Georgia balances SEC title chase with championship game's end

Georgia learned Monday that this season's SEC Championship Game will be the last, but Kirby Smart and his players kept their attention on the Bulldogs' immediate assignment against Missouri.

ESPN announced that conference championship games will end as the College Football Playoff expands to 24 teams and the schedule changes. SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said the event began under Commissioner Roy Kramer in 1992 and became a major part of college football. Its 35th edition will be its last.

Smart said the decision was not a surprise once the playoff expansion took shape. He praised the game's history, its benefits for players, programs and fans, and its Atlanta home, while acknowledging that teams must adapt as the sport changes.

Georgia still has a chance to play in the final edition. The Bulldogs are alone in first place in the SEC, while four teams tied for second have two conference losses. Multiple scenarios could allow Georgia to secure a place as early as this weekend, though safety Khalil Barnes stressed that looking ahead could cost the Bulldogs their opportunity.

Second-year offensive lineman Dontrell Glover offered a similar view. The Atlanta-area native, who started for Georgia's 2025 SEC championship team, called the title game important to him before shifting the focus directly back to Missouri.

Georgia has won four SEC Championship Games under Smart, including the past two, and has appeared in five straight. Another trip to Atlanta would set the league record for consecutive appearances, moving Georgia ahead of Florida's five-game run from 1992 through 1996.

Smart is the SEC's only active coach with a championship-game victory. Another title would give him five, tying Steve Spurrier for second in the event's history behind former Alabama coach Nick Saban.

The championship game has been held in Atlanta every year since 1994 after its first two editions were played in Birmingham, Alabama. The final game is scheduled for Dec. 6 at 4 p.m. in Atlanta.

Why it matters

Georgia leads the SEC and could reach the final championship game through multiple scenarios as early as this weekend. A sixth straight appearance would set a league record, and a victory would give Kirby Smart his fifth SEC title-game win.

What to watch next

Georgia faces Missouri at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC before the final SEC Championship Game on Dec. 6 at 4 p.m. in Atlanta.