Does Alabama even want to play in final SEC championship game?

Alabama football has made a home in the SEC championship game, ever since winning the very first one back in 1992 at Legion Field. The Crimson Tide has one final chance to make the game this season, with a real shot to make the Atlanta trip should it beat Vanderbilt and Auburn to close out its conference slate.The conference championship game will be no more after this season, the SEC announced Monday as the College Football Playoff expanded to 24 teams. The game was already under duress, as some coaches felt they were better off not playing for a league title and would rather heal up for a week before the CFP.Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer was asked about that line of thinking on Monday, after the SEC’s announcement.“I mean, I totally understand where you’re coming from,” DeBoer said. “Experienced it last year. I think every season it’s going to be how that team is, and if you win it, you do get a longer break. If you don’t, I know last year at least that’s how it was for us. That quick turnaround is a little tougher, so you’re going to risk losing some guys the more snaps you play.”Kane Wommack on viral sideline moment with Kalen DeBoer: ‘Time for me to get my butt off the field’‘No media line bulls---,’ Ryan Grubb knows Alabama’s run game needs fixingKeelon Russell ‘day-to-day’ heading into Vanderbilt gameAlabama injury news: Latest updates on Zabien Brown, William Sanders before Vanderbilt gameKalen DeBoer, Alabama coaches talk Keelon Russell health, expanded CFP, VanderbiltAlabama played in last season’s conference title game, running into a Georgia-shaped buzzsaw. The Crimson Tide lost that game 28-7, and narrowly made the CFP field afterward, having to travel to Oklahoma for a first-round game the next weekend.Even with the negative experience last year, DeBoer can’t be counted among those who want to avoid the game.“As competitive people, and here at Alabama, we want to win that game,” DeBoer said. “Want to be in that game, first of all, and want to win that game. It’s always going to be a part of it, but obviously, you’re setting yourself up for the bigger picture too. So we’re going to play as hard as we can right now, and we want to be in that game because that’s what the schedule, what the goals are. But obviously there’s going to be a different take when you get into the 24-team playoff and kind of what the purpose is and the end goal.”The Crimson Tide has appeared in 16 SEC title games, winning 11. Its most recent conference championship win came in 2023, Nick Saban’s final season in charge.Alabama, which will need some tiebreakers to fall its way in order to make the SEC championship game, will face Vanderbilt Saturday in Nashville. The game is set to kick off at 11:45 a.m. CT and will air on the SEC Network.Matt Stahl covers University of Alabama sports for AL.com. He joined AL.com in July of 2023. He previously covered University of Missouri athletics for the Columbia Daily Tribune and started his career covering...