SEC Football: End of an era is coming for the SEC

Though not yet officially announced, what began for SEC football in 1992 will be coming to an end soon. As Chase Goodbread wrote yesterday for the Tuscaloosa News, the change has been “a poorly kept secret” for months.

When Texas and Oklahoma join the SEC, there will be no more divisions. The schedule for their addition is the 2025 season, though an early arrival in 2024 would come as no shock.

To an extent, the end of divisions is a loss for SEC Football

Whichever season the change occurs, an accomplishment milestone will end. That every season milestone is winning the SEC West or SEC East division. To many Alabama football fans, winning the SEC West is not a big achievement. The Crimson Tide is supposed to win the division every season. It is different for other schools. Don’t tell Missouri fans winning the SEC East in 2013 and 2014 wasn’t an achievement. Even the Florida Gators, with all their SEC success, regained some bragging rights by winning the SEC East in 2020.

The Tennessee Vols have not won the SEC East since 2007, Arkansas has not won the SEC West since 2006 and the Mississippi State Bulldogs have won one division championship ever, in 1998.

As most Alabama football fans know the Crimson Tide helped usher in the SEC Championship Game. With a win over Florida, in Birmingham, Alabama leap-frogged to a National Championship win over Miami.

Legion Field was the site of the 1992 and 1993 SEC Championships before the game was moved to the Georgia Dome, which had opened in 1992. That stadium was demolished in 2017, having been replaced by Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

In the SEC division era (1992-present), the Crimson Tide has won the West 14 times. Ten of those seasons, the Tide won the SEC Championship game. Those 14 Division Championships and 10 SEC Champions lead the SEC, Florida is second with 13 division titles and seven SEC Championships.

Even if division play continues through the 2024 season, the only program that can match or pass the Crimson Tide in both numbers is Florida. Georgia is third, well behind Florida. LSU and Auburn are farther behind.

During the SEC’s division period, four teams have never won a division championship; Vanderbilt, Ole Miss, Texas A&M and Kentucky.

Some Alabama football fans don’t remember Roy Kramer fondly, believing he, as SEC Commissioner, turned a blind eye to cheating by Phil Fulmer and Tennessee. Even if that is true, Kramer deserves much credit. He was a visionary. Few events in college sports have been more successful at the conference level than the SEC Football Championship game.

There will still be an SEC Championship game without divisions. There might even be an SEC post-season playoff. Divisions, once fans have adjusted, will probably only be missed for sentimental reasons.