Vince Dooley knows a thing or two about winning championships, and he suspected early on that this was going to be a special season for Georgia. Even when the Bulldogs struggled to beat Clemson and South Carolina in the first two games, Dooley was encouraged. "This team had the intangibles that it takes to be a champion," Georgia's athletic director said. "They were unified, they played hard and they grew and developed as a team." On Saturday night, Dooley's prophesy became reality: The fourth-ranked Bulldogs routed Arkansas 30-3 to win their first Southeastern Conference championship since 1982 and earn a spot in the Sugar Bowl against Florida State. Dooley was coaching the team 20 years ago, winning the last of his six SEC titles with a running back named Herschel Walker. No one suspected it would take so long for Georgia to get back to the top, and no one believes it will take that long again. "This is the start of something special," senior offensive tackle Jon Stinchcomb said. "I don't think this will be a once-every-20-years occurrence. It's going to be perennial." The Bulldogs gave a championship performance at the Georgia Dome, scoring on their first five possessions for a 23-0 halftime lead. The rout was even more impressive since it came after top-ranked Miami defeated Virginia Tech earlier in the day, ending Georgia's hopes of playing for the national title. The Hurricanes will meet No. 2 Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl. The Bulldogs wound up third in the Bowl Championship Series standings -- and don't mind a bit. "We came out to win the SEC championship," Stinchcomb said. "That was our goal all along. The way we came out and played showed how much we wanted it, too." Georgia (12-1) didn't have the look of a champion when the season started. The Bulldogs needed a gutsy fourth-down call from coach Mark Richt to seal a 31-28 victory over Clemson. They slipped by South Carolina 13-7 without benefit of an offensive touchdown. Georgia won three other games that were decided by six points or less, clinching the SEC East when David Greene threw a fourth-down, 19-yard touchdown pass to Michael Johnson with 1:25 remaining to beat Auburn 24-21. There hasn't been much drama since that victory. The Bulldogs crushed Georgia Tech 51-7 -- the school's biggest victory ever over its state rival -- and wasted no time putting away No. 25 Arkansas (9-4). Playing just 75 miles from campus and before a raucous, predominantly Bulldog crowd, Georgia blocked a punt three minutes into the game to set up its first touchdown. The rout was on. Just about everyone who played a big role during the season had a hand in win No. 12. David Greene threw for 237 yards and a touchdown. Musa Smith rushed for 106 yards and two scores. Terrence Edwards caught seven passes for 92 yards, becoming the SEC's career leader in receiving yards. Billy Bennett kicked three field goals. Boss Bailey, David Pollack and Johnathan Sullivan each had a sack. Arkansas, which led the SEC in rushing with an average of 243 yards per game, trailed 17-0 before picking up its initial first down. The Razorbacks finished with just 65 yards on the ground - equaling their worst performance of the season. "They have got a good team with very few weaknesses, if any," Arkansas coach Houston Nutt said. "Their defense is outstanding and they block exceptionally well." That was especially apparent on Smith's second touchdown, a 17-yard run. The blocking was so complete that no one from Arkansas even got a hand on the running back as he glided around right end. Defensively, Georgia stacked the line and made sure the Razorbacks never got their running game on track. Fred Talley, a 1,000-yard rusher, was held to 51 yards. Quarterback Matt Jones gained just 12 yards on nine carries. "We knew they didn't pass the ball," defensive tackle Ken Veal said. "We worked on the run all week long." The second half was nothing more than a coronation. The long-suffering Georgia fans whooped it up, chanting "S-E-C! S-E-C!" and "It's great ... to be ... a Georgia Bulldog!" Richt was able to clear the bench, giving everyone a chance to savor the moment. The players had plenty of time to set up their coach for a Gatorade bath, finally getting him with just under two minutes to go. Afterward, the team lingered on the field for nearly 20 minutes, donning championship hats and slapping hands with the crowd. Johnson grabbed a sign bearing the SEC logo and hauled it from one end of the stadium to the other. Twenty years was long enough. "This group was so hungry," Dooley said. "There's nothing like being hungry." Sat, Aug 31 Clemson Athens, GA 31 - 28 (W) Sat, Sep 14 South Carolina at Columbia, S.C. 13 - 7 (W) Sat, Sep 21 Northwestern St Athens, Ga. 45 - 7 (W) Sat, Sep 28 New Mexico St Athens, Ga. 41 - 10 (W) Sat, Oct 05 Alabama at Tuscaloosa, Ala. 27 - 25 (W) Sat, Oct 12 Tennessee Athens, Ga. 18 - 13 (W) Sat, Oct 19 Vanderbilt Athens, Ga. 48 - 17 (W) Sat, Oct 26 Kentucky at Lexington, Ky. 52 - 24 (W) Sat, Nov 02 Florida at Jacksonville 13 - 20 (L) Sat, Nov 09 Mississippi Athens, Ga. 31 - 17 (W) Sat, Nov 16 Auburn at Auburn, Ala. 24 - 21 (W) Sat, Nov 30 Georgia Tech Athens, 51 - 7 (W) Sat, Dec 07 Arkansas (SEC Championship) 30 - 3 (W) Wed, Jan 01 Florida State (Sugar Bowl) 26 - 13 (W) opened, non-defective CDs and DVDs are non-refundable