Whereas Week 0 of the college football<\/a> season commences within the coming days, the SEC is already looking ahead to 2026.<\/a>
Introduced on Aug. 21, the SEC is shifting from its eight-game convention schedule to a nine-game conference slate<\/a> beginning subsequent season. It is the primary change to the convention’s common season schedule format in over three a long time, because the final one passed off in 1992 when Arkansas<\/a> and South Carolina joined the convention.
The SEC’s determination to implement a nine-game schedule places it in firm with the Massive Ten and Massive 12.
“This format protects rivalries, will increase aggressive stability, and paired with our requirement to play a further Energy opponent, ensures SEC groups are properly ready to compete and succeed within the School Soccer Playoff,” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said in a statement.<\/a>
Talking of these rivalries, the SEC is full of a few of faculty soccer’s longest-standing and most passionate ones. The query that now sits out there may be which of those that weren’t already protected by the dissolution of divisions following Oklahoma and Texas’ arrival in 2024 will stick with this new format, as every SEC workforce will now play three opponents yearly, with the six remaining video games coming towards rotating opponents.
This is a have a look at a few of the annual rivalries within the SEC that could possibly be saved following Thursday’s announcement of a nine-game convention schedule:
Notice:<\/strong> The SEC rivals that had been protected when the convention expanded to its 18-team membership forward of the 2024 season embrace: Florida-Georgia; Vanderbilt-Tennessee; Kentucky-South Carolina; Texas-Oklahoma (Pink River Rivalry); Auburn-Alabama<\/a> (Iron Bowl) and Ole Miss<\/a>-Mississippi (Egg Bowl).<\/em>
Additionally observe that the next preserved rivalry projections are usually not essentially locked by the SEC.<\/em>
Listed below are some projected rivalries that might now be protected:
Although the First Saturday in November rivalry between Alabama and LSU hasn’t been a lot of a rivalry of late, because the Crimson Tide has gained 12 of the previous 14 conferences towards the Tigers, it is one of many SEC’s most well-known rivalries.
The primary assembly between Alabama and LSU dates again to 1895, when the Tigers gained 12-6. According to Alabama’s record book,<\/a> each applications have confronted one another yearly since 1967. However what has made this one of many SEC’s high rivalries has been the expansion it has had over time, particularly in the course of the Nick Saban years of the rivalry as he coached at each colleges from 2000-04 (LSU) and 2007-2023 (Alabama). Being within the outdated SEC West Division, the annual LSU and Alabama recreation had tiebreaker rights for the division’s consultant within the SEC championship recreation.
This was a recreation Saban didn’t want to be preserved, stating Alabama has extra historical past with Mississippi State. He has since come round on protecting LSU as an annual fixture the Tide’s schedule.
The “Third Saturday in October” rivalry<\/a> between Tennessee and\u00a0Alabama dates again to the 1901 faculty soccer season when each applications met for the primary time in Birmingham, Alabama. Nevertheless, the rivalry between the 2 SEC groups didn’t take off till 1928, when each Tennessee and Alabama had been coached by Robert Neyland and Wallace Wade, respectively.
Tennessee took the latest chapter of the rivalry final season when the Tenth-ranked Vols defeated the seventh-ranked Crimson Tide at Neyland Stadium 21-17. Former Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava threw a 16-yard landing move to large receiver Chris Brazzell with 5:52 remaining within the quarter earlier than the Vols protection got here up with a fourth-down cease to snap a two-game shedding skid to the Tide.
Because the title implies, the Auburn vs. Georgia rivalry just isn’t solely one of many oldest and most performed rivalries between two Southern applications, but additionally in faculty soccer. Noted by The Athletic,<\/a> “The Deep South\u2019s Oldest Rivalry” between the Tigers and Bulldogs is tied with Virginia-UNC because the second-most performed rivalry in Division I FBS historical past at 129 video games.
The rivalry started again in 1892 and has included 24 ranked matchups all through the years. It is one other SEC rivalry that has been one-sided of late, although, as Auburn has dropped every of the final eight conferences towards Georgia. The Bulldogs took final 12 months’s assembly 31-13 at Sanford Stadium.
Whereas the Magnolia Bowl just isn’t the most important rivalry for each LSU and Ole Miss every season, it nonetheless is likely one of the SEC (and faculty soccer’s) high \u2014 and oldest \u2014 rivalries. The rivalry dates again to 1894, however it didn’t obtain its moniker till 2008, as noted by The Daily Advertiser,<\/a> a part of the USA TODAY Community, when a trophy was added to it.
The sport is coined the Magnolia Bowl after the state flower of each Louisiana and Mississippi. Final 12 months’s assembly between LSU and Ole Miss at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge was an all-time recreation within the rivalry collection, as Garrett Nussmeier led the Tigers to a game-tying landing within the last seconds of regulation after which a 29-26 additional time win with a 25-yard landing to Kyren Lacy. The win for LSU saved its School Soccer Playoff hopes in tact for another week, whereas it put a damper on Ole Miss’ possibilities because it was the Rebels’ second convention loss.
The rivalry between Texas and Texas A&M is well-known and documented. In spite of everything, each universities point out the opposite of their struggle songs. Simply have a look at the mix-up at SEC soccer media days this season when Texas soccer coach Steve Sarkisian took the rostrum in Atlanta to the playing of the “Aggie War Hymn” fight song,<\/a> and the response it induced on social media.
The rivalry between the Longhorns<\/a> and the Aggies has spanned throughout three totally different conferences all through the years: the Southwest Convention, the Massive 12 and now the SEC. After a 13-year hiatus, Texas and Texas A&M renewed the rivalry final season with their assembly in School Station, which the Longhorns gained 17-7.
The 2 former SEC East division rivals have had one of many extra aggressive rivalries in the SEC<\/a>, particularly in the course of the Nineteen Nineties. It has turn into one of many extra storied faculty soccer rivalries within the sport.
Each groups have performed yearly since 1990, although the all-time collection dates again to 1916. Historically performed in September, this 12 months’s assembly between Tennessee and Florida will happen on Nov. 22, marking the second straight 12 months that it hasn’t been performed within the first full month of the season.
Final 12 months’s assembly between the Vols and the Gators was coined the “Dylan Sampson Recreation” as former Tennessee operating again scored his third landing of the sport in additional time to present the Vols the 23-17 win, after Florida tied the sport with 29 seconds remaining in regulation on a 27-yard landing move from DJ Lagway.
Just like the Texas vs. Texas A&M rivalry, the Arkansas vs. Texas rivalry was introduced again final season following the Longhorns’ transfer to the SEC. Final 12 months’s 20-10 win for Texas marked the primary time the\u00a0former Southwest Convention foes met as convention rivals in 33 years on Saturday.
The Razorbacks had quantity of success towards the Longhorns within the late Nineteen Thirties, as Arkansas gained 4 consecutive video games towards Texas from 1935 by 1938. The four-game profitable streak is the longest win streak for Arkansas within the all-time collection towards Texas.
The rivalry dates again to 1894. That 1894 contest began a 14-game win streak for Texas, which lasted by 1932. The Longhorns additionally had a 12-game win streak that spanned from 1939 by 1953.
In its announcement on Thursday, the SEC introduced that it’s going to shift to a nine-game common season convention schedule beginning in 2026.<\/p>\n