These two traditional powers—Alabama and Georgia—will play for the first time in the SEC Championship Game and for only the fifth time overall since 1995. The stakes couldn’t be higher: The winner will play Notre Dame for the BCS National Championship and the loser likely will be squeezed out of the BCS mix.

This week will mark the final chance for award contenders to make their final pitches to voters across the country.

Heisman contenders Johnny Manziel, Manti Te’o and Braxton Miller have finished their seasons, so Collin Klein will have the opportunity to make the final statement. And he’s not just vying for the Heisman.

SEC 2012 Season Recap and Awards

Just as the Heisman race is becoming more cloudy, the field for other national awards is starting to become more clear. The finalists for the Davey O’Brien, Doak Walker, Biletnikoff, Lombardi, Nagurski and more were announced earlier this week.

Johnny Manziel, Collin Klein, Manti Te'o, Braxton Miller remain in contention for the Heisman, so it's no surprise they're showing up among the finalists for positional awards. We’ll name our picks for the awards, plus the key snubs, here.

There isn’t a ton of drama remaining in the regular season. Assuming Alabama beats Auburn — and Nick Saban’s team is favored by over four touchdowns — the SEC Championship Game is set: Georgia vs. Bama. Two teams are fighting for bowl-eligibility; Ole Miss must defeat Mississippi State and Missouri needs a win at Texas A&M to reach the six-win mark.

Pep bands, cheerleaders, tailgating, student sections, cornhole and especially rivalries. All of which makes college football the greatest sport on the planet. The Athlon Sports editorial staff put its collective heads together and ranked the Top 25 rivalries in college football:

There were no changes in the power rankings, but it was still a huge weekend for the SEC. Thanks to losses by both Kansas State and Oregon, the winner of the SEC title game between Alabama and Georgia will be in position to play for the national championship. Also of note, Vanderbilt beat Tennessee in Nashville for the first time in 30 years.

A chance to coach college football at the top level of the game for a living should make any man on the sideline to be thankful.

Some should be more thankful than others this year, though, to be coaching major college football this season.

It’s been a long road back, but Notre Dame has risen to the top of the Legends Poll for the first time ever.

And the top-ranked Irish are one win away from their first ever trip to the BCS championship game.

The BCS endured its biggest shakeup at this stage of the season in five years, but the championship scenario ended up back where it always does: The SEC championship game.