SEC Championship Game 2025: Georgia clinches berth; Alabama–Ole Miss race to determine opponent, date, time, and updated SEC standings

Georgia locked up its place in the 2025 SEC Championship Game after rivalry Saturday results broke the logjam atop the league. With the Bulldogs in, the remaining ticket to Atlanta will be decided by the final outcomes of the day: Alabama can claim it with a win, while an Alabama loss would hand the spot to Ole Miss, which finished 11–1 and 7–1 in SEC play.

When is the SEC Championship Game?

• Date: Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025

• Kickoff: 4:00 p.m. ET (9:00 p.m. GMT)

• Venue: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta

• Format: Top two teams in the SEC standings (no divisions)

Who will play in the SEC Championship?

• Georgia — Clinched berth after completing an 11–1 regular season and surviving rivalry weekend.

• Alabama or Ole Miss — The second berth hinges on the Iron Bowl.

  • If Alabama wins: Alabama joins Georgia in Atlanta.

  • If Alabama loses: Ole Miss takes the spot based on the league’s published tiebreakers.

Why these scenarios are so clear now

Texas A&M’s first loss removed a potential three- or four-team tangle at the top, simplifying the path. Ole Miss locked in a 7–1 SEC mark with an Egg Bowl win, while Alabama entered the day at 6–1 in conference and controls its path with one game to play. Georgia is guaranteed to finish in the top two regardless of other outcomes.

SEC standings snapshot (entering the final results of Saturday)

• Georgia: 11–1 (7–1 SEC) — Clinched SEC title game berth

• Ole Miss: 11–1 (7–1 SEC) — In with Alabama loss

• Alabama: 9–2 (6–1 SEC) — In with win

• Texas A&M: 11–1 (7–1 SEC) — Eliminated by head-to-head/top-two scenario after loss

(Records reflect Saturday’s completed games to this point; late kickoffs can still shift Alabama’s line.)

SEC tiebreakers in plain English

With divisions gone, the SEC sends its top two overall conference records to Atlanta. If teams are tied, the league applies this sequence until the tie breaks:

1. Head-to-head among the tied teams.

2. Record vs. common SEC opponents.

3. Record against the highest-placed common opponent(s), working down the standings.

4. Cumulative conference winning percentage of each team’s SEC opponents (strength-of-schedule style).

5. Capped scoring-margin metric across SEC games (as administered by a third-party analytics partner).

Today’s results trimmed the path so far that the second spot effectively turns on Alabama’s outcome rather than deeper math.

Georgia football: what the Bulldogs bring to Atlanta

Kirby Smart’s team arrives with the SEC’s most reliable defense in leverage downs and a late-season surge in takeaways. Offensively, Georgia leaned on balance down the stretch—efficient run game on early downs, layered play-action on second-and-medium—and showed the ability to win low-scoring grinders or stretch the field when needed. Special teams quietly remain a separator, especially in field position and red-zone finishing.

Potential matchups for Georgia

• Georgia vs. Alabama: Familiar championship script with trench play and explosive-play prevention as the swing factors. Georgia’s protection plans versus Alabama’s edge pressure would headline, with third-and-medium conversions deciding the rhythm.

• Georgia vs. Ole Miss: A speed-in-space chess match. Ole Miss stresses safeties horizontally and vertically; Georgia would counter with pattern-match rules and disciplined rush lanes. Red-zone efficiency and turnover avoidance become paramount.

SEC Championship Game predictor: what to expect before kickoff

• Path probability: The berth math is binary now—Alabama controls and is in with a win; Ole Miss is in if Alabama stumbles.

• Early lookahead line (projected):

  • Georgia vs. Alabama: Georgia by a field goal to a touchdown on a neutral field, depending on health and tonight’s Iron Bowl data points.

  • Georgia vs. Ole Miss: Georgia by roughly a touchdown, with the total a tick higher given Ole Miss’s tempo and explosiveness.
    (These are projections, not posted odds, and can shift once the matchup is official.)

What this means for the College Football Playoff

• Georgia: A win in Atlanta would lock a top seed; a competitive loss still keeps the door open given the résumé.

• Alabama/Ole Miss: The SEC champion is strongly positioned for the 12-team field, with at-large pathways still viable for the runner-up depending on other conference finals.

Key dates and fan checklist

• Sunday (Dec. 7) morning: Final injury updates and travel rosters emerge.

• Early week: Official game notes and depth charts; opening betting lines settle after initial steam.

• Friday (Dec. 5): Walk-throughs in Atlanta; expect final status notes on any questionable starters.

Bottom line: Georgia is booked for Atlanta on Dec. 6 at 4 p.m. ET. If Alabama wins out tonight, the Bulldogs get a classic heavyweight bout. If Alabama slips, an ascendant Ole Miss earns its shot at the league crown. Either way, the SEC title game sets up as a playoff-shaping showcase in Mercedes-Benz Stadium.