Top 10 SEC Championship Games

The SEC Championship Game changed the complexion of college football when it was introduced in 1992.  For the first time, an outright conference winner would be determined by an extra game at the end of the season.  You could argue that this was the first step towards eventually implementing the playoff system that will decide the national champion starting next season.  Today, the ACC, PAC-12 and Big Ten also have conference title games (the Big 12 used to but has since gone back to just ten members).

Since 1992, this game has produced plenty of memorable moments.  Here are the games I consider to be the 10 best:

10. 2006 (Florida 38, Arkansas 28)

Under second-year head coach Urban Meyer, the Florida Gators defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks to win the conference and finish #2 in the BCS.  The ranking set off a firestorm in the national media, as many wanted to see #3 Michigan play #1 Ohio State for the national title in a rematch of what had been a very entertaining game to end the regular season.  The Gators responded by shocking the Buckeyes 42-14 in the first BCS Championship Game (as separate from the four main bowls), starting the current run of SEC teams winning the national title.

9. 2001 (LSU 31, Tennessee 20)

Probably the biggest upset in SEC Championship Game history came when Nick Saban's LSU Tigers (ranked 21st in the nation) defeated the second ranked Volunteers.  The loss knocked Tennessee out of a potential Rose Bowl game with #1 Miami for the national title.  It was also the start of LSU's rise to national prominence under Saban and later Les Miles.

8. 2004 (Auburn 38, Tennessee 28)

This was Auburn's first SEC title since the championship game was introduced.  Tommy Tuberville's Tigers completed a 12-0 campaign that led to a Sugar Bowl victory, but were famously snubbed for a national title shot as Oklahoma lost to USC in the Orange Bowl (which became even more controversial when USC was forced to vacate the win in 2010 after NCAA infractions became public).

7. 2007 (LSU 21, Tennessee 14)

This game represented two teams going in two completely different directions.  Since this time, Tennessee has had one winning season (a 7-6 campaign in Lane Kiffin's infamous lone season in Knoxville), while LSU won a national title, played for another and has been a perennial top ten program with national recognition.  This game is memorable far LSU quarterback Ryan Perrilloux putting on a fantastic performance.  Unfortunately, off-field troubles would prevent Perrilloux from reaching his potential, and he was eventually kicked off the team.

6. 2009 (Alabama 32, Florida 13)

The second meeting between Nick Saban and Urban Meyer went in the Tide's favor, avenging a tough loss to the Gators from the year before.  This led to the first of three national title for Alabama under Saban's guidance, and Mark Ingram's 100 yard game helped him win a highly competitive Heisman Trophy race, the first such win for an Alabama player.

5. 2008 (Florida 31, Alabama 20)

Saban vs. Meyer Part 1 went to the Florida Gators, thanks heavily in part to quarterback Tim Tebow's brilliant 4th quarter play that resulted in 14 unanswered points that turned an Alabama lead into a statement win for Florida.  The Gators would go on to win their second national title in three years.  While they failed to win the SEC, the 2008 Alabama squad was the beginning of an amazing run of success for the Tide.

4. 1997 (Tennessee 30, Auburn 29)

Peyton Manning turned in a virtuoso performance in his final SEC game, but the Volunteers needed every bit of it to hold off the upset-minded Auburn Tigers.  This was the closest Auburn coach Terry Bowden would ever come to a conference title (his undefeated 1993 squad was ineligible to play in the title game due to NCAA sanctions). Tennessee would win the conference title again the next season, but since then no team has repeated as conference champions.

3. 2012 (Alabama 32, Georgia 28)

The hype surrounding this virtual BCS championship semi-final was immense, and the game did not disappoint.  Alabama running back Eddie Lacy had an amazing performance rushing for 182 yards and 2 touchdowns in route to being named the game's MVP. But the game will always be most remembered for Georgia's incredible final drive that ended five yards short of the end zone as time ran out.

2. 1994 (Florida 24, Alabama 23)

This wild, back and forth game was the first title game played at the Georgia Dome, the site of every title game since.  The fun-and-gun offense of Steve Spurrier's Florida Gators outlasted the Crimson Tide by one point, with Tide quarterback Jay Barker throwing a costly interception on a would-be game winning drive.  It was the second of Florida's four straight conference titles between 1993 and 1996.

1. 1992 (Alabama 28, Florida 21)

The first ever conference title game was the most important one ever played.  It established the format, and its success would forever change the landscape of major college football.  It was also a really good game, highlighted by Antonio Langham's game-winning pick 6 that helped Alabama win their 20th SEC title in route to their 12th national championship.  The Steve Spurrier vs. Gene Stallings matchup would also define the early days of the title game, though this would be Stallings' only victory.