Alabama AD Greg Byrne calls for end of SEC Championship Game: ‘The ship has sailed’
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Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne would like to see the SEC Championship Game era come to a close in the near future.
Byrne delivered that sentiment in an exclusive interview with USA TODAY’S Blake Toppmeyer this week.
“I think the ship has sailed. It’s run its course,” Byrne said.
In an era with a 12-team College Football Playoff, the future of all conference title game has been in doubt in recent years. The SEC Championship Game nearly caused some complications for Alabama in 2025.
The Crimson Tide lost to Georgia in the conference title game, picking up their third loss of the year in the process. That result theoretically could have knocked Alabama out of the CFP, but the selection committee kept the Crimson Tide in the field as the No. 9 seed.
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“It’s a great event,” Byrne told USA TODAY. “I don’t like the idea of it going away, but I think it’s reality, with an expanded playoff.”
Back in 2024, Lane Kiffin claimed there were coaches who didn’t want to be in the SEC Championship Game due to the added wear-and-tear ahead of the CFP.
A decision on the future of the SEC Championship Game and other conference title games does not appear to be imminent.
The SEC has had a conference championship game since 1992. Alabama has the most conference titles with 11.
Over on Kalshi, fans can already make predictions about the 2026 SEC Championship Game:
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
