LSU annually faces off against some of the toughest and most physical opponents in the SEC West, but according to former Tiger great Jacob Hester, the team that brings out the best in his alma mater hails from Gainesville.

It’s Hester’s believe that Florida is LSU’s biggest rival, not Alabama, Auburn or Ole Miss. Hester doesn’t seem to be swayed by recency bias following last season’s epic game, either, as he has felt this way since his playing days.

In a recent video interview with Glenn Guilbeau of The Daily Advertiser, Hester was asked about his memories from LSU’s 28-24 win over Florida ten years ago during the Tigers run to the national championship. Despite nearly a decade passing since that time, Hester still smiles when thinking back to the game.

“It still gives me chills thinking about that game,” Hester said. “I know that sounds cliche but it honestly does. When you start talking about a team able to go 5-for-5 on fourth downs, against a team like Florida who had just won a national championship the year before, it was the height of Tebow time — he was the face of college football at that time. Just everything that surrounding that game.”

Hester then went a step further, declaring Florida to be LSU’s biggest rival — dating all the way back to that game.

“To me, I still say it to this day, Florida is LSU’s biggest rival, in my opinion,” Hester said. “It’s always a battle, both teams are always in the hunt and when those two teams get together, it seems like something magical always happens.

“Look at that game you talked about, Kevin Faulk in ’96 (in 1996 LSU lost to Florida but Faulk helped the Tigers beat the Gators in 1997), Colby Delahoussaye a couple of years ago (he kicked a game-winning 50-yard field goal in 2014). It just seems like that always happens in that game and it still gives me goosebumps thinking about it.”