Why did the SEC only play 6 conference games a season up til the late 80's

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Was looking at old records and noticed that SEC schools only played 6 conference games a season up until 1988

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1. Smaller conference (just 10 teams back in those days)
2. Shorter seasons (just a 10-game regular season most years)

However, teams were not bound to a specific number of conference games. See 1972 controversy in which Bama won the SEC Title 7-1 in SEC play with a loss to Auburn who finished 6-1 in league play. In that season, teams played anywhere from 6-8 SEC games that season.

all those old people were wusses in the 80s and still are today. they are a bunch of snowflakes.

When it is was 6, SEC teams played 5 permanent SEC teams every year with 1 rotating home and home versus another SEC team.

When it changed to 7 (1988), there were still 5 permanent but 2 rotating home and home.

After expansion to 12 in 1992, the SEC created divisions, 5 permanent division games, 1 permanent cross division game, 2 rotating home and home across division.

After the 2012 expansion, 6 permanent division games, 1 cross division permanent, 1 rotating game (home and home not back to back).

I would like to see the end of divisions, 3 permanent games, 5 rotating home and homes. This would allow a 4 year player to experience every SEC stadium. And also some variation for fans.

They also sometimes would play OOC games that were designated as SEC games and sometimes play SEC games that didn't count in the SEC standings

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Remember this system was originally set up when the SEC had ten schools and a season was ten games.

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They had 13 originally and had 12 till the 60's so a 10 team league was fairly short lived.

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Also when the system was set up, travel was by bus or train... which influenced playing teams within a reasonable distance.

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More correct answer

Split in the SoCon to form the SEC then ACC was based on trains and travel.

Interesting that back in the day Bama had it's very own Peach State rival in Tech.

What are the iconic "5 games" for each of the SEC teams?

Actually kind of curious about the era where Alabama and Auburn did not play, but Tulane and Georgia Tech were still in the conference.

My guess for Georgia:

Tech, Florida, Auburn, Vanderbilt. I don't think Georgia and Tennessee really played that much back in the day, so would it be Kentucky?

I'd guess LSU played both Mississippi, both Alabama schools, and Tulane. Maybe. Hmmm not sure if they played Auburn too much back in the day, and the Florida/LSU game only became a thing in the 70's.

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I would like to see the end of divisions, 3 permanent games, 5 rotating home and homes. This would allow a 4 year player to experience every SEC stadium. And also some variation for fans.

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Ditto.

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Six was not mandated, it was the minimum. The SEC office was not involved in scheduling so each team set its own. Remember this system was originally set up when the SEC had ten schools and a season was ten games. It wasn’t until expansion and creation of divisions that scheduling became controlled by the REC through their puppets at the SEC office in Birmingham.

Also when the system was set up, travel was by bus or train... which influenced playing teams within a reasonable distance. LSU did not play Georgia for 25 years partly for that reason.

You young fellers should be aware that the world of 14 SEC teams, air travel, unbelievable practice facilities, 12 game seasons.. is new.

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Travel was a factor, but money considerations were a factor, too. Remember that, back in those days, teams used to split the gate, so, there was a lot of incentive to schedule to your financial needs.

Florida and Auburn played a lot not just because of proximity, but also because they were regarded as out of the way places, with small stadiums, that the big boys didn't want to travel to if they could avoid it. Being in similar situations, they were willing to play each other home and home. Auburn had to agree to play home games in Birmingham in order to entice UT to play them.

Bama won a few SEC titles by playing more games than the minimum and could do so because other schools wanted the payday that came with scheduling the Tide.

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I want to say late 90's when they went to 12 games.

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12 game schedules nation-wide didn't come to be until 2006

Here’s an article from the AJC which talks about, from the Georgia Tech perspective, about Bobby Dodd not scheduling State or Ole Miss when Tech was in the SEC.