The SEC Championship Game may be going the way of the dodo. This comes after Alabama Crimson Tide athletic director Greg Byrne spoke to USA Today. There, he boldly claimed that the SEC Championship Game should be coming to an end soon.
“I think the ship has sailed,” Byrne told USA Today. “It’s run its course.”
To be making these comments publicly, especially given his role as the leader of one of the SEC’s most prestigious athletic departments, is a bit staggering. No team has played for more SEC Championships than Alabama. Byrne isn’t the only prominent SEC AD to feel this way, though. Chris del Conte, of the Texas Longhorns, spoke in favor of dumping the championship earlier this offseason.
So, it would appear the tide is turning against the SEC Championship Game, which has been one of the most-viewed games all season long. In 2025, it garnered 16.9 million viewers on ABC. That was the eighth most of any individual game in 2025, per Football Scoop. Five College Football Playoff games, the Big Ten Championship, and the Ohio State–Michigan game did better.
College Football Playoff Expansion May Force Championship Game Changes
It can be hard to give up a cash cow like the SEC Championship Game. It’s always going to be a premier matchup and, even with the expanded College Football Playoff, it is going to have its impact on who makes the field and their seeding.
Now, the CFP is looking at expanding once again. There is some debate about the size of that expansion, but one thing is clear, regardless of how many more games are added, the calendar is already a mess in December. Coaches deal with the Transfer Portal, high school recruiting, and game preparation. So, adding more games only makes things more difficult.
“It’s a great event,” Byrne said of the SEC championship game. “I don’t like the idea of it going away, but I think it’s reality, with an expanded playoff.”
In a conference like the SEC, making the SEC Championship Game can almost be seen as a disadvantage. After all, if the third-best team in the SEC gets to skip the game, they effectively get a bye week. However, the loser of the SEC Championship Game likely won’t get one in the CFP, meaning they have less time to get healthy.
Former Ole Miss Rebels and current LSU Tigers head coach Lane Kiffin spoke about this in past years. In fact, in 2024, he claimed, “(Coaches) don’t want to be in it.”
Options to Replace the SEC Championship Game
One thing is certain, games the weekend of conference championships are very valuable to college football. So, the SEC would likely look at a way to replace the SEC Championship. There are a few options.
Most SEC ADs would argue for expanding the College Football Playoff to 16 teams. From there, the lost revenue of the SEC Championship Game could be generated. Of course, others would like to find a more direct replacement for the game, on top of CFP expansion.
Other options could then be considered to fill the inventory. That includes having the borderline CFP teams play one another, or adding additional conference games for those on the outside looking in.
The SEC Championship Game was first played in 1992. At the time, it was seen as a risk. Certainly, no team finishing first in the regular season wanted to lose the SEC Championship to a team with a worse record in a bonus game. That was particularly true before the CFP and when the margin for error was thinner. Today, it’s proven to be a success over more than three decades, but change could be on the horizon again.
Alabama’s Greg Byrne Shares Bold Claim on Future of the SEC Championship Game