2009 SEC Championship Game

For the SEC men's basketball championship, see 2009 SEC men's basketball tournament.

SEC Championship Game, 2009
"Game of the Century"
Conference Championship
2009 SEC Championship logo.
Florida Gators Alabama Crimson Tide
(12–0) (12–0)
13 32
Head coach: 
Urban Meyer		 Head coach: 
Nick Saban
APCoachesBCS
111
APCoachesBCS
232
1234 Total
Florida 31000 13
Alabama 91076 32
DateDecember 5, 2009
Season2009
StadiumGeorgia Dome
LocationAtlanta, Georgia
MVPQB Greg McElroy, Alabama
FavoriteFlorida by 5[1]
National anthemThe Pride of the Sunshine (Florida)
Million Dollar Band (Alabama)
RefereeMatt Austin
Halftime showDr Pepper Throw for Scholarship Dough
The Pride of the Sunshine (Florida)
Million Dollar Band (Alabama)
Attendance75,514
United States TV coverage
NetworkCBS
AnnouncersVerne Lundquistplay-by-play
Gary Danielson color
Tracy Wolfsonsideline
Nielsen ratings11.1/23 (17.969 million viewers)[2]
SEC Championship Game
 < 2008  2010 > 
2009 Southeastern Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Eastern Division
No. 3 Florida x%   8 – 0     13 – 1  
Georgia   4 – 4     8 – 5  
Tennessee   4 – 4     7 – 6  
Kentucky   3 – 5     7 – 6  
South Carolina   3 – 5     7 – 6  
Vanderbilt   0 – 8     2 – 10  
Western Division
No. 1 Alabama x$#   8 – 0     14 – 0  
No. 17 LSU   5 – 3     9 – 4  
No. 20 Ole Miss   4 – 4     9 – 4  
Arkansas   3 – 5     8 – 5  
Auburn   3 – 5     8 – 5  
Mississippi State   3 – 5     5 – 7  
Championship: Alabama 32, Florida 13
  • # – BCS National Champion
  • $ – BCS representative as conference champion
  • % – BCS at-large representative
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2009 SEC Championship Game was played on December 5, 2009, in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia, to determine the 2009 football champion of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The game featured the Florida Gators and the Alabama Crimson Tide. The Crimson Tide was the designated "home team"; this home team, chosen on an alternating basis, was 2–4 in SEC Championship Games. The winner was all but assured to go on to play for a National Championship, in a likely matchup with the Texas Longhorns provided Texas won in the Big 12 Championship Game versus the north division champion Nebraska Cornhuskers. Entering the 2009 contest, the SEC East was 11–6 in SEC Championship games, with the Florida Gators accounting for seven of the eleven victories. Before the 2009 game, Alabama represented the SEC West six times in the conference championship game, compiling a 2–4 record, and had faced the Gators in all six of their previous SEC Championship game appearances.[3] This was the first and so far the only time any conference championship game had featured two undefeated teams and was also the first time an AP Poll No. 1 played a No. 2 outside of the BCS Championship Game since the top-ranked Ohio State beat the second-ranked Michigan during the 2006 regular season. Due to this, it was referred to as a "Game of the Century.

The game began at 4:00 p.m. EST and was televised by CBS Sports, for the ninth straight season. The game was also streamed online at CBSSports.com and on mobile for customers subscribing to the MediaFLO service on CBS Sports Mobile.

Alabama defeated Florida 32–13 and as expected secured a berth to the 2010 BCS National Championship Game where they would go on to defeat Texas. This game is often considered the moment when the Alabama dynasty began in earnest after a disappointing 2007 season and a loss to the same Tebow-led Gators in the 2008 SEC Championship.

  1. ^ "Las Vegas Line Movements". Retrieved December 4, 2009.
  2. ^ Lewis, Jon (December 11, 2009). "Alabama/Florida draws 11.1 rating". Sports Media Watch. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
  3. ^ "Relive Past SEC Championship Games". Southeastern Conference. Archived from the original on December 26, 2007. Retrieved December 6, 2008.