Ranking every SEC Championship Game from Langham's pick to Tebow's tears

The SEC Championship Game was born on Dec. 5, 1992, when Alabama's Antonio Langham picked off Florida's Shane Matthews for the winning touchdown. On Saturday, the game will be played for the 25th time. Only 14 active bowls have survived as long as the SEC Championship Game.

The game has seen future NFL stars Peyton Manning, Cam Newton, Jamal Lewis, Shaun Alexander and countless others. Interestingly, in a conference known for defense, Florida's Ellis Johnson (1994) and LSU's Tyrann Mathieu (2011) are the only defensive players to win the game's MVP award.

If you're keeping score -- and who doesn't keep score in the SEC? -- Florida leads the way with seven titles and Alabama is just behind UF with six. With a win over the Gators on Saturday, the Crimson Tide can tie Florida for the most SEC Championship Game-era titles. Only Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, Kentucky and Texas A&M haven't played in the game. The Aggies joined the conference in 2012.

Careful betting on SEC Championship Game favorites, which have covered the spread 48 percent of the time. Some dud games have been played -- plenty of them. There have also been some drama, even off the field on the morning of the game. (Have a great day, Les Miles!)

Here's how I rank the first 24 years of the SEC Championship Game.

24. Auburn 56, South Carolina 17 (2010): Cam Newton threw for 335 yards and four touchdowns and Darvin Adams (championship game-record 217 yards) caught a Hail Mary touchdown before halftime for eventual national champion Auburn. The only drama in the most lopsided SEC title game ever was if CBS sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson would drink Newton's "Cammy Cam Juice." She did. "Not bad," Wolfson said. "A little sweet for my taste."

23. Georgia 30, Arkansas 3 (2002): Georgia won its first SEC championship in 20 years vs. a team that didn't really win the SEC West. Arkansas (5-3 SEC record) got the nod because Alabama (6-2) was on NCAA probation. Behind quarterback David Greene, the Bulldogs scored on their first five drives for a 23-0 halftime head.

22. Florida 34, Arkansas 3 (1995): The Gators breezed to their third of four straight SEC championships. Arkansas suffered a blow when Madre Hill, the SEC's third-leading rusher, injured his knee in the first quarter and didn't return. Danny Wuerffel threw for 276 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another.

21. Alabama 42, Missouri 13 (2014): The opening drive said it all: Alabama went 68 yards on 10 plays without ever getting to third down for a touchdown four minutes into the game. Blake Sims completed 23 of 27 passes for 262 yards, and Derrick Henry ran for 141 yards on 20 carries.

20. Alabama 29, Florida 15 (2015): The Crimson Tide only led 12-7 at halftime, but the Gators gained just 3 yards in the second and third quarters. Alabama became the first team since Tennessee in 1998 to win consecutive SEC titles. The Tide's Derrick Henry ran for 189 yards on 44 carries to cap his Heisman Trophy campaign.

19. Georgia 34, LSU 14 (2005): For the second time in four years, Mark Richt won the SEC. Georgia's D.J. Shockley threw touchdown passes of 45 and 29 yards to Sean Bailey in the first quarter. Bryan McClendon's blocked punt, with Georgia up 14-7 in the second quarter, set up another score in a convincing victory.

18. LSU 34, Georgia 13 (2003): Justin Vincent ran for 201 yards to become the first freshman MVP of the SEC Championship Game. Vincent's 87-yard touchdown in the first quarter remains the longest run in the game's history. LSU advanced to the Sugar Bowl, where it beat Oklahoma to earn a split national title with Southern California.

17. Florida 28, Auburn 6 (2000): Florida's defense held Auburn running back Rudi Johnson, the SEC Player of the Year, to 47 yards on 17 carries. Rex Grossman tossed two touchdown passes in the first quarter. The Gators led 21-3 at halftime in a comfortable win that marked the final SEC title for Steve Spurrier.

16. LSU 42, Georgia 10 (2011): No. 1 LSU -- not No. 2 Alabama -- had to play an extra game and put its BCS championship game hopes on the line. Georgia took a 10-0 lead and led at halftime. The lead could have been bigger if the Bulldogs didn't drop two touchdown passes. Tyrann Mathieu returned a punt 62 yards for a score and added a fumble recovery and another long punt return.

15. Alabama 34, Florida 7 (1999): Two plays to start the fourth quarter turned Alabama's 15-7 lead into a romp. Freddie Millons scored on a 77-yard run. Eighteen seconds later, Reggie Grimes scored on a 38-yard interception return. The 1990s ended with Florida and Alabama playing each other in six of the first eight SEC Championship Games. Steve Spurrier soon left Florida, Alabama went on NCAA probation and the teams didn't meet again until 2008.

14. Auburn 38, Tennessee 28 (2004): Auburn kept up its perfect season that stopped short of playing for the national title because USC and Oklahoma were also undefeated. Jason Campbell completed 27 of 35 passes for 374 yards (second most in SEC Championship Game history). Campbell's 43-yard score to Ben Obomanu midway through the fourth quarter put the game out of reach.

13. Florida 28, Alabama 13 (1993): The second and final SEC Championship Game at Birmingham's Legion Field didn't go to the "home" school this time. In a rematch of the inaugural game, Florida's Terry Dean threw for 256 yards and two touchdowns. The Gators led 14-13 in the fourth quarter when punter Shayne Edge ran for 20 yards on a fourth-and-8 fake punt. Alabama was only in the game because undefeated Auburn was on NCAA probation. Later, Alabama forfeited its 1993 wins because of NCAA violations.

12. Auburn 59, Missouri 42 (2013): In a silly game with no defense, Auburn averaged 8 yards per play and Missouri gained 7.5 yards. The teams combined for 101 points, shattering the previous SEC Championship Game record (75, 1996). Tre Mason ran for 304 yards and four touchdowns on 46 carries, all SEC Championship Game records. Auburn racked up 677 yards (545 on the ground) yet still led only 45-42 entering the fourth quarter.

11. Florida 45, Alabama 30 (1996): Danny Wuerffel threw for an SEC Championship Game-record 401 yards and six touchdowns against Alabama, which entered the game ranked sixth nationally in total defense. Reidel Anthony caught three touchdowns (still an SEC Championship Game record) on 11 catches for 171 yards. The Gators advanced to the Sugar Bowl and won their first national title.

10. Florida 38, Arkansas 28 (2006): If not for a muffed punt, the SEC's run of seven straight national titles might not have started in 2006. With Florida trailing 21-17 late in the third quarter, Arkansas' Reggie Fish fumbled a punt inside the Razorbacks' 5-yard line that Florida's Wondy Pierre-Louis recovered for a touchdown. Percy Harvin ran for 105 yards and had 62 receiving yards for the Gators, who advanced to beat Ohio State for the national title.

9. Alabama 32, Florida 13 (2009): This game gets ranked in the top 10 due to its historical significance. It paired No. 1 vs. No. 2 for the second straight year as a BCS championship game play-in, cemented Mark Ingram becoming Alabama's first Heisman Trophy winner, drew a ridiculously high 11.8 TV rating and passed the SEC crown from Urban Meyer to Nick Saban. But the actual game was a dud after halftime. Alabama dominated, leaving Tim Tebow in tears and Meyer in the hospital.

8. Tennessee 24, Mississippi State 14 (1998): Trailing 14-10 midway through the fourth quarter, Tennessee scored two late touchdowns to stay undefeated on its way to the first BCS national championship. Mississippi State went ahead 14-10 on an 83-yard punt return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. The Vols went ahead for good on Tee Martin's 41-yard touchdown pass to Peerless Price with 6:15 left.

7. Tennessee 30, Auburn 29 (1997): Peyton Manning's only SEC Championship Game appearance resulted in a tight win. Manning threw a 73-yard touchdown to Marcus Nash early in the fourth quarter for the winning score. Auburn led 20-7 in the first half but couldn't slow Manning, who threw for 373 yards (third most in SEC Championship Game history) and four touchdowns (tied for second).

6. LSU 31, Tennessee 20 (2001): Without its starting quarterback and running back, LSU shocked Tennessee and knocked the Vols out of playing for the BCS championship. Rohan Davey got hurt in the first half and LSU trailed 17-16 entering the fourth quarter. Backup Matt Mauck, a 22-year-old freshman who played four years of minor league baseball, directed two fourth-quarter touchdown drives. Tennessee's Casey Clausen threw for 332 yards, but LSU won despite its 40-percent completion rate and 151 passing yards.

5. Florida 24, Alabama 23 (1994): The first SEC Championship Game in Atlanta remains one of only two title games decided by one point. Danny Wuerffel threw a 2-yard touchdown with 5:19 left for the winning score, capping a 10-play, 80-yard drive. The Gators forced an interception on Alabama's last drive to secure the win. The game was seen by more than 30 million viewers and marked ABC's most-watched college football game since 1991.

4. LSU 21, Tennessee 14 (2007): The day started with Les Miles holding a bizarre pregame news conference to deny a report by Kirk Herbstreit that Miles would become Michigan's coach. "Have a great day!" Miles famously said to conclude his brief remarks. The day ended with upsets nationally and two-loss LSU stunningly in position to play for the BCS championship. In between those major events, LSU quarterback Ryan Perrilloux threw for 243 yards in place of injured starter Matt Flynn, and Jonathan Zenon won the game with an 18-yard interception for a touchdown with 9:54 left in the fourth quarter.

3. Florida 31, Alabama 20 (2008): The final score doesn't do this one justice. Urban Meyer vs. Nick Saban became the first SEC game ever pairing No. 1 vs. No. 2 teams. Florida needed two fourth-quarter touchdowns to erase a 20-17 deficit. The Gators took the lead for good with 9:21 left on Jeff Demps' 1-yard touchdown run. Tim Tebow threw for 216 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 57 yards. Florida went on to win Meyer's second national title in three years. Alabama used the loss as motivation to start Saban's championship dynasty in 2009.

2. Alabama 28, Florida 21 (1992): Appropriately enough in the defensive-minded SEC, the first SEC Championship Game was decided by defense. Alabama's Antonio Langham scored on a 27-yard interception return with 3:16 remaining to break a 21-21 tie at Legion Field in Birmingham. The play secured Alabama's spot at the Sugar Bowl, where the Crimson Tide won the national championship by routing No. 1 Miami. The first Division I-A championship game nearly went to overtime. In 25 years, the SEC Championship Game has yet to need an extra session.

1. Alabama 32, Georgia 28 (2012): Good luck finding many better games anywhere. This back-and-forth classic between No. 2 Alabama and No. 3 Georgia determined a spot in the BCS championship game. There were future NFL stars (Todd Gurley, Amari Cooper and Eddie Lacy). There was controversy (Quinton Dial's hit to the head of Aaron Murray ridiculously didn't draw a flag). And there was late-game drama. Murray's tipped pass with 15 seconds left was caught by Chris Conley at the 5-yard line, but the clock expired. Mark Richt was 5 yards away from playing -- and likely beating -- Notre Dame for the national championship. Instead, Richt got fired three years later. That's life in the SEC.