The SEC Championship Game matches up the winner of the Eastern and Western divisions of the Southeastern Conference.

[citation needed] LSU was ranked as high as #1 in the country and was a favorite to play in the national title game, however those dreams were thought to have been shattered when the Tigers lost to unranked Arkansas in 3 overtime periods at home on the final game of the regular season.

Tennessee slipped in the polls, eventually losing twice more to Florida and Alabama, however, they finished the season strong, winning their last five games.

On Friday, November 30, news sources leaked that Nebraska had hired defensive coordinator Bo Pelini to be their new head coach.

Later on that day, Les Miles called a press conference to announce that he was would not be leaving LSU to coach Michigan.