The day has finally come. At long last, the rest of the nation’s cries have been answered: the SEC will play nine conference games, beginning in 2026—and the first batch of permanent opponents for each program has been revealed.
It now seems prudent to take a look at which of the most historic SEC games are here to stay—at least for the next four years until the conference again reviews each school’s guaranteed matchups. On the other hand, we have to say goodbye to some of college football’s most tried and true rivalries, as the league couldn’t keep every clash on the calendar.
Let’s take a look at the top 10 annual rivalries still intact, along with the five biggest matchups the SEC left behind:
Pour One Out for These Five SEC Rivalries LSU Tigers vs. Alabama Crimson Tide
Whether you refer to it as the “First Saturday in November” or “The Saban Bowl,” this is the biggest casualty of the bunch. The two schools have met as ranked teams 31 times in the 61 annual meetings since 1964, with seven top-five matchups and a BCS championship among those contests. With Saban now off the sideline and on the desk, the end of this classic seems almost fitting—but not any easier to swallow.
Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Georgia Bulldogs
This rivalry may not have nearly the deep-rooted tradition as some of the others on this list, but the recent all-timers make this matchup worthy of mourning. Highlighted by Tua Tagovailoa’s second half for the ages in the 2017 season’s national championship, high-stakes meetings have been a regular occurrence for these two programs, who met again in the 2018 and 2021 SEC championship games before Georgia got revenge in the ’21 title game.
Florida Gators vs. Tennessee Volunteers
Bobby Dodd, Steve Spurrier, Phil Fulmer, Lane Kiffin and Urban Meyer are just a few of the coaching greats to define the glory days of this rivalry. This is the first of two matchups the Vols lose by simply not having enough space to accommodate every other program that might fancy itself one of their main rivals.
Georgia Bulldogs vs. Tennessee Volunteers
This year’s edition delivered one of the best games of the opening weeks as Georgia stormed back to win by a field goal in overtime. Tennessee fans probably shouldn’t be too upset about leaving this game in the past; the Vols have lost nine straight to the Dawgs and 14 of the last 16.
Florida Gators vs. LSU Tigers
This matchup embodies the sort of shenanigans that we love about college football. Two different hurricane delays, a nearly botched fake field goal that LSU needed the perfect bounce off the turf to convert and Marco Wilson’s shoe throw heard round the world are just a few of the examples of what we’ll be losing by not having this game every year.
Long Live These 10 SEC Rivalries 10. Ole Miss Rebels vs. LSU Tigers
Aptly referred to as the Magnolia Bowl, a nod to the state flower in both Louisiana and Mississippi, this is each school’s second most played rivalry. With the game scheduled for this Saturday, both teams ranked in the top 13 and personalities like Lane Kiffin and Brian Kelly still involved, it’s a delight to keep this on the annual docket—even if it might not be known as one of the fiercest of the bunch.
9. Tennessee Volunteers vs. Vanderbilt Commodores
The rivalry week game between the SEC’s two Volunteer State programs may not be the most historically competitive, with Tennessee having lost just six times since 1983, but Vanderbilt’s recent rise suggests there’s hope for this game moving forward. Should that be the case, expect to find of goalposts ending up either the Cumberland or Tennessee rivers.
8. Kentucky Wildcats vs. Tennessee Volunteers
A game that used to be played for a beer barrel trophy between these two neighboring-state schools still comes with plenty of friction despite Tennessee’s dominance (highlighted by 26 straight wins from 1985 to 2010). A handful of Vols once “keg-napped” the barrel in 1953 only for Wildcats students to “dog-nap” Tennessee mascot Smokey II in ’55—the sort of hijinks every great rivalry should have.
7. Texas Longhorns vs. Texas A&M Aggies
A rare instance where realignment actually helped reunite these two schools that are just over 100 miles apart. The Lone Star Showdown was the third-longest rivalry in college football history when it went on hiatus in 2011, but as of ’24 is back and seems here to stay. Considering the “Aggie War Hymn” doesn’t reference a single other school except the orange and white of “Texas University,” this is the sort of hatred between programs that runs as deep as can be.
6. Auburn Tigers vs. Georgia Bulldogs
Dating back to 1892, the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry will live on after the SEC’s announcement. Fans today may have largely forgotten about the time Georgia patrons rushed the field at Jordan-Hare Stadium and started ripping up the opposing team’s grass, leading Auburn to turn on the sprinklers and douse the rowdy visiting fans. However, Nick Marshall’s 73-yard game-winning pass to Ricardo Louis in 2013, known as the “the Prayer at Jordan-Hare,” is an excellent example of what to expect when these two powers meet annually going forward.
5. Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Tennessee Volunteers
Some dates are sacred and the Third Saturday in October is an annual reminder of the animosity between the Crimson Tide and the Volunteers. O.K., sure, the two schools haven’t played on that date as frequently since 1992, but the name stuck and the tradition is as strong as ever. Alabama’s victory cigars are a rich part of that history, especially since the Tide have won 16 of the past 18 meetings.
4. Florida Gators vs. Georgia Bulldogs
The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party is exactly that—a celebration of football and perhaps more importantly, all of the fanfare that comes with it. Apart from the occasional one-off, the game has been held in Jacksonville since 1933, which at first glance would make you fearful of losing the campus atmosphere that defines college football. Fret not; Gators and Bulldogs travel from all across the South for this game every year for one big soirée.
3. Mississippi State Bulldogs vs. Ole Miss Rebels
The Egg Bowl marks the start of three games that would surely not be touched by the conference for fear of fans storming the league offices in Birmingham. There’s been a number of great moments between the Magnolia state rivals, including the iconic “Immaculate Deflection” in 1983, when Mississippi State’s chip-shot field goal attempt for the win was railroaded by a gust of wind and Ole Miss held on. More recently, a brawl in 2018 and Elijah Moore’s infamous urinating dog celebration in ’19 come to mind.
2. Oklahoma Sooners vs. Texas Longhorns
Another one of college football’s best neutral-site games comes from the Big 12, but thankfully has been conserved by the SEC. Played at the historic Cotton Bowl, the Red River Rivalry has had every sort of shootout imaginable in early October. Perhaps the best nugget on the rivalry given the recent shadow of the Connor Stalions saga: In 1976, Texas coach Darrell Royal challenged Oklahoma’s Barry Switzer to take a lie detector test after accusing him of spying on the Longhorns. Switzer scoffed at the idea—but Royal was right to be skeptical. The Sooners had spied on Texas practices four years earlier when Chuck Fairbanks was at the helm in Norman, Okla.
1. Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Auburn Tigers
Not that there was any doubt of this game going out of style, but one of the sport’s best rivalries will continue under the new agreement. The Iron Bowl, pitting together the best of the best in Alabama for an end-of-season showdown, has delivered some of the most iconic college football moments. From “The Kick” in 1985 to “The Camback” in 2010 to the never-to-be-forgotten “Kick Six” in 2013, this series has had everything. Here’s to many more Iron Bowls—and the preservation of as many of the game’s great rivalries as possible.
