SEC Football: Ranking the Conference's Best Rivalries
The SEC is home to some of the fiercest rivalries in college football, with annual showdowns such as the Iron Bowl, Egg Bowl and the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party having massive ramifications not only nationally but personally for fans who have grown up hating the rival.
Which rivalries are the best?
We rank them based on national importance, local importance and how competitive they've been over the years in this slideshow.
10. Georgia vs. South Carolina
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The Georgia-South Carolina rivalry has taken a bit of a hit heading into 2016, after former South Carolina head coach and Bulldogs nemesis Steve Spurrier hung up the visor midway through the 2015 season.
That has left this rivalry in a precarious situation.
Sure, the border battle will still be fierce with former Bulldogs player Will Muschamp now at the helm of the Gamecocks. But the hate from Bulldogs nation might not be as strong as it was when the Head Ball Coach was roaming the sidelines.
From a South Carolina perspective, this game is still enormous regardless of head coach. The Gamecocks have won four of the last six games but got smoked in last year's battle in Athens, 52-20—which typically is an early-season game that defines the early landscape of the SEC East race.
9. LSU vs. Arkansas
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If you're looking for one of the wildest and most unpredictable rivalries in the SEC, look no further than the Battle for the Golden Boot between LSU and Arkansas.
The Hogs have won two straight over the Tigers, which is a big reason LSU head coach Les Miles found himself fighting for his job late in the 2015 season.
Over the years, the two SEC West foes have given the college football world a three-overtime thriller on the final weekend of the season that didn't even derail LSU's title run despite the loss. There have been two editions of the "Miracle on Markham," several two-touchdown comebacks and head coaches for both programs with dynamic personalities.
What more do you want?
8. LSU vs. Florida
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Les Miles doesn't like the fact that his Tigers got roped into a permanent cross-divisions rivalry with East power Florida, but the college football world surely does.
This game played a huge role in the birth of the Mad Hatter persona, when Miles famously went for and made five fourth downs in the 2007 matchup versus Florida and former head coach Urban Meyer. Since then, Miles has called two fake field goals late that have determined the outcome of games (2010 and 2015) and won five of the last six meetings.
LSU has owned this rivalry as of late, but that's more because of Florida's struggles than anything else. Both teams have the talent to be elite, and this should become a rivalry that resonates on the national stage when both are at their best.
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7. Tennessee vs. Alabama
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The Third Saturday in October will take place on its rightful weekend this year, when Alabama heads to Rocky Top to take on Tennessee after the two tangled in a classic last year in Tuscaloosa.
The two permanent cross-division rivals have been embroiled in some heated meetings on the field, including a five-overtime battle in 2003, Terrance Cody's blocked field goal that saved Alabama's season and preserved its national title run in 2009, and victory cigars smoked by Tennessee after wins in the 1950s.
Off the field, the rivalry has had its moments as well.
Former Vols head coach Phillip Fulmer was subpoenaed at SEC media days in 2008 after playing a part in the NCAA's investigation into Alabama. Four years earlier, he skipped media days because of the case.
Tennessee was down during the Derek Dooley years, and this rivalry fell off the national radar. It won't be long before it's back, though.
6. Auburn vs. Georgia
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Georgia has won the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry in eight of the last 10 seasons, but don't let that stat fool you—those two Auburn wins were something else.
Cam Newton toppled Georgia in 2010 amid the ongoing eligibility scandal en route to the SEC and national titles, and Nick Marshall and Ricardo Louis orchestrated the "Prayer at Jordan-Hare" three years later to spring Auburn into an Iron Bowl for the ages, SEC title and berth in the national title game.
Over the years, this game has featured a four-overtime Georgia win in 1996 that ultimately led to a change in college football overtime rules that forces teams to go for two starting in the third overtime, Auburn turning sprinklers on fans who stormed the field in 1996 and some of college football's most intense matchups.
The Bulldogs hold a slim 56-55-8 series lead over the Tigers, which gives a strong indication of just how close these two border rivals are.
5. Florida vs. Tennessee
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Florida has won 11 straight over Tennessee in the early-season battle of traditional SEC East powers, but the last two have brought back the good ol' days.
Treon Harris led the Gators back in the fourth quarter two years ago on Rocky Top, and Will Grier hit Antonio Callaway on 4th-and-14 for a touchdown late in the 2015 edition to cap a comeback and win what turned out to be the de facto SEC East title game.
This game has given the college football world the Jabar Gaffney touchdown drop/catch in 2000, the 9/11 makeup division title game at the end of the regular season in 2001, massive comebacks and former Gators head coach Steve Spurrier famously slighting the Vols by saying that "you can't spell 'citrus' without 'UT.'"
The Gators have owned the rivalry as of late, but the last two seasons have been tight, and these two powers should be contenders for the division annually for years to come.
4. LSU vs. Alabama
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LSU and Alabama typically meet the first weekend of November in a game that sets the tone for the final month of the season in the SEC West.
For Alabama, the last four years have been music to the ears of head coach Nick Saban.
The Crimson Tide have won the last four regular-season matchups and five straight dating back to the 2012 BCS National Championship Game—which was a couple of months after the "game of the century" in which LSU toppled Alabama, 9-6, in Tuscaloosa in November 2011.
Saban has coached both teams, they play similar styles, the rosters are loaded with future NFL players, and the winner of this game has played in seven of the last nine SEC Championship Games.
Alabama has owned it of late, but that hasn't taken away much from this annual November slugfest between SEC West juggernauts.
3. Ole Miss vs. Mississippi State
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The Egg Bowl has taken on greater national importance over the last two seasons, as both Ole Miss and Mississippi State have become relevant on the national scene.
As a result, the world got to know what people in the Magnolia State already knew—the Egg Bowl between the Rebels and Bulldogs is one of the fiercest rivalries in the country.
Hugh Freeze and Ole Miss have won two straight over Dan Mullen's crew, with both teams ranked on the final weekend of the year in 2014 and 2015.
The teams have split the last 10 meetings, which have included an overtime victory by Mississippi State in 2013, three-point games in 2006 and 2007, and the Bulldogs' winning the first three games of Mullen's career (2009-2011).
Ole Miss holds a 63-43-6 series lead over the boys from Starkville in a game that's comparable to the Iron Bowl in terms of state bragging rights.
2. Georgia vs. Florida
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The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party between Georgia and Florida isn't just a rivalry; it's an experience.
The two meet in late October or early November on the banks of the St. Johns River in Jacksonville in a game that coincides with Georgia's fall break, resulting in a long weekend of partying on the beach in what serves as the final grasp at some "summer fun" late in the fall.
On the field, Florida has owned it.
The Gators have won 20 of the last 26 meetings, including two straight inside EverBank Field. Over the years, this game has given us iconic moments such as Georgia's "Run Lindsay Run" in 1980, Florida's "half-a-hundred" in 1995, Georgia's "Gator Stomp" in 2007 and an overtime thriller in 2010.
No college football bucket list is complete without a trip to Jacksonville for the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.
1. Auburn vs. Alabama
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From the "Kick Six" to "The Kick" to "Punt, Bama, Punt" to the "First Time Ever," there isn't a better rivalry in the SEC, college football or sports than the end-of-the-season showdown between Auburn and Alabama.
The winner of this game has won the SEC title six of the last seven years, and the only time that it didn't happen was 2011—when Alabama won the national title without having to play in the SEC Championship Game.
With no major professional sports franchise in the state, the Iron Bowl means everything to the people of Alabama—who are almost forced to choose sides from the moment they're born. Otherwise, they're outsiders.
The fear of losing rivals the joy of winning in the Iron Bowl, which resonates locally, regionally and nationally more than any rivalry in college football.
Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Statistics are courtesy of cfbstats.com, and recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports.
Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and national college football video analyst for Bleacher Report as well as a host on Bleacher Report Radio on SiriusXM 83. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.
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