Georgia Football's SEC Championship Game History
Georgia football will play in their fourth SEC Championship in five seasons when they take on LSU this Saturday. The No. 1 ranked Bulldogs (12-0, 8-0) are 17.5-point favorites over the TIgers, but Atlanta hasn’t always been kind to Georgia.
Kirby Smart’s teams are just 1-3 in SEC Championship Games in his time at Georgia.
- 2017 - vs Auburn - W 28-7
- 2018 - vs Alabama - L 35-38
- 2019 - vs LSU - L 37-10
- 2021 - vs Alabama - L 41-24
Since its implementation in 1992, Georgia has played in the third-most SEC Championship Games, with Saturday marking their tenth appearance. Only Alabama (14) and Florida (13) can claim more. Saturday’s pairing of Georgia and LSU is the second-most common matchup in the game’s history. The schools will meet for a fifth time in the conference title game. Not surprisingly, Alabama-Florida (10) is the most common pairing.
The Bulldogs made their first SEC Championship Game appearance in 2002, under second-year head coach Mark Richt. No. 4 Georgia, led by sophomores David Greene and David Pollack, obliterated No. 22 Arkansa, 30-3. Running back Musa Smith rushed for 106 yards and 2 touchdowns, earning MVP honors. The Bulldogs would go on to defeat Florida State in the Sugar Bowl.
Georgia would return to the SEC Championship twice in the next three years (2003 & 2005). In ‘03, Georgia would be dominated by Nick Saban’s LSU Tigers, 34-13. The Tigers would go on to win the BCS National Championship. In ‘05, Georgia would get revenge behind huge performances from quarterback DJ Shockley and wide receiver Sean Bailey. The 34-14 win would vault Georgia into the Sugar Bowl again. This time they would fall, losing to a Pat White-led West Virginia.
It wouldn’t be until 2011 that Georgia returned to the Georgia Dome. Once again, they’d face off against the LSU Tigers. These Tigers were the undisputed No. 1 team in the country, entering the conference championship undefeated with wins over No. 3 Oregon, No. 2 Alabama, and No. 3 Arkansas. Behind a huge performance from All-American safety Tyrann Mathieu, LSU would smash Georgia 42-10. LSU would later fall to Alabama in a rematch in the BCS National Championship.
2012 saw more heartbreak for the Bulldogs. Entering the SEC Championship with a record of 11-1, and a chance to clinch a spot in the national championship. No. 2 Alabama stood in the way. Aaron Murray and AJ McCarron would trade body blow after body blow, with McCarron landing a haymaker with a 45-yard strike to Amari Cooper. Trailing 32-28, the Bulldogs would roar down the field, but with no timeouts remaining, Chris Conley caught a tipped-ball, landing inbounds and ending the game.
2012 was the final time Georgia played an SEC Championship in the Georgia Dome. The Bulldogs didn’t return to the game until 2017, when second-year head coach Kirby Smart guided his team to an Eastern Division championship. With a College Football Playoff spot on the line, Georgia faced-off with Auburn, the only team that had beaten Georgia in the regular season. The Bulldogs got their revenge. Freshman running back D’Andre Swift’s 64-yard touchdown run was the clincher in Georgia’s 28-7 victory, giving the Bulldogs their first SEC Championship since 2005 and sending the team to the Rose Bowl, where they would take down Oklahoma, before falling to Alabama in overtime of the CFP National Championship.
A year later, Georgia would get their chance at revenge, taking on the Crimson Tide in the SEC title game. Georgia would build a 21-7 lead, but a second-half comeback, led by Jalen Hurts, would propel the Tide to a 35-28 win.
Georgia would advance to the SEC Championship for the third-consecutive year in 2019. Led by juniors Jake Fromm and D’Andre Swift, the Bulldogs faced the unenviable task of taking on the undefeated LSU Tigers. Georgia had no answers for eventual Heisman Trophy-winner Joe Burrow and his arsenal of receivers, including Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson. The 37-10 loss was Georgia’s second-worst in the conference title game, behind only 2011’s 42-10 defeat.
After losing out on the SEC East title to Florida in 2020, Georgia returned again in ‘21. Once again, Georgia would face Alabama. The undefeated Bulldogs entered the game with the nation’s No. 1 defense and as 6-point favorites. Behind Heisman-winning quarterback Bryce Young, Alabama diced up Georgia’s defense on the way to a 41-24 win. Georgia would get a shot at revenge, however, taking down the Tide 33-18 in the College Football Playoff National Championship.
Kirby Smart and his No. 1 ranked Bulldogs will get another shot in Atlanta on Saturday. Though their history hasn’t been great in the SEC Championship Game, or against LSU (Georgia is 1-3 against the Tigers in the SECCG), Georgia enters with confidence. Though this team won a National Championship last year, they have yet to win a conference title. They’re heavy favorites to rectify that on Saturday.
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