Georgia football: Dawgs look to transform SEC Championship history

Georgia football may have 13 SEC titles, but they have an unfortunate history in the SEC Championship game since it began in 1992.

This year will mark the Dawgs’ ninth appearance in the game, and they have a 3-5 overall record. While that number doesn’t look particularly well ahead of Saturday’s game, there is a culture shift occurring in the SEC.

The Dawgs have something great in the making with how they recruit and play the game of football.

Georgia football starts a new chapter in the SEC title game on Saturday.

Alabama has won the most SEC titles at 28, but the Dawgs are No.2 on that list.

The Tide has seen the most title-game appearances on the West and Florida has on the East, but a big reason for that is the Gator’s run during the 90s.

Alabama holds a formidable 9-4 record, with the Gators providing all four losses.

Georgia won the conference in 1942, 1946, 1948, 1959,1966, 1968,1976, 1980, 1981,1982, 2002, 2005, and 2017.

The SEC Championship has a long history, but this game has only been around almost 30  years, with this one being the 29th edition.

Of those 28 meetings, the Dawgs won in 2002, 2005, and 2017. They played in the 2002,2003, 2005, 2011, 2012, 2017, 2018 and 2019 meetings.

Georgia has a winning record in the SEC title game over Auburn and Arkansas at 1-0 each. However, LSU and, of course, Alabama have their number in this conference championship.

The Dawgs are 1-3 against the Bayou Bengals and 0-2 against the Tide.

It isn’t all doom and gloom for the Dawgs. While they have the 3-5 record, they have won the SEC East four of the last five seasons. If you’re winning the division, there is a 50/50 chance you’ll win the conference.

Georgia has the opportunity to turn a new leaf on Saturday and start a new SEC Championship chapter. This game against Alabama feels like the 2002 season as the Dawgs came into their first SEC title game and beat Arkansas 30-3.

There is different energy surrounding Georgia and what they’re doing in Athens. Head coach Kirby Smart has a humble football team who won’t accept that they’re great until all the goals are off their list.

The Dawgs can become the first team outside Florida to beat them in the SEC title game. While that mountain seems exceptionally high right now, Georgia has the team to do it.

Sure the 2017 squad could have beaten Alabama in the national title game, but that didn’t happen. Sure, the Dawgs could have defeated Alabama in the 2018 SEC Championship, but it wasn’t the right time.

Georgia didn’t smother teams those two years like they have this season. This 2021 team is unique and something we don’t see every day in college football — kind of like the 2019 LSU and 2020 Alabama teams.

This season has been crazy enough as it is. Why not throw in something like this where the Dawgs break a six-game losing streak to the Tide and eliminate them from the playoffs? Georgia has what it takes, and they must focus and finish the drill. Good things are coming the Dawgs way, and this is the first step of it.