Gators-Tide: SEC Championship Game Tradition from Start

ATLANTA -- In 1990, the Southeastern Conference expanded from 10 to 12 teams with the addition of Arkansas and South Carolina. The new participants, it was announced, would be folded into league competition for the 1991-92 athletic season for all sports, except football.

That was because SEC commissioner Roy Kramer (pictured right) had something much, much bigger in the works.

Turned out the league had locked in on a somewhat obscure rule in the NCAA rulebook -- one used by Division I-AA programs and below -- that allowed for a conference with at least 12 teams to stage an extra game to determine its champion. The clause had been there for years, yet none of the big conference boys had noticed or bothered to act on it.

Hello, SEC Championship Game.

On Nov. 29, 1990, SEC presidents announced that starting in 1992 their league would split into East and West divisions and play an eight-game league schedule, with division winners facing off in a 12th game at a neutral site to determine its champion and Sugar Bowl representative. Seven months later, those presidents picked Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala., about five miles from SEC headquarters, as the site of that historic first championship game. The concept, so brilliant and so out of the blue, sent shockwaves across the country.

And college football hasn't been the same since.

Florida and Alabama were the forefathers of that epic -- and seismic -- altering of the national landscape. When the No. 15 Gators (8-3) and No. 1 Crimson Tide (12-0) face off Saturday at the Georgia Dome it'll mark the ninth time the combatants in the original contest have squared off for the league crown. Five of the previous eight times, the winner has gone on to claim the national title. The Tide have a chance to make it six in nine.

So here's an orange-and-blue/crimson-and-white stroll down memory lane.

SEC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME 1

Dec. 5, 1992 (Birmingham, Ala.)
Alabama 28, Florida 21

What happened: Cornerback Antonio Langham (pictured right) picked off UF senior quarterback Shane Matthews and returned the interception 27 yards with 3:18 to play to give the No. 2 Crimson Tide a victory that propelled them into the national-championship game against Miami. Langham's Tide-turner came after the No. 12 Gators, double-digit underdogs, rallied with two long drives for touchdowns against the nation's No. 1-ranked defense in the second half to erase a 14-point deficit and tie the game at 21 with 6:51 to go.

Stars: Langham was named the game's MVP, but Bama also got 121 yards rushing from tailback Derrick Lassic. Matthews finished 30 of 49 for 287 yards, two touchdowns and the one pick. UF senior tailback Errict Rhett rushed for 72 yards and a score to go with 10 receptions for 82 yards and a score.

Play of the Game: After the game, UF coach Steve Spurrier said Matthews threw a poor pass, but took aim at seldom-used wideout Monte Duncan, who was in for injured Jack Jackson. Spurrier was irked that Duncan didn't fight hard enough for the ball or feel Langham's presence as the Bama corner sat back in soft zone coverage.

Quotable: "All the other touchdowns will be in the back of mind. This is the one I'll be thinking about" -- Matthews, who at the time held the school-record with 74 career touchdowns, on the Langham interception.

Fallout: Unbeaten Alabama (12-0) went to the Sugar Bowl as big underdogs against No. 1 Miami and absolutely dismantled the Heisman Trophy winner Gino Torretta and the Hurricanes in a 34-13 wipeout. The Tide claimed their 12th national championship. The night before, Florida defeated North Carolina State 27-10 behind 192 rushing yards from Rhett in a famously foggy Gator Bowl in Jacksonville to finish the season 9-4.

SEC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME 2

Dec. 4, 1993 (Birmingham, Ala.)
Florida 28, Alabama 13

What happened: No. 9 UF laid claim to just the second SEC crown in the league's 60-year history by thumping reigning national champ and 15th-ranked Alabama in one of the very backyards -- Legion Field -- the Crimson Tide often called home. Junior quarterback Terry Dean passed for 256 yards and two touchdowns. Florida led just 14-13 in the third quarter, but scored a TD in each of the final two periods to put the game away, including a 43-yard scoring strike from Dean to Jack Jackson.

Stars: Dean had been benched twice during the regular season before regaining the starting job after Danny Wuerffel suffered a knee injury in a stinging 33-21 home loss to No. 1 Florida State the week before. He was named MVP of the game. Wideout Willie Jackson caught nine passes for 114 yards and the UF defense held Heisman runner-up David Palmer and the Tide to just 279 total yards.

Play of the Game: Florida was clinging to a 14-13 lead midway through the third quarter and faced a fourth-and-8 at its own 37 when punter Shayne Edge entered the game. When Bama's Michael Ausmus busted through the line to threaten the kick, Edge sidestepped the rush and took off for a 20-yard and first down at the Tide 43. On the next play, Dean bombed Alabama's secondary for the long touchdown to Jack Jackson.

Quotable: "This is an incredible feeling. I can't put words to describe it. It means a lot to me because of what I've been through this season." -- Dean.

Fallout: The win put the Gators in the Sugar Bowl for the second time in three years and this time they took advantage of the opportunity. UF obliterated third-ranked and unbeaten West Virginia 41-7 behind a big game from Rhett (105 yards, 1 TD) and the defense.

SEC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME 3

Dec. 3, 1994 (Atlanta)
Florida 24, Alabama 23

What happened: In one of Spurrier's greatest coaching jobs ever, the sixth-ranked Gators bounced back from a confounding, gut-punching and frustrating 31-31 tie at Florida State -- the infamous "Choke at the Doak" -- and seven days later rallied from behind for a pulsating defeat of third-ranked Alabama in the first SEC title game played at the Georgia Dome. Spurrier pulled out all the stops in this one before Wuerrfel hit Chris Doering (pictured right) for a 2-yard touchdown pass with 5:29 to play and the one-point lead. The final score made Bama coach Gene Stallings pay for bypassing a two-point conversion after going up 23-17 on a 23-yard interception return by linebacker Dwayne Rudd with just over six minutes to go. Stallings, after the game, said a six-point lead would protect him from two UF field goals. Question: What were the odds Spurrier would kick two field goals in the final six minutes?

Stars: Wuerffel went 23 of 41 for 227 yards and two touchdowns. Freshman wideout Reidel Anthony, who took over after Jack Jackson dislocated a shoulder, caught eight balls for 105 yards and a touchdown. The game's MVP, though, went to Florida defensive tackle Ellis Johnson, part of a UF front line that sacked Jay Barker five times and limited the Tide to just 297 yards of offense.

Play(s) of the Game: On the second play of UF's game-winning 10-play, 80-yard drive, Wuerffel limped off the field and gave way to backup quarterback Eric Kresser. Wuerffel, it turned out, was faking an injury. On his lone play, Kresser play-faked a run, but instead threw over the Alabama defense for a 25-yard gain to Ike Hilliard to the Tide 42-yard line. Wuerffel re-entered the game on the very next play. Four plays later, Spurrier went to the "Emory & Henry" split formation on a swing pass, then used a double-pass -- wideout Doering to wideout Aubrey Hill -- for a 20-yard gain to the Tide 2. Wuerffel found Doering on a slate in the end zone on the next play.

Quotable: "How'd I look? Pretty good acting job, huh? We wanted Kresser in for one play. Alabama would probably be thinking we'd go conservative for one play with a fresh guy in there. But the plan all along was for Kresser to air it out." -- Wuerffel

Fallout: The Gators went to the Sugar Bowl and were rematched against the Seminoles to settle the tie in Tallahassee. FSU won 23-17, clinching the game on a Derrick Brooks interception with just over a minute left.

SEC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME 5

Dec. 7, 1996 (Atlanta)
Florida 45, Alabama 30

What happened: A shootout happened, that's what. The Tide came in with the nation's No. 1-ranked pass defense, but Wuerffel (pictured right, with Spurrier) absolutely shredded it for 401 yards and six touchdowns, as the Gators -- riding the momentum of Nebraska's stunning upset loss to unranked Texas in the Big 12 Championship Game -- locked up a Bowl Alliance date with unbeaten Florida State in yet another Sugar Bowl rematch. This one, though, with a potential national championship on the line. Just a week earlier, UF had been ranked No. 1 and unbeaten, only to lose 24-21 against No. 2 and the unbeaten Seminoles at Tallahassee.

Stars: Wuerffel, obviously, who upped his Heisman Trophy profile with probably the greatest game of his career, given the stakes and the defense across the ball. The game's MVP finished 20 of 35 and also had two interceptions. Anthony caught 11 passes for 171 yards and three touchdowns. Jacquez Green had three catches for 106 yards and Hilliard three catches for 74 yards and a score.

Play of the Game: Spurrier and defensive coordinator Bob Stoops were still fuming on the sidelines from a blown coverage that allowed Bama wideout Michael Vaughn to run free into the secondary and catch a 94-yard touchdown pass from Fred Kitchens that cut Florida's lead to 31-28 with 1:08 left in the third quarter. On the very next play, though, Wuerffel hit Green on a picture-perfect streak rout down the right sideline that went for an 85-yard score and pushed UF's lead back to 10 only 11 seconds after Vaughn's play.

Quotable: "This is not a night to talk about bowl games. This is a night to talk about the SEC championship. And these championships never get old, I can assure you of that." -- Spurrier

Fallout: Eventually, of course, Spurrier did talk about the bowl. A lot. For the next month, he vilified the Seminoles and their coaches, accusing them of cheap-shotting Wuerffel -- who a week later won the Heisman -- in their rivalry game only seven days earlier. UF got its second crack at FSU, and thanks to the bowl-season dominoes falling the Gators' way experienced one of the all-time revenge moments in college football history in steam rolling the top-ranked Seminoles 52-20 in New Orleans to claim the program's first national championship.

SEC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME 8

Dec. 4, 1999 (Atlanta)
Alabama 34, Florida 7

What happened: The Gators returned to the SEC title game for the first time in three years, but any similarities to Florida teams past did not make the trip. UF had arguably its worst offensive performance of the Spurrier era, gaining just 114 yards and six first downs, scoring its lone touchdown on the game on a 3-yard halfback option pass from Earnest Graham to tight end Erron Kinney that pushed the Gators in front 7-0. UF was still in it at halftime, down just 12-7, and even within one possession, 15-7, entering the fourth quarter until a 77-yard wildcat run by flanker Freddie Milons (pictured right) kicked in a 19-0 fourth quarter for the Tide. On the very next Florida play after the Milons dash, linebacker Reggie Grimes returned a Jesse Palmer interception 38 yards for a score. UF had just 31 yards rushing on 20 carries and held the ball for only 19 minutes, 49 seconds.

Stars: Milons was tabbed MVP, rushing six times for 116 yards and Alabama kicker Ryan Pflugner booted a trio of field goals.

Play of the Game: Milons lined up at quarterback four times, but one play was more notable than the rest. He took the snap from the shotgun at Alabama's 23, head to his left, where a wall of Gators defenders waited. He squirmed through some arm tackles, headed right, hit the edge and raced cleanly up the sideline to push the Tide in front 22-7 early in the fourth period and send many a UF fan for the dome exits early.

Quotable: "Next question." -- UF safety Marquand Manuel when asked about Milons.

Fallout: Florida went on to face Michigan State in the Citrus Bowl at Orlando, with the two staging a memorable offensive showdown -- nearly 800 yards of offense -- before Spartans kicker Paul Edinger nailed a 39-yard field goal as time expired to hand the Gators a 37-34 loss. UF finished the season 9-4, failing to win 10 games for the first time since 1992, and closing the year with three straight losses.

SEC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME 17

Dec. 6, 2008 (Atlanta)
Florida 31, Alabama 20

What happened: Quarterback Tim Tebow kept "The Promise." Nine weeks after the knifing home loss to Ole Miss, the fourth-ranked Gators won their ninth straight, with Tebow throwing for 216 yards and three touchdowns, plus rushing for a team-high 57, to beat the unbeaten and top-ranked Crimson Tide. UF entered the fourth quarter trailing 20-17 (and with Tebow 0-5 as a starter without the lead after three quarters). Tebow marched his team on TD drives of 65 and 61 yards in final period, with Jeff Demps scoring on a 1-yard run for the go-ahead score with 9:21 to go and Tebow hitting Riley Cooper from 5 yards out with 2:50 left to ice it.

Stars: Alabama got 112 yards rushing from Glen Coffee and five catches for 124 yards from Julio Jones, but take a wild guess who the MVP was.

Play of the Game: Florida faced third-and-goal at the Tide 5 with three minutes to go. If Bama forced UF to settle for a field goal, the lead would be just seven points. That was when Tebow found Cooper breaking over the middle in front of linebacker Marquis Johnson, who was in good position on the play. Tebow put the ball in the ideal spot, where only Cooper could get it. The diving catch moved the Gators ahead by two scores.

Quotable: "I've had some great players, and I've got some great players on this team, but I've never had one like this. Tim's got something special inside him. I'm not talking about throwing. I'm not talking about running. I'm talking about making everyone around him better. That fourth quarter was vintage Tim Tebow." -- UF coach Urban Meyer.

Fallout: The win put No. 1 Florida in the national championship game against No. 2 Oklahoma at Miami, where the Gators defeated the Sooners 24-14 to claim their second national title in three seasons.

SEC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME 18

Dec. 6, 2009 (Atlanta)
Alabama 32, Florida 13

What happened: The second-ranked Tide took control early and dominated late, ending No. 1 UF's dream of an undefeated season and repeat national championship, leaving Tebow on the sidelines in tears in his final SEC game. Running back Mark Ingram rushed 28 times for 113 yards and three touchdowns, keying a Bama offense -- with offensive coordinator Jim McElwain on the headsets -- that cranked out 490 yards against the nation's top-ranked defense. Tide quarterback Greg McElroy completed just 12 passes, but for 239 yards, with his lone touchdown toss a 17-yarder to Colin Peek midway through the third quarter to push Bama ahead 26-13. A Tebow interception early in the fourth period set up Ingram's put-away TD.

Stars: McElroy was named MVP, but a week later Ingram, who also had 76 yards on two receptions, got the bigger individual prize in New York when he was awarded the Heisman. Backup tailback Trent Richardson had 80 yards on the ground, as Alabama out-rushed Florida 251-88.

Play of the Game: UF trailed 19-13 when McElroy hit wideout Marquis Maze for a 28-yard reception, with 15 more yards tagged on for a roughing-the-passer penalty on defensive end Jermaine Cunningham. On the next play, McElroy found Peek for the score and two-possession edge.

Quotable: "It's not how you want to go out, but they were just better than us today." -- Tebow.

Fallout: Alabama went on to win its first national championship since its run in 1992 (also at UF's expense), thrashing Texas 37-20 and thus kicking off a Nick Saban-led dynasty still very much intact today. The Gators went to the Sugar Bowl and bombarded unbeaten Cincinnati 51-24, as Tebow passed for a career-high 482 yards and three touchdowns in his final collegiate game.

SEC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME 24

Dec. 5, 2015 (Atlanta)
Alabama 29, Florida 15

What happened: The Gators were back in the title game for the first time in six years, but waiting for them was the eventual Heisman Trophy winner and eventual national champion. Tailback Derrick Henry (pictured right), who a week later would capture the second Heisman in Bama history, rushed 44 times for 189 yards, while Jake Coker threw a pair of touchdown passes. The win gave the Tide program its 25 league title and the SEC its first back-to-back champion since Tennessee in 1997-98. The Gators actually led 7-2 early in the second quarter after freshman Antonio Callaway returned a punt 85 yards for a touchdown. From there, the Tide scored 27 unanswered points, as 10 of UF's first 12 possessions lasted three plays or less, with the Gators tacking an oh-by-the-way TD on ith 5:02 to play when Treon Harris hit C.J. Worton with a 46-yard scoring strike. Alabama ended the game with 437 yards of total offense to Florida's 180. The Gators, at one point, netted minus-17 yards over nine straight possessions.

Stars: Henry, from Yulee, Fla., gained nine more yards than the entire Florida offense, giving him 1,985 yards for the season to break the league's single-season record of 1,891 yards set in 1981 by Georgia's Herschel Walker. Coker went 18 of 28 for 204 yards, with TDs of 32 yards to Adarius Stewart and nine to Richard Mullaney. Callaway's punt return was the longest in SEC title game history.

Play of the Game: Florida led 7-5 when Coker made a gorgeous play fake into the line and fired a deep pass toward the UF end zone, where defensive backs Vernon Hargreaves III and Marcus Maye had star wideout Calvin Ridley blanketed. Ridley, though, went up between both players, plucked the ball from the air and came down at the Florida 2. Henry scored two plays later, his 23rd rushing TD of the season, and Alabama took the lead for good.

Quotable: "It's very disappointing. Experiencing this game is a positive thing, now we know what it takes to get here, but it's hard to take the loss." -- UF junior linebacker Jarrad Davis.

Fallout: Alabama secured a spot in the College Football Playoff and went on to defeat top-ranked and unbeaten Clemson 45-40 in the national championship game. Florida, with its first 10-win season since 2012, was soundly beaten by Michigan 41-7 in the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl, ending the season with three straight lopsided losses.

[Story updated and repurposed from 2015 version]

Gators Calendar