One of the biggest debates in all college football right now is if conference championships still matter. To some it is an opportunity to win another championship that has been held in high regard for all of college football history. To others though it is another game where players may get injured before the College Football Playoff begins.
Kirby Smart has made it clear that he still thinks playing in the SEC Championship game and winning the title is still extremely important, but others as mentioned are not quite sure. But the TV viewership from the first round playoff games shows that the average fan still values the SEC conference championship game just as much as the CFP.