SEC reportedly eliminates multiple annual rivalry games with new permanent opponent designations
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We knew sacrifices would have to be made once the SEC adopted its new 9-game conference schedules. On3’s Chris Low reported 3 permanent opponents for every SEC team on Monday morning, giving us an idea of which iconic contests would remain year-round.
Unsurprisingly, we’re losing some big games. According to Low’s report, Alabama and LSU will no longer play on an annual basis. The same can be said for Florida-Tennessee, Texas A&M-Arkansas and Missouri-South Carolina.
As you can see, some pretty big heavyweights will not face one another every season anymore. The biggest loss for college football fans as a whole is probably LSU-Alabama, who have delivered some classics over the years. The Tigers and Crimson Tide have done battle for more than 60 consecutive years.
Putting the Tigers on the Crimson Tide’s schedule would have maintained 3 incredible rivalries, but also could have put them at a competitive disadvantage compared to some of the SEC’s other schools.
While Alabama-LSU, Florida-Tennessee and others aren’t annual affairs anymore, the teams will still occasionally battle on the gridiron. The SEC’s new model is set up so every school will host every other SEC program at least once in a 4-year period. These “permanent opponent pairings” will also be reevaluated at the conclusion of each 4-season stretch.
The SEC will officially announce permanent opponents on Tuesday night.
