2002 SEC Championship Game

The 2002 SEC Championship Game was won by the Georgia Bulldogs 30–3 over the Arkansas Razorbacks. The game was played in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia on December 7, 2002 and was televised to a national audience on CBS.

For the SEC men's basketball championship, see 2002 SEC men's basketball tournament.

2002 SEC Championship Game
Conference Championship
2002 SEC Championship logo.
Arkansas Razorbacks Georgia Bulldogs
(9–3) (11–1)
3 30
Head coach: 
Houston Nutt		 Head coach: 
Mark Richt
APCoachesBCS
2222NR
APCoachesBCS
443
1234 Total
Arkansas 0030 3
Georgia 17067 30
DateDecember 7, 2002
Season2002
StadiumGeorgia Dome
LocationAtlanta, Georgia
MVPRB Musa Smith, Georgia
FavoriteGeorgia by 8[1]
RefereePenn Wagers
Attendance74,913
United States TV coverage
NetworkCBS
AnnouncersVerne Lundquist play-by-play
Todd Blackledge color
Jill Arrington sideline
2002 Southeastern Conference football standings
ConfOverall
Team W L  W L 
Eastern Division
No. 3 Georgia x$  7 –1   13 –1  
Florida  6 –2   8 –5  
Tennessee  5 –3   8 –5  
Kentucky  3 –5   7 –5  
South Carolina  3 –5   5 –7  
Vanderbilt  0 –8   2 –10  
Western Division
No. 11 Alabama  6 –2   10 –3  
Arkansas xy  5 –3   9 –5  
No. 14 Auburn x  5 –3   9 –4  
LSU x  5 –3   8 –5  
Ole Miss  3 –5   7 –6  
Mississippi State  0 –8   3 –9  
Championship: Georgia 30, Arkansas 3
  • $ – BCS representative as conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
  • Alabama had the best division record, but did not participate in postseason play due to NCAA probation.
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2002 championship game was unusual in the fact that team in first place in the Western Division did not play in the game. The Alabama Crimson Tide finished with the best SEC record in the Western Division, but could not participate in the conference championship game due to an NCAA probation stipulation which banned the team from any post season play. Instead, the Arkansas Razorbacks who finished in a three way tie for second represented the Western Division after winning the tie breaker over Auburn and LSU. This was not the first time the SEC West leader was excluded from the game. Auburn also finished atop the West in 1993, but was banned from post season play as well by NCAA probation.

References
  1. "SEC Championship History". Retrieved November 27, 2012.


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