The Southeastern Conference didn’t become the nation’s strongest college football conference overnight, it took years of history and tradition before the league developed into what it has become entering the 2019 season.

Along the way, some heated and intense rivalries have developed that date all the way back to the late 1800s — with many of them being played to this day.

Heading into the 2019 SEC season, we thought it would fun to look back at the most played rivalries in the league’s history by highlighting the 15 longest rivalries in SEC history according to the 2019 SEC Media Guide.

#1 Auburn vs. Georgia

They call this one the “Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry” for a reason as the series has been played 123 times with Georgia holding a slight edge at 59-56-8. The first game in the series back all the way back in 1892.

#2 Ole Miss vs. Mississippi State

The series known as the Egg Bowl has been played 115 times with Ole Miss holding the lead in the series at 64-45-6. The first game between the two came back in 1901.

#3 Kentucky vs. Tennessee

This series has been played 114 times with Tennessee holding the edge at 80-25-9. The first game between the two came back in 1893.

#4 Tennessee vs. Vanderbilt

Depending on which school you ask, you’ll get a different answer on how many times this series has been played. Vanderbilt claims 113 times, Tennessee claims 112. The 1918 game is the game neither side can agree on, Tennessee claims it did not field a varsity football team that season. Tennessee claims a 75-32-5 record in the series, while Vanderbilt lists the series at 76-32-5 in favor of the Vols. The two first met in 1896.

#5 LSU vs. Mississippi State

This series has been played 112 times with LSU holding a 74-35-3 edge. The programs first met in 1896.

#6 Georgia vs. Georgia Tech (no longer in the SEC)

This series has been played 111 times with Georgia holding a 67-39-5 edge with the all-time edge as SEC foes also going to UGA over GT at 37-12.

#7 LSU vs. Ole Miss

This series has been played 107 times with LSU holding a 62-41-4 edge. The two programs first met back in 1894.

#8 Alabama vs. Mississippi State

This series has been played 103 times with Alabama holding an 83-17-3 edge. The two programs first met in 1896.

#9 Alabama vs. Tennessee

This series has been played 101 times with Alabama holding a 56-37-8 edge. The first meeting between the two took place in 1901.

#10 LSU vs. Tulane (no longer in the SEC)

This series has been played 96 times with LSU holding a 67-22-7 edge with the all-time edge as SEC foes also going to LSU over Tulane at 28-4.

#11 Florida vs. Georgia

Just like Tennessee vs. Vanderbilt, depending on which school you ask, you’ll get a different answer on this series. Georgia claims the series has been played 97 times while Florida claims only 96 have been played. The game in question came back in 1904. Florida says it did not field a varsity football team until 1906. Georgia leads the all-time series by 52-43-2, according to UGA, and by 51-43-2 according to UF.

#12 Ole Miss vs. Vanderbilt

This series has been played 93 times with Ole Miss holding a 51-40-2 edge in the series. The two programs first met in 1894.

#13 Auburn vs. Georgia Tech (no longer in the SEC)

This series has been played 92 times with Auburn leading 47-41-4 with the all-time edge as SEC foes also going to Auburn over GT at 17-8.

#14 Auburn vs. Mississippi State

This series has been played 92 times with Auburn leading 63-27-2 edge in the series. The first game between these two came back in 1905.

#15 Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt

This series has been played 91 times with Kentucky holding the edge at 45-42-4. The first game between these two programs came back in 1896.