The 2008 and 2009 SEC Championship Games were in some ways a changing of the guard in the SEC. Florida won the first one, and Alabama won the second, which may have set in motion the Crimson Tide’s current run of success.

Alabama coach Nick Saban was asked about those two title games, and how they impacted the Alabama program.

“The 2008 game probably had somewhat of a significant impact on the program here, the fact that we lost to a very good Florida team, Tim Tebow, and they went on to win the national championship the next year,” Saban said Thursday at a press conference to preview the game on Saturday in Atlanta. “I think our players learned a lot from that. The next year, for us to be able to play a very similar team for Florida, and a very similar team for us and win the game probably was a significant confidence-builder that we could win games like that against good teams. I think it did change the culture of the program in a positive way.”

Saban added that it was one of the steps to build a program into national prominence and the players did a really good job.

Saban was also asked about Brian Johnson being the offensive coordinator at Utah in that stretch, — he’s now at Florida — and how much it was a learning curve in defending up-tempo offenses. Saban said the style of play  Utah used in its win over Alabama was different than the Crimson Tide were used to. Alabama had big personnel and didn’t do a good enough job with the pass rush as the game plan fell short, Saban said.

“I think one of the most difficult things that I’ve ever had to do is when you lose the SEC Championship Game, get your team ready to play the next game,” he said.