ATLANTA — Once upon a time, the Eastern Division was the Southeastern Conference’s Camelot. It’s power base. It’s fortress football.
After the SEC added Arkansas and South Carolina in 1992 and created its championship clash of division champions, East teams (Florida, Tennessee and Georgia) combined to win eight of the first 11 titles. Only Alabama in 1992 and 1999, and LSU in 2003, managed to spoil the party.
Oh, how times have changed.
Yes, Georgia beat Auburn 28-7 for this past season’s SEC title, breaking open a close game with a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns, then went on to lose to Alabama in the CFP Championship Game, 26-23 in overtime.