Rematch with Georgia in SEC Championship a 'Get-To Moment' for Alabama

Kalen DeBoer has experience beating a team twice in one season as the Crimson Tide prepares to face the Bulldogs again.

Alabama players Isaiah Horton, Keon Sabb, and Deontae Lawson celebrate the Iron Bowl Win on November 29, 2025. | Sarah Munzenmaier/Alabama Crimson Tide on SI

There is plenty of discussion and debate about whether or not it's beneficial (or fair) for Georgia and Alabama to have to play an extra game this weekend in the SEC championship game. Winning the SEC is never easy and a huge honor.

Alabama literally knows better than anyone with a league-leading 15 SEC championship game appearances and 11 titles. However, there is now a risk to playing in the conference championship game.

In the BCS era or four-team College Football Playoff era, the SEC title game served as a play-in game, often a qualifier in order to make the field or BCS title game. With the current 12-team College Football Playoff format, some teams are better off not having to play on conference championship weekend with a spot already secured in the CFP.

For example, Alabama, Georgia, Texas A&M and Ole Miss all finished with an identical 7-1 record in SEC play. Because the four teams did not all play each other, it came down to tiebreakers that favored the Crimson Tide and Bulldogs while the Aggies and Rebels will sit at home this weekend, knowing their spot in the CFP is already secured.

"You go play because you love the challenge, you love the environment that you’re going to get to be a part of," Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer said Sunday. "This is a get-to moment for us, so the energy should be at the highest level possible. We should be extremely excited for this. Even last night, we were excited about just being in that moment and the challenge. Even with everything that was at stake, that’s the way we want to approach every game we get the chance to play. SEC football is special, and these guys playing in front of our fanbase and the entire country each and every Saturday, is awesome.”

Crimson Tide reshirt senior linebacker Deontae Lawson had similar thoughts about the SEC championships game in the immediate aftermath of Alabama's Iron Bowl win on Saturday night.

"Great opportunity to be the best team in the best conference, I would say," Lawson said. "Just another opportunity. Just another opportunity. If you win that game, first-round bye. Just a lot of opportunity out there."

Alabama is in a similar position to what DeBoer faced at Washington two years ago when his Huskies team rematched with Oregon in the Pac-12 championship game with a spot in the CFP on the line after beating the Ducks earlier in the regular season.

Now, the Crimson Tide will have to do the same with the Bulldogs after beating Georgia in Athens, 24-20, back on Sept. 27. Another win over Georgia would likely vault Alabama to a top-four seed and first round bye, but a loss could have the Crimson Tide on the outside looking in.

"I think, personally, you’re experiences that you have that give you reasoning for whatever it might be," DeBoer said of his past experience at Washington. "You just stated the case for what I have. People can say one thing, ‘It’s hard to beat a team twice.’ Well, the game’s going to get played. How do you prepare to be your best? What is it that you’ve got to continue to do? A lot of it comes down to what I said earlier. You know what you are as a team. You have your identity. You hang your hat on that. You just go play the game. You play with confidence."

Alabama and Georgia will play for the SEC title in Atlanta on Saturday at 3 p.m. CT on ABC.