The 2016 SEC Championship Game was played on Saturday, December 3, 2016 in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia, and determined the 2016 football champion of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The game was played between the Eastern Division champion, Gators, and Western Division champion Alabama. The Eastern Division team was the designated home team, and the game was broadcast nationally by CBS for the 16th consecutive year. This was the final SEC Championship Game in the Georgia Dome, which was demolished on November 20, 2017 after its successor, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, opened on August 26 of the same year. The title game will move to the new stadium and will remain there through at least 2027.

Based on this passage, who did alabama play in the sec championship in 2016? Let's give stream of consciousness first:
The relevant sentence in the passage is: The game was played between the Eastern Division champion, Gators, and Western Division champion Alabama.
So, the final answer is the Eastern Division champion , Gators.