re: How did the 12 SEC teams agree on these East & West permanent rivals for over a decade?

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You gotta remember that in 1990 when the divisions were put together, Florida was hovering just above .500 all time and coming off a 6-6 record in 1989.

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This.

It was in the summer of 1990 that the league added South Carolina and Arkansas and announced it would be re-organized into divisions. That was before Steve Spurrier had coached a single game at Florida. Prior to that season, Florida had been a joke - save for a stretch in the 80s with Charlie Pell as their head coach. But that stretch led them straight into major probation and the vacation of their 1984 SEC title. When the divisions were decided upon no one had the first clue what the Gators were about to become.