Conference of Champions? SEC Covets Title, Reputation

As the Southeastern Conference grows and expands, its status from winning championships continues to rise

Apr 7, 2025; San Antonio, TX, USA; Florida Gators head coach Todd Golden celebrates as he cuts down the net after defeating the Houston Cougars in the national championship game of the Final Four of the 2025 NCAA Tournament at the Alamodome. / Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

In late July of every year, the Southeastern Conference officially kicks off the upcoming football season with a journalistic smorgasbord called Media Days at the Wynfrey Hotel, just outside of Birmingham, Alabama. Since 1985, reporters have descended on the posh locale and helped turn it into something resembling a toy store the day after Thanksgiving. Prior to that, a dozen or so newspaper reporters used to partake in the SEC Skywriters Tour, in which Elmore “Scoop” Hudgins, who handled media relations for the conference, organized a league-wide traveling contingency that visited every school.

In 2005, more than 700 journalists attended Media Days, many of whom stuck around for the entire three days of interview sessions. Four schools would participate a day, with the coach and two players making the rounds and peppered with questions from newspapers, television, radio, Internet, etc.

But before the interview assembly line could begin, the commissioner had to deliver introductory remarks on the state of the conference and how it expected to improve in the coming year. Like usual, he, in this case, Mike Slive, often had a lot to talk about.

“Sometimes we lose sight of the broad base programs that this league enjoys and it is one the reasons why we deal with our financial issues,” Slive said during his speech. “It gives us the opportunity to create tremendous opportunity for student athletes in sports. The evidence of our competitive success in all sports is simply in the numbers.

“Last year, SEC teams won seven national championships and had eight runners up. In half of the 20 sports we sponsored, we had either a national champion or a runner-up. In 16 of the 20 sports we sponsored, SEC teams placed in the top five nationally. Seventy-two of our student athletes won individual national championships and 554 of our kids won first-team All-America honors. And finally, 159 SEC teams participated in NCAA postseason play. That represents almost 75 percent of all the teams in the league.

Equally for me, if not more importantly, more than 2,000 of our kids who are student athletes, representing close to 40 percent of all athletes, earned SEC academic honor roll status.”

Like with Media Days, which grew to 1,200 journalists attending by 2013, and added a fourth day to accommodate added schools due to expansion, the numbers have only grown while maintaining its top priority of being the best at everything. Of course, that's meant more championships as well.

In football alone, here are the SEC’s national champions as claimed by the schools. They're organized by era.

1. Pre-Poll Era (Before 1936)

Pooley Hubert scores a touchdown for Alabama in the 1926 Rose Bowl. By defeating Washington 20-19, the Crimson Tide became the first Southern school to win in Pasadena, and claimed its first national championship. / Courtesy of the Bryant Museum.

Alabama 4: 1925+, 1926+, 1930+, 1934
Auburn 2: 1913, 1914
Georgia 2: 1920, 1927
Georgia Tech 2: 1917, 1928
Vanderbilt 2: 1921, 1922
LSU 1: 1908

+ NCAA lists as national champion (possibly along with other teams)

2. Poll Era (Through 1997)

Gen. Robert Neyland's Tennessee Volunteers were a college football powerhouse, and his 1951 team is considered the consensus national champion. / University of Tennessee

1938 Tennessee
1940 Tennessee
1941 Alabama
1942 Georgia
1950 Kentucky
1950 Tennessee
1951 Tennessee*+
1952 Georgia Tech
1957 Auburn*+
1958 LSU*+
1959 Ole Miss
1960 Ole Miss+
1961 Alabama*+
1962 Ole Miss
1964 Alabama*+
1965 Alabama*+
1967 Tennessee
1973 Alabama+
1978 Alabama*+
1979 Alabama*+
1980 Georgia*+
1992 Alabama*+
1996 Florida*+

*AP national champion
+ NCAA lists as national champion (possibly along with other teams)

3. BCS Era (Through 2013)

Jan. 4, 2004; New Orleans, LA, USA; Nick Saban lifts the BCS National Championship Trophy after the Tigers' 21-14 victory over Oklahoma in the Nokia Sugar Bowl. It was the first national title for the legendary head coach. / USA TODAY NETWORK

2003 LSU
2006 Florida
2007 LSU
2008 Florida
2009 Alabama
2010 Auburn
2011 Alabama
2012 Alabama

4. College Football Playoff (Since 2014)

Georgia coach Kirby Smart kisses the national championship trophy while celebrating after winning the College Football Playoff National Championship game in Indianapolis, on Monday, Jan. 10, 2022. / Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK

2015 Alabama
2017 Alabama
2019 LSU
2020 Alabama
2021 Georgia
2022 Georgia

Note: Prior to joining the SEC, Arkansas claims the 1964 title, and has one unclaimed title (1977); Texas A&M claims the 1919, 1927 and 1939 titles, but not the 1939 title awarded by the Associated Press; Oklahoma has seven claimed titles and 11 unclaimed; and Texas has four national titles along with five unclaimed.

Factor in the years before the conference was created in 1933, and SEC teams claim more than 50 national championships beginning with Georgia Tech in 1917. Coached by John Heisman, Tech (9-0) outscored opponents 494-17. However, the Yellow Jackets departed in 1964.

The SEC has had at least one team finish in the Top 10 every year since 1944. At the end of the 2024-25 season, the conference record had 13 teams participating in bowl games and the postseason.

SEC National Champions

Through Fall Sports, 2004-05 Academic Year

MEN (130)

Baseball (16): 1990 Georgia (52-19 record); 1991 LSU (55-18); 1993 LSU (53-17-1); 1996 LSU (52-15); 1997 LSU (57-13); 2000 LSU (52-17); 2009 LSU (56-17); 2010 South Carolina (54-16); 2011 South Carolina (55-14); 2014 Vanderbilt (51-21); 2017 Florida (52-19); 2019 Vanderbilt (59-12); 2021 Mississippi State (50-18); 2022 Ole Miss (42-23); 2023 LSU (54-17); 2024 Tennessee (22-8).

Basketball (12): 1948 Kentucky (36-3 record); 1949 Kentucky (32-2); 1951 Kentucky (32-2); 1958 Kentucky (23-6); 1978 Kentucky (30-2); 1994 Arkansas (31-3); 1996 Kentucky (34-2); 1998 Kentucky (35-4); 2006 Florida (33-6); 2007 Florida (35-5); 2012 Kentucky (38-2); 2025 Florida (36-4)

Boxing (1): 1949 LSU (20 points).

Cross Country (8): 1972 Tennessee (134 points); 1991 Arkansas (52); 1992 Arkansas (46); 1993 Arkansas (31); 1995 Arkansas (100); 1998 Arkansas (97); 1999 Arkansas (58); 2000 Arkansas (83).

Football (15): 1951 Tennessee (10-1); 1957 Auburn (10-0); 1958 LSU (11-0); 1960 Ole Miss (10-0-1); 1961 Alabama (11-0); 1964 Alabama (10-1); 1965 Alabama (9-1-1); 1973 Alabama (11-1); 1978 Alabama (11-1); 1979 Alabama (12-0); 1980 Georgia (12-0); 1992 Alabama (13-0); 1996 Florida (12-1); 1998 Tennessee (13-0); 2003 LSU (13-1); 2006 Florida (13-1); 2007 LSU (12-2); 2008 Florida (13-1); 2009 Alabama (14-0); 2010 Auburn (14-0); 2011 Alabama (12-1); 2012 Alabama (13-1); 2015 Alabama (14-1); 2017 Alabama (13-1); 2019 LSU (15-0); 2020 Alabama (13-0); 2021 Georgia (14-1); 2022 Georgia (15-0).

Golf (15): 1940 LSU; 1942 LSU; 1947 LSU; 1955 LSU; 1968 Florida; 1973 Florida; 1993 Florida; 1999 Georgia; 2001 Florida; 2005 Georgia; 2013 Alabama; 2014 Alabama; 2015 LSU; 2023 Florida; 2024 Auburn.

Swimming and Diving (12): 1978 Tennessee; 1983 Florida; 1984 Florida; 1997 Auburn; 1999 Auburn; 2003 Auburn; 2004 Auburn; 2005 Auburn; 2006 Auburn; 2007 Auburn; 2009 Auburn; 2025 Texas.

Tennis (8): 1959 Tulane; 1985 Georgia; 1987 Georgia; 1999 Georgia; 2001 Georgia; 2007 Georgia; 2008 Georgia; 2021 Florida

Indoor Track and Field (20): 1992 Arkansas; 1993 Arkansas; 1994 Arkansas; 1995 Arkansas; 1997 Arkansas; 1998 Arkansas; 1999 Arkansas; 2000 Arkansas; 2001 LSU; 2002 Tennessee; 2003 Arkansas: 2004 LSU; 2005 Arkansas; 2016 Arkansas; 2010 Florida; 2011 Florida; 2012 Florida; 2013 Arkansas; 2017 Texas A&M; 2018 Florida.

Outdoor Track and Field (23): 1933 LSU; 1975 Tennessee; 1989 LSU; 1990 LSU; 1991 Tennessee; 1992 Arkansas; 1993 Arkansas; 1994 Arkansas; 1995 Arkansas; 1996 Arkansas; 1997 Arkansas; 1998 Arkansas; 1999 Arkansas; 2001 Tennessee; 2002 LSU; 2003 Arkansas; 2012 Florida; 2013 Florida/Texas A&M; 2016 Florida; 2017 Florida; 2018 Georgia; 2022 Florida; 2023 Florida; 2024 Florida. Arkansas won, but later vacated the 2004 and 2005 titles

WOMEN (111)

Basketball (12): 1987 Tennessee (28-6); 1989 Tennessee (35-2); 1991 Tennessee (30-5); 1996 Tennessee (32-4); 1997 Tennessee (29-10); 1998 Tennessee (39-0); 2007 Tennessee (34-3); 2008 Tennessee (36-2); 2017 South Carolina (33-4); 2022 South Carolina (35-2); 2023 LSU (34-2); 2024 South Carolina (38-0).

Cross County (2): 1988 Kentucky; 2019 Arkansas

Golf (5): 1985 Florida; 1986 Florida; 2001 Georgia; 2012 Alabama; 2021 Ole MIss

Gymnastics (22): 1987 Georgia; 1988 Alabama; 1989 Georgia; 1991 Alabama; 1993 Georgia; 1996 Alabama; 1998 Georgia; 1999 Georgia; 2002 Alabama; 2005 Georgia; 2006 Georgia; 2007 Georgia; 2008 Georgia; 2009 Georgia; 2011 Alabama; 2012 Alabama; 2013 Florida; 2014 Florida (tie); 2015 Florida; 2024 LSU; 2025 Oklahoma.

Soccer (1): 1998 Florida (26-1).

Softball (3): Alabama 2012, Florida 2014, Florida 2015

Swimming and Diving (15): 1979 Florida; 1982 Florida; 1999 Georgia; 2000 Georgia; 2001 Georgia; 2002 Auburn; 2003 Auburn; 2004 Auburn; 2005 Georgia, 2006 Auburn; 2007 Auburn; 2010 Florida; 2013 Georgia; 2014 Georgia; 2016 Georgia.

Tennis (11): 1992 Florida; 1994 Georgia; 1996 Florida; 1998 Florida; 2000 Georgia; 2003 Florida; 2011 Florida; 2012 Florida; 2015 Vanderbilt; 2017 Florida; 2024 Texas A&M

Indoor Track and Field (20): 1987 LSU; 1989 LSU; 1991 LSU; 1992 Florida; 1993 LSU; 1994 LSU; 1995 LSU; 1996 LSU; 1997 LSU; 2002 LSU; 2003 LSU; 2004 LSU; 2005 Tennessee; 2009 Tennessee; 2015 Arkansas; 2018 Georgia; 2019 Arkansas; 2021 Arkanas; 2022 Florida; 2023 Arkansas; 2024 Arkansas

Outdoor Track and Field (19): 1987 LSU; 1988 LSU; 1989 LSU; 1990 LSU; 1991 LSU; 1992 LSU; 1993 LSU; 1994; 1995 LSU; 1996 LSU; 1997 LSU; 2000 LSU; 2002 South Carolina; 2003 LSU; 2006 Auburn; 2008 LSU; 2014 Texas A&M; 2019 Arkansas; 2022 Florda; 2024 Arkansas. LSU won, but later vacated the 2012 title.

Volleyball (1): Kentucky 2020

Note: Vanderbilt won 2007, 2018 and 2023 titles in women's bowling. Kentucky won 2011, 2018, 2021 and 2022 titles in women's rifle. The SEC does not sponsor these sports.

The NCAA does not sanction a championship for equestrian, but the SEC did start sponsoring the women's sport in 2012-13. National titles since then: Auburn 2013, 2016, 2018 and 2019; Georgia 2014 and 2021; South Carolina 2015; Texas &M 2017.

This is the second part of an extended series about the history of SEC football. Some of the material was used in the book "Where Football is King," by Christopher Walsh

See Also: Passion, Tradition and Pride: Why the SEC says 'It Just Means More'

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