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TV-ready rivalries often marked the best the SEC had to offer during the BCS era and during the decades predating the computer-based rankings.
During the BCS era, it seemed like every week the SEC slate was highlighted by a league clash pitting nationally-ranked teams, often reserved for the 3:30 afternoon time slot on CBS. Strength of schedule was never questioned — by the computers — at the end of the season and it’s part of the reason the SEC captured an unprecedented seven consecutive national titles from 2006-12.
The league won more national championships during the BCS era than the other four Power 5 conference members combined. Four rivalries on this list had a tremendous impact on the way the final BCS rankings played out and will continue to define each competitor’s season as we enter the second year of the College Football Playoff.
5. No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 20 Florida (1980) — One of the Bulldogs’ toughest games in the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party series came during their national title season in 1980 when the upset-minded and 20th-ranked Gators led by a point in the final seconds. Had it not been for Lindsay Scott’s memorable 93-yard catch and run for the score, Georgia’s dream season would’ve never materialized. The Bulldogs moved to No. 1 the following week and won their next three games behind Herschel Walker to finish 12-0. Later that fall, Florida became the first team in college football history to win a bowl game following a winless season.
4. No. 2 Florida vs. No. 6 Tennessee (1998) — The Gators won 7 out of 10 rivalry games against the Vols during the 1990s, but it was — without question — the Eastern Division’s most intense battle annually with eight of those contests featuring two teams ranked in the Top 10. In the 1998 game, Tennessee snapped Florida’s five-game winning streak in the series with a nailbiting 20-17 win in Knoxville and would go on to win the national championship, defeating Florida State in the Fiesta Bowl. The Vols have beaten the Gators only three times since.
3. No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Auburn (2013) — The Iron Bowl may be ranked too low as the SEC’s best overall rivalry, but recapping the last decade of games, the average margin of victory has been 16 points per contest. A few haven’t been entertaining to watch in the least, but the ones that have were among the league’s best all-time. Defined by the ‘Kick-Six’ that nullified the Crimson Tide’s shot at an unbeaten season, the 2013 installment featured the most memorable ending ever in the series. Chris Davis’ 109-yard missed field goal return as time expired pushed the Tigers into the SEC Championship Game and eventually a title shot against Florida State. The Iron Bowl saw an unprecedented run from 2009-13 as all five winners went on to appear in the national championship game.
2. No. 1 Florida vs. No. 2 Alabama (2009) — These two cross-divisional rivals have met seven times in the SEC Championship Game since its inception including three straight during Steve Spurrier’s tenure at Florida. The most memorable however came during Tim Tebow’s reign as the SEC’s best player including a gargantuan 2008 meeting in Atlanta. Unbeaten coming into the ‘BCS play-in’ game as it was billed, Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide fell, 31-20. The title game rematch was even juicier the following season, pitting two unbeatens. Alabama got its revenge with a dominant performance in the second half and won its 13th national title a few weeks later. Multi-year national champ Urban Meyer would coach the Gators one more season before resigning due to ‘health reasons’ in 2010, ending the heated rivalry with the West’s best.
1. No. 1 LSU vs. No. 2 Alabama (2011) — During the Nick Saban-Les Miles era in the SEC West, this matchup annually is one of college football’s must-watch rivalries. The teams have met nine times since the start of the 2007 season and every contest has featured a Top 10 team. Seven have been decided in the fourth quarter or overtime. The most anticipated matchup(s) came during the 2011 season when both meeting featured the top teams in the country, No 1 vs. No. 2. LSU won the first round, a defensive slugfest overtime thriller in Tuscaloosa, 9-6. Alabama’s 21-point shutout of the SEC champion Tigers in the rematch two months later in the National Championship Game remains the only shutout in BCS history.
