2023 SEC Football Championship

December 2, 2023
Mercedes-Benz Stadium - Atlanta, Georgia 

2023 SEC Football Championship

West Champion		East Champion	Time	Network
Alabama	vs.	Georgia	4 PM ET	CBS

The Southeastern Conference's Eastern and Western Division winners will meet in Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium to battle for the league championship and the right to represent the conference in the College Football Playoff. The 32nd-annual title game is set for December 2 and will be televised nationally by CBS Sports.

The game was born as a result of 1992 conference expansion, which saw Arkansas and South Carolina become the first members added in SEC history. Under NCAA regulations, a conference with 12 members may play an additional football game to determine its champion, provided the regular season is played in divisions. The participants of the game will be determined during the eight-game regular season conference schedule as the teams with the best overall SEC winning percentage in each division.

The SEC Championship has been the most watched conference championship nationally for 14 of the past 15 seasons, including 12 in a row from 2008-2019. The only year it was not #1 was 2020 when the SEC did not have a traditional schedule due to the pandemic.

The 2022 SEC Championship Game was seen by nearly 11 million viewers. The 2018 SEC Championship Game was the most-watched and highest-rated regular-season college football game on any network in seven years with a 10.1/23 rating/share and 17.5 million viewers. It also marked the second most-watched SEC Championship ever in 26 years since the game debuted in 1992. Nearly 14 million viewers watched the 2019 contest. Shifting to primetime, the Alabama-Florida SEC Championship in 2020 averaged a 4.9 and 8.92 million viewers on CBS. It was the first primetime SEC Championship since the 2006 game. The 2021 SEC Championship attracted over 15 million viewers, the most watched championship game in college football since 2018.

The 2009 SEC Championship Game earned an 11.8 rating and a 24 share, marking the highest-rated SEC Championship Game in history. The game matched the No. 1 Florida Gators (12-0) vs. the No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide (12-0).

The SEC Championship Game has drawn 29 capacity crowds in its 31-year history. Only 1993 (Birmingham) and 1995 (Atlanta) were not sellouts.

The SEC, along with AMB Sports & Entertainment (AMBSE) and the Georgia World Congress Center Authority (GWCCA), have an agreement to host the SEC Championship Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta through 2026. The new agreement allows the SEC the option of adding up to two successive five-year extensions. The Georgia Dome hosted the SEC Championship Game for 23 years beginning in 1994, with capacity crowds in the last 22 consecutive years. By the end of the new agreement, including options, the Championship will have been played in Atlanta a total of 43 years.

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME QUICK FACTS
Date: Saturday, December 2
Site: Mercedes-Benz Stadium; Atlanta, Ga.
Capacity: 73,000 Time: 4 p.m. ET
Television: CBS Sports

For Tickets: SEC Ticket Office
2201 Richard Arrington Blvd. North
Birmingham, AL 35203
(205) 458-3000
www.secticketoffice.com

Mercedes-Benz Stadium Contract: Through 2026 game
CBS Sports Contract: Through 2024 game

Highest TV Rating: 11.8 (24 share) - 2009

Largest Crowd: 83,091 (Alabama vs. Florida, Legion Field) - 1992

Largest Georgia Dome Crowd: 75,892 (Alabama vs. Florida) - 2008

Largest Mercedes-Benz Stadium Crowd: 78,030 (2021)