When was the last time there wasn't an SEC team in the national championship?
The SEC conference is one of the most competitive conferences in college football. It is loaded with some of the strongest teams like Alabama, Georgia, Florida, LSU, and others. And many players from this conference have gone on to etch their names in the history books of the NFL.
Thus, it comes as no surprise that it is a regular occurrence to witness an SEC team make it to the college football national championships. The Alabama Crimson Tide have alone secured 16 national championships over the years. Since the inception of the AP Poll, the conference has won 30 national championships from 1936 to date.
So having a national championship game without the presence of the team from this conference is truly a rare occurrence and an interesting event. This makes us ponder, when was the last time there was a national championship without an SEC team?
When was the last time there wasn't an SEC team in the national championship?
The last time there wasn't an SEC team in the national championship was in 2014, nine years ago. The Ohio State Buckeyes of the Big Ten Conference went against the Oregon Ducks of the Pac-12. This was also the first college football playoff final after replacing the BCS National championship.
Ohio State ultimately emerged as the national champions for the 2014 season, defeating Oregon with a 42-20 scoreline.
The 2015 final was the first time since 2005 that an SEC team did not make it to the national championships. Back in 2005, Texas went on to defeat the USC Trojans and clinch the BCS National championship trophy. And since the Ohio vs Oregon game, there has always been a team from this conference competing to be named the country's best football program.
Alabama has been a part of every national championship final after the 2014 season. And they won it twice for their 2015 and 2020 campaigns. The only two Alabama did not make it to the finals was during the 2019 and 2022 seasons. Will they secure a berth in the college football playoffs this year?
The Georgia Bulldogs of the SEC have won the last two national championships
In the past two seasons of college football, the Georgia Bulldogs have emerged as national champions and crowned as the best program in college football. Last season saw them put up an impressive undefeated campaign, and humiliate the TCU Horned Frogs 65-7 in the national finals.
Prior to this, Georgia faced Alabama for the 2021 season final. They defeated Nick Saban's team in the finals to secure the crown. Interestingly, their only loss during that campaign was also at the hands of Alabama, when they defeated them to lift the SEC championship title.
The Bulldogs are undefeated this season so far, securing wins in all the four games they've played. Can they go on to complete a three-peat and etch their name in college football history?