🏈 Dream nonconference rivalries for SEC

[BAMANEWSBOT]

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Florida has Florida State. Georgia has Georgia Tech. Kentucky has Louisville. And, of course, South Carolina has Clemson. When it comes to the new SEC scheduling format starting in 2016, those four schools are already on board. Their annual rivalry games fulfill the league’s forthcoming requirement for a yearly nonconference game against an ACC, Big 12, Big Ten or Pac-12 school. But for the rest of the teams around the league, there’s a void.

Alabama-Oklahoma: If FSU wasn’t already taken, the Noles would have been a perfect fit. The physical and philosophical proximity between programs is obvious. But looking elsewhere, Oklahoma might be a fun matchup. The Sugar Bowl has already created tons of tension on both sides with Sooners coaches delighting in calling out Nick Saban and the SEC.

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[psychojoe]

I can't see Texas agreeing to play aTm regularly again. On the other hand, at one point Texas and Arkansas, going back to SWC days, was once a very heated rivalry that generally determined the SWC champion. I would rather the Tide adopt Penn State as a permanent out of conference opponent if such became the policy.

Of course, every year that Saban has been our HC we have had a quality OOC matchup, usually to open the season. Penn State and Va. Tech have been the only repeats. Maybe we should continue as we are doing.