The Crimson Tide's current main goal is to beat Vanderbilt on Saturday. As Kalen DeBoer explained on Monday, another current goal is to win out and advance to Atlanta for the SEC Championship Game. Whatever happens this season, Alabama will still be the team with the most SEC Championship Game wins. The Crimson Tide has 11 SEC Championship Game wins. The Florida Gators are second with eight wins, and the Georgia Bulldogs have won seven.
There are multiple scenarios about the tie-breakers that would choose between two-loss SEC teams. Along with Alabama, Texas, Tennessee, and Kentucky are in the mix. If Georgia were to lose to Missouri or South Carolina, the Bulldogs could become the fifth two-loss SEC team competing for the Championship Game slots.
DeBoer said, "As competitive people here at Alabama, we want to win that game. We're going to play as hard as we can right now and want to be in that game because that's what the schedule is and what the goals are."
Winning any SEC Championship Game, and especially the last one, is a worthy goal. In terms of potential success in subsequent playoff games, not playing in Atlanta could benefit the Crimson Tide more.
Last year, Alabama was not at full strength in Atlanta. That contributed to being physically whipped by Georgia in a 28-7 loss. It could be a repeat situation, with potentially another tough loss this year.
Alabama playing in Atlanta would be a risk
As much as becoming the SEC Champion brings honor and Playoff seeding advantages, playing the game carries a big risk of worsened or new injuries. Nick Saban said he never worried about new injuries occurring in games. But Alabama was deeper during most of his great run. Depth is a tougher challenge in this college football era.
It would be sweet for Alabama to not just win No. 12, but to become the program that won the first and the last SEC Championship Games. It would be a win Alabama wants, but also a game the Crimson Tide does not need to pursue a bigger championship.
Add us as a preferred source on Google