SportsTuesday, November 10
The SEC Championship Game will end after its 35th edition on Dec. 5 in Atlanta
The Morning Marietta team
If you've been meaning to catch an SEC Championship Game in Atlanta, this is the year. The conference announced Monday that this year's game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium will be the last, and the Dec. 5 game will be the 35th and final edition, as the College Football Playoff grows from 12 to 24 teams next season.
The change brings an end to the Power Four conference championship games and follows ESPN's agreement to rework its contract and add 11 playoff games. FOX 5 says the loss strips Atlanta of more than $30 million in annual visitor spending.
- Byes: the top eight seeds skip the first round
- Campus games: first two rounds, starting the second weekend in December
- Georgia Dome: 23 straight championship games through 2016
The game has been in Atlanta since 1994 after a start in Birmingham
- Dec. 1992The first SEC title game is played in Birmingham; Alabama beats Florida 28-21.
- 1994The game moves to Atlanta after another year in Birmingham.
- 2017Mercedes-Benz Stadium becomes home after 23 straight games at the Georgia Dome.
- Dec. 5The 35th and final SEC Championship Game will be played in Atlanta.
Source: CBS Atlanta
The Georgia World Congress Center Authority reported the game generated more than $1 billion for the state from 1999 to 2015. Atlanta stays in the postseason mix: Peach Bowl CEO David Epps said the bowl's focus remains on delivering quarterfinal and semifinal games.
Sources: WSB-TV, WRDW, FOX 5 Atlanta, CBS Atlanta