently at No. 18 in the BCS, not to mention plenty of intriguing story lines involving coaching legends (USC's Steve Spurrier) and Heisman Trophy contenders (Auburn's Cam Newton).
With the result of this matchup yet to be determined, here's how the previous 18 contests for the title of Beast of the Southeast stack up against one another.
18. 2000: No. 7 Florida Silences No. 18 Auburn, 28-6
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The turn of the century didn't exactly bring much electricity and excitement to the Georgia Dome, with seventh-ranked Florida pitted against 18th-ranked Auburn.
MVP Rex Grossman led the Gators to a 22-point chomping of the Tigers to give Steve Spurrier his sixth and final SEC title as the Swami in the Swamp.
The Gators went on to the Sugar Bowl, where they were thoroughly handled by in-state rival and second-ranked Miami (FL), 37-20.
17. 2002: No. 4 Georgia Trounces No. 22 Arkansas, 30-3
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Georgia rode a 7-1 record in the SEC into the Conference Title Game in 2002 and continued riding over Western Division Champion Arkansas to the tune of a 30-3 beat down on what might as well have been the Bulldogs' home turf.
Quarterback David Greene nabbed the game's MVP award for Coach Mark Richt, who earned his first SEC title with the win.
The Bulldogs went on to handle 16th-ranked Florida State in the Sugar Bowl, 26-13, to cap a 13-1 season for the boys in Athens.
16. 1995: No. 2 Florida Annihilates No. 23 Arkansas, 34-3
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There was little Arkansas could do to keep Florida from marching into the 1996 Fiesta Bowl for what amounted to a contest for the National Championship.
Led by Davey O'Brien Award-winner and game MVP Danny Wuerffel, the Gators had their way with the Razorbacks to the tune of a 34-3 annihilation in Atlanta.
However, karma would come calling for Steve Spurrier's squad, which was similarly demolished by Tom Osbourne's top-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers, 62-24.
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15. 1999: No. 7 Alabama Stomps No. 5 Florida, 34-7
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The fourth meeting between Alabama and Florida in the SEC Championship Game yielded something of a stinker for football fans in the South.
Under the guidance of Coach Mike DuBose and behind the steady legs of running back Shaun Alexander, the Crimson Tide rolled over future Bachelor contestant Jesse Palmer and the rival Gators to a 27-point victory.
'Bama wide receiver Freddie Milons earned the game's MVP trophy with an outstanding performance highlighted by a 77-yard touchdown run from under center.
14. 1993: No. 9 Florida Rolls Back No. 16 Alabama, 28-13
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The second ever SEC Championship Game would turn out to be something of an anomaly, more for what went on off the field than for anything that took place on it.
Though placing first in the SEC West that year, the Auburn Tigers were disqualified from participating in the game due to NCAA probation, leaving the door open for second-place Alabama to duke it out with Florida for a second straight year.
Quarterback and MVP Terry Dean guided the Gators past the Crimson Tide at Legion Field in Birmingham for Steve Spurrier's second conference crown and, subsequently, to a 41-7 clobbering of West Virginia in the 1994 Sugar Bowl.
'Bama, on the other hand, would later have to forfeit all of its wins from the 1993 season, except for its bowl victory, after the NCAA ruled that cornerback Antonio Langhorn had received improper benefits from agents while in Tuscaloosa.
13. 2003: No. 3 LSU Devours No. 5 Georgia, 34-13
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LSU's road to the 2003 BCS National Championship was paved with close calls and controversy.
Just not in the SEC title game.
The Bayou Bengals, under the auspices of Nick Saban on the sideline and running back Justin Vincent, who was named the game's MVP, on the field, strutted past fifth-ranked Georgia by a three touchdown margin on the way to the BCS title game.
Saban's squad would take the BCS National Championship over Oklahoma in the 2004 Sugar Bowl, 21-14, though the AP awarded its top spot at the end of the season to Pete Carroll's USC Trojans, who sported Heisman Trophy winners Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush.
12. 2009: No. 2 Alabama Rolls Over No. 1 Florida, 32-13
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In what was billed as a game for the ages, Florida saw nothing but Crimson as Alabama rolled over the Gators on its way to Pasadena.
Led by MVP Greg McElroy at quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram at running back, Nick Saban watched as the Tide earned him his third SEC Championship in the sixth meeting of Florida and Alabama for the conference title.
'Bama would go on to take care of Texas in the 2010 BCS National Championship Game at the Rose Bowl, 37-21, for the school's 13th National Title.
11. 2005: No. 13 Georgia Upends No. 3 LSU, 34-14
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The summer of 2005 was a tumultuous one for the LSU football program.
Amidst the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and Nick Saban's sudden departure to the Miami Dolphins, former Oklahoma State headman and first-year coach Les Miles led the Tigers to a 10-1 regular season, with their lone loss coming to 10th-ranked Tennessee.
Despite being the third-ranked team in the country and heavily favored to win, LSU got taken down a peg or two by the 13th-ranked Georgia Bulldogs, who leaned on MVP D.J. Shockley to deliver Mark Richt his second SEC championship.
The 'Dawgs followed up that performance with a nail-biting loss to another 13th-ranked team, West Virginia, in the 2006 Sugar Bowl.
10. 1998: No. 1 Tennessee Brushes Aside No. 23 Mississippi State, 24-14
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The first year of existence for the BCS was a great one for the Tennessee Volunteers.
Despite the losses of Peyton Manning and Leonard Little to the NFL, head coach Phil Fulmer led the Vols to an 11-0 mark, the No. 1 ranking and a spot in the SEC Championship Game, where MVP Peerless Price and star running back Jamal Lewis ran past Mississippi State, 24-14.
The chants of Rocky Top didn't stop until the Vols took out second-ranked Florida State in the 1999 Fiesta Bowl to earn Tennessee football its sixth national title and the first ever under the Bowl Championship Series.
9. 2004: No. 3 Auburn Defeats No. 15 Tennessee, 38-28
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The 2004 season was both magical and maddening for the Auburn Tigers.
Tommy Tuberville's team tangled with Tennessee for the SEC title and emerged victorious, thanks in large part to the efforts of quarterback Jason Campbell, who took home the game's MVP award.
Despite posting a perfect record, the Tigers were shut out of BCS title contention and forced instead to face ninth-ranked Virginia Tech in the 2005 Sugar Bowl, whom they defeated, 16-13
8. 2006: No. 4 Florida Chomps No. 8 Arkansas, 38-28
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Florida turned in a season for the ages in 2006, just two years into the Urban Meyer Regime.
With senior Chris Leak and freshman Tim Tebow switching off under center, the Gators chomped their way into the SEC Championship Game against Houston Nutt's Arkansas team, which sported its own talented tandem at quarterback with Casey Dick and Mitch Mustain.
Star wide-out Percy Harvin earned MVP honors as Florida took the title, 38-28.
The Gators would go on to humiliate top-ranked Ohio State in the 2007 BCS Championship Game, 41-14.
7. 1996: No. 4 Florida Outguns No. 11 Alabama, 45-30
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A year after getting embarrassed by Nebraska in the Fiesta Bowl, Steve Spurrier made sure his Gators would not be denied in 2006.
The Gators, led by Heisman Trophy winner Danny Wuerffel, put together a perfect 8-0 record in the SEC to clinch the Eastern division, while Alabama, under Gene Stallings, edged LSU for ownership of the Western Division.
Under the bright lights of the Georgia Dome, Wuerrfel and running back Ike Hilliard guided Florida past Alabama by 15 points in Stallings' final game as head coach of the Crimson Tide.
The Gators capped off an incredible season with a 52-20 demolition of top-ranked Florida State to avenge their only loss of the season and bring the National Championship back to Gainesville.
6. 2008: No. 2 Florida Overcomes No. 1 Alabama, 31-20
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The 2008 SEC Championship Game was a matchup for the ages.
In one corner were Urban Meyer's Florida Gators, seeking their second SEC title and National Championship in three years.
In the other was the Alabama Crimson Tide, looking to cap its resurgence into the national spotlight under second-year coach Nick Saban.
Behind an MVP performance by 2007 Heisman Trophy winner and all-around golden boy Tim Tebow, the Gators continued their dominance over the Tide in SEC title tilts, notching their fourth win in five championship meetings with the team from Tuscaloosa.
Meyer and Tebow each earned their second BCS National Championship as Florida moved on to defeat 2008 Heisman Trophy winner Sam Bradford and the Oklahoma Sooners, 24-14.
5. 2007: No. 5 LSU Dodges No. 14. Tennessee, 21-14
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The 2007 SEC Championship Game was just as trying on the field as it was off of it for LSU.
Between losing their regular season finale at home to unranked Arkansas in triple overtime, dodging rumors of Bo Pelini and Les Miles leaving for Nebraska and Michigan (respectively) and losing starting quarterback Matt Flynn to injury, the Tigers seemed ripe for yet another upset, this time to Eastern Division Champion Tennessee.
Nonetheless, LSU, behind the MVP output of troubled but talented quarterback Ryan Perrilloux, prevailed 21-14.
The win landed Miles' young men a spot in the 2008 BCS National Championship Game, where they handed Beanie Wells and the Ohio State Buckeyes their second consecutive loss to an SEC team in the National Title Game, 38-24.
4. 2001: No. 21 LSU Shocks No. 2 Tennessee, 31-20
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Before the Bayou Bengals were in the business of winning National Titles, they made a name upsetting other contenders in their own conference.
Case in point: LSU, in Nick Saban's second season, made its first ever appearance in the SEC Championship Game and squashed second-ranked Tennessee's National Title hopes with a 31-20 victory.
Led by backup quarterback Matt Mauck, the Tigers took it to the Volunteers and later went on to shock seventh-ranked Illinois in the 2002 Sugar Bowl.
3. 1992: No. 2 Alabama Sidesteps No. 12 Florida, 28-21
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The inaugural SEC Championship at Legion Field in Birmingham fittingly featured Alabama and Florida, two teams that have to date met six times for the conference crown.
The second-ranked Crimson Tide rolled into the matchup without a blemish to its record and snuck past the Gators thanks to a game-winning touchdown by cornerback (and NCAA rule violator) Antonio Langham on an interception thrown by Florida quarterback Shane Matthews.
The Tide continued on to the 1993 Sugar Bowl, where it sacked Heisman Trophy winner Gino Toretta and the Miami Hurricanes for a 34-13 win, earning Gene Stallings and Alabama a National Title to celebrate the program's 100th anniversary.
2. 1997: No. 3 Tennessee Escapes No. 11 Auburn, 30-29
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Tennessee's success in the late 1990s and early 2000s didn't come without its fair share of obstacles.
In 1997, Terry Bowden's Auburn Tigers proved to be quite the hurdle.
With a National Championship still within reach, quarterback Peyton Manning led the Volunteers through a dogfight against the Western Division Champion Tigers, with Rocky Top prevailing every so slightly over War Eagle, 30-29.
Manning's legendary career in Knoxville came to an end when Tennessee succumbed in the 1998 Orange Bowl to second-ranked Nebraska, which shared the National Championship with Michigan.
1. 1994: No. 6 Florida Steals One From No. 3 Alabama, 24-23
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Leave it to Florida and Alabama to turn in the best SEC Championship Game to date.
Gene Stallings led the Crimson Tide to an undefeated regular season and a shot at the National Championship, assuming 'Bama didn't get tripped up against Florida.
Steve Spurrier didn't let that assumption get in the way of his Gators, who edged the Tide by a point in the first SEC title game at the Georgia Dome, just a week after tying seventh-ranked Florida State.
Florida lost its rematch with the Seminoles in the 1995 Sugar Bowl, while 'Bama finished its season at 12-1 after defeating 13th-ranked Ohio State in the Florida Citrus Bowl.
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