# 2008 Southeastern Conference football season

The 2008 Southeastern Conference football season was the 76th season of Southeastern Conference (SEC) football, taking place during the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The season began on September 13, 2008 and ended with the 2008 SEC Championship Game on December 6, 2008.

## Rankings

| | | (Pre) | Sept. 3 | Sept. 10 | Sept. 17 | Sept. 24 | Oct. 1 | Oct. 8 |
| Alabama | AP | 24 | | | | | | |
| Alabama | C | | | | | | | |
| Alabama | BCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released |
| Arkansas | AP | | | | | | | |
| Arkansas | C | | | | | | | |
| Arkansas | BCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released |
| Auburn | AP | 10 | | | | | | |
| Auburn | C | 11 | | | | | | |
| Auburn | BCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released |
| Florida | AP | 5 | | | | | | |
| Florida | C | 5 | | | | | | |
| Florida | BCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released |
| Georgia | AP | 1 | | | | | | |
| Georgia | C | 1 | | | | | | |
| Georgia | BCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released |
| Kentucky | AP | | | | | | | |
| Kentucky | C | | | | | | | |
| Kentucky | BCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released |
| LSU | AP | 7 | | | | | | |
| LSU | C | 6 | | | | | | |
| LSU | BCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released |
| Mississippi State | AP | | | | | | | |
| Mississippi State | C | | | | | | | |
| Mississippi State | BCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released |
| Ole Miss | AP | | | | | | | |
| Ole Miss | C | | | | | | | |
| Ole Miss | BCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released |
| South Carolina | AP | | | | | | | |
| South Carolina | C | | | | | | | |
| South Carolina | BCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released |
| Tennessee | AP | 18 | | | | | | |
| Tennessee | C | 18 | | | | | | |
| Tennessee | BCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released |
| Vanderbilt | AP | | | | | | | |
| Vanderbilt | C | | | | | | | |
| Vanderbilt | BCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released |

## Head coaches

| School | Coach | Year |
| Alabama | Nick Saban | 2nd |
| Arkansas | Bobby Petrino | 1st |
| Auburn | Tommy Tuberville | 10th |
| Florida | Urban Meyer | 4th |
| Georgia | Mark Richt | 8th |
| Kentucky | Rich Brooks | 6th |
| LSU | Les Miles | 4th |
| Mississippi State | Sylvester Croom | 5th |
| Ole Miss | Houston Nutt | 1st |
| South Carolina | Steve Spurrier | 4th |
| Tennessee | Phillip Fulmer | 16th |
| Vanderbilt | Bobby Johnson | 7th |

## Championship Game

| Date | Time | Visiting team | Home team | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | Ref. |
| December 6 | 4:00 p.m. | No. 1 Alabama | No. 2 Florida | Georgia Dome • Atlanta, GA | CBS | FLA 31-20 | 75,892 | |
| $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||

## Bowl games

SEC Bowl Games :
| Game | Date | Location/Time* | Television | Winner$^+$ | Score | Loser$^+$ | Score | Attendance | Payout |
| Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl | December 31, 2008 | LP Field Nashville, Tennessee 2:30 p.m. | ESPN | Vanderbilt | 16 | Boston College | 14 | 54,250 | $1,700,000 |
| Chick-fil-A Bowl | December 31, 2008 | Georgia Dome Atlanta, Georgia 6:30 p.m. | ESPN | LSU | 38 | Georgia Tech (#14) | 3 | 71,423 | $3,000,000 |
| Outback Bowl | January 1, 2009 | Raymond James Stadium Tampa, Florida 10:00 a.m. | ESPN | Iowa | 31 | South Carolina | 10 | 55,117 | $3,200,000 |
| Capital One Bowl | January 1, 2009 | Citrus Bowl Orlando, Florida 12:00 p.m. | ABC | Georgia (#16) | 24 | Michigan State (#19) | 12 | 59,681 | $4,250,000 |
| AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic | January 2, 2009 | Cotton Bowl Dallas, Texas 1:00 p.m. | FOX | Ole Miss (#20) | 47 | Texas Tech (#8) | 34 | 88,175 | $3,000,000 |
| Autozone Liberty Bowl | January 2, 2009 | Liberty Bowl Memphis, Tennessee 4:00 p.m. | ESPN | Kentucky | 25 | East Carolina | 19 | 56,125 | $1,800,000 |
| Allstate Sugar Bowl | January 2, 2009 | Louisiana Superdome New Orleans, Louisiana 7:00 p.m. | FOX | Utah (#7) | 31 | Alabama (#4) | 17 | 71,872 | $17,500,000 |
| FedEx BCS National Championship Game | January 8, 2009 | Dolphin Stadium Miami, Florida 7:00 p.m. | FOX | Florida (#1) | 24 | Oklahoma (#2) | 14 | 78,468 | $17,500,000 |
Rankings are from AP Poll. All times Central Time Zone.