SEC Title Tilt Sets Stage for National Championship

There should be a sign in the front of the Georgia Dome during the SEC Football Championship Game. It should say, "The winner advances straight to the National Championship Game. Best wishes." In the previous seven years of existence, the SEC Championship Game winner has played for five national titles, winning three.

And, what better way for a team to get prepared for a national championship game than to play in a contest that mirrors the importance, pageantry and excitement of the season finale.

The SEC Championship Game makes its sixth visit this year to the Georgia Dome. The first two years of the championship game were played at Birmingham's Legion Field. Since the inaugural game in 1992, there have been sellout crowds, nail-biting finishes, hundreds of millions of television viewers and legions of student-athletes who have given their all to capture the SEC title.

DATE: Saturday, Dec. 4 TIME: 8 p.m. ET SITE: Georgia Dome (71,500) - Atlanta, Ga. TV: ABC Sports

Tennessee used two fourth-quarter touchdowns to defeat Mississippi State, 24-14, in last year's game. The Vols' Peerless Price was named the game's MVP after catching six passes for 97 yards and a TD on a 41-yard strike from Tee Martin that put Tennessee ahead to stay in the fourth quarter. The Vols went on to defeat Florida State in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl for the national championship. The largest crowd ever to view a sporting event at the Georgia Dome (74,896), saw Tennessee hold off Auburn, 30-29, in the 1997 championship game. Game MVP Peyton Manning's 73-yard TD pass to Marcus Nash in the fourth quarter gave the Vols the victory.

Four of the first six matchups in the SEC title game featured Florida and Alabama. All four matchups weren't decided until the fourth quarter and two went until the game's last possession.

The first SEC Championship Game, on Dec. 5, 1992, produced drama beyond anyone's expectations. An interception return for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter by Antonio Langham sealed a 28-21 triumph for Alabama over Florida. The victory propelled the Crimson Tide to the national championship. The 1993 SEC Championship Game again matched the Tide and Gators. This time, Florida emerged with a 28-13 win and a trip to the Sugar Bowl.

In 1994, the SEC title game made its first appearance in the Georgia Dome as a record crowd of 74,751 watched Florida edge Alabama, 24-23. The Gators scored the winning touchdown with a little more than five minutes left in the game on a TD pass from Danny Wuerffel to Chris Doering.

The 1995 game featured a new matchup as Florida downed Arkansas, 34-3, to cap an undefeated regular season and secure a berth in the Fiesta Bowl to compete for the national title.

Florida defeated Alabama, 45-30, in the 1996 game. The victory put the Gators in the Sugar Bowl, where they defeated rival Florida State to win the national championship.

The stage is set for another exciting SEC Championship Game on Saturday, Dec. 4, 1999 at the Georgia Dome.

The Georgia Dome

The best sight lines in the sports world. A facility on the cutting edge of technology and service. And the perfect place to experience championship football.

The site of the SEC Football Championship Game through 2005, the Georgia Dome is the largest cable-supported domed stadium in the world. The 1997 SEC Football Championship Game established a Georgia Dome sporting event attendance record of 74,896, breaking the previous mark (74,751) set at the 1994 SEC Football Championship Game.

The Georgia Dome will also play host to the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament in 2000 and 2002 as well as the NCAA Final Four in 2002.