re: Looks like Auburn and Alabama will both be moved to the East

LSU has long been looking for a way out of having to play Florida every year. The bottom line is that perma-rivals were only created for the benefit of 4 teams: Alabama, Auburn, Tennessee, and Georgia. Once you have a conference of 14 or 16 teams, it makes little sense to continue perma-rivals for the benefit of only 4 of those teams.

The benefit to perma-rivals though is two-fold:

1. Two of the nation's most revered rivalries remain.
2. Conference parity. Perma-rivals ensure that every year, every Big 6 team has to play another Big 6 team in the opposite division. This prevents teams in conference title discussion from skirting by with a lucky schedule that includes UK, Vandy, and USC for example without having to play UF, UGA or UT. It also gives teams like Vandy a fair chance because they are guaranteed a game every year against an SEC lightweight.

2.