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

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but oddly enough, LSU and Florida have been playing every year since the since 1971 and every year from 1953-1967. Never could figure out exactly how that came to be with how far they are from one another.

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I always assumed it was because of the Gulf Coast. Fun fact, LSU is the closest SEC school to every town on the Gulf, until you get to around Pensacola, maybe further. The Mississippi and Alabama schools were further North. For LSU, you just hop on I-10 and roll West (or East, if you're in East Texas).