SEC misses out on 3rd-straight title game after 23 years of dominance

The SEC will not have a team in the College Football Playoff (CFP) National Championship for the third consecutive season after No. 10 seed Miami Hurricanes defeated No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels 31-27 in the Fiesta Bowl on Thursday.

The conference is now experiencing its longest championship drought since 1999–2002, after SEC teams had reached the title game every year between 2015 and 2022. During that period, the league won 13 of 17 national championships, including a seven-year run from 2006 to 2012.

Teams like Alabama, Georgia, and Florida, guided by coaches like Nick Saban, Kirby Smart, and Urban Meyer, were the backbone of the SEC’s dominance. Even with the addition of Texas and Oklahoma, the league hasn’t been able break its recent title game dry spell. No SEC team has reached the championship game since Georgia’s win over TCU in the 2022–23 season, while the Big Ten won consecutive titles in 2023 and 2024.

Even now, the SEC is stacked with talent, but the conference has been challenged by changing dynamics in college football, including the transfer portal and NIL legislation, which appear to have benefitted top Big Ten programs and expanded parity across conferences.

Four SEC teams made the CFP this season. Georgia, as the No. 3 seed, earned a first-round bye, and Ole Miss, No. 7 Texas A&M, No. 8 Oklahoma, and No. 9 Alabama made the field as at-large selections. Georgia fell to Ole Miss in the semifinal; Texas A&M’s playoff run ended quickly with a first-round loss to Miami; and Oklahoma was eliminated after dropping a rematch to Alabama. Alabama advanced past Oklahoma, but Indiana ended their run in the quarterfinals.

Ole Miss was the last SEC team standing in this year’s CFP after five conference teams earned playoff berths. The Rebels defeated Georgia in a semifinal rematch before falling to Miami. Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss went 23-for-37 for 277 yards with one touchdown but suffered his first career loss in the NCAA playoffs, ending Ole Miss’s seven-game winning streak and eight-game run of scoring at least 30 points. Running back Kewan Lacy recorded 103 yards on 11 carries, including a career-long 73-yard touchdown.

Quarterback Carson Beck engineered Miami’s victory, completing 23 of 37 passes for 268 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. With 18 seconds remaining, Beck scored on a 3-yard rush, completing a 15-play, 75-yard drive, his eighth career fourth-quarter comeback as a starter. Freshman receiver Malachi Toney contributed five catches for 81 yards and a touchdown, setting the ACC freshman record for receptions with 99 on the season. The Hurricanes held the ball for 23 more minutes than Ole Miss, overcoming 10 penalties and a costly interception to secure their first Fiesta Bowl win in school history.

Miami now advances to the CFP National Championship on January 19 at Hard Rock Stadium, becoming the first team in the BCS/CFP era to play a title game in its home stadium. The Hurricanes will face the winner of Friday’s Peach Bowl between No. 1 Indiana and No. 5 Oregon, guaranteeing a Big Ten representative in the championship. Miami’s path to the title game makes them the lowest-seeded team (No. 10) to reach the national championship in CFP history and the first ACC program since Clemson to earn a title game appearance.

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