Who should be the Georgia Bulldogs three permanent rivals?

 

With the SEC moving to a nine-game conference schedule next year, the Georgia Bulldogs will get three permanent rivals that they will play against annually. A couple of them feel like no-brainers, but a few teams could be in the mix for the third spot.

 

 

The annual Georgia–Florida showdown in Jacksonville is one of the fiercest rivalries in college football. Since Kirby Smart took over in Athens, the Bulldogs have completely flipped the script, winning four straight and seven of the last eight. Georgia now holds a commanding edge in the all-time series, 57–44.

 

This is a rivalry that has to continue — no ifs, ands, or buts about it.

 

 

The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry, Auburn and Georgia first met up in 1892 and have played annually since 1944. The rivalry was a stalemate; that is, until Kirby Smart arrived. The Bulldogs have won eight straight against the Tigers, giving them a 65-56 record in the series. It’s another one that has to be played every year.

 

 

It may not be the longest standing rivalry, but there’s real hate between Georgia and Tennessee, two founding members of the Southeastern Conference that have played each other in every season since 1992. This is a game that should be on the schedule annually, but of the three, it’s probably the least important.

 

The Volunteers also have several other rivals that could be considered. Their matchups with Florida and Alabama both need to be permanent fixtures of the college football season, and somebody has to play Vandy, who also resides in Tennessee.

 

Other Options: South Carolina, Alabama

South Carolina might not feel like much of a rival for Georgia fans, but nobody hates the Bulldogs quite like the Gamecocks faithful. The fact that this game was removed from the schedule when the SEC got rid of the divisional format is criminal. It would be awesome to renew this rivalry and play it every single season.

 

Alabama is not a traditional rivalry for the Bulldogs, as they only met every few years for a long time. However, there’s no question this has developed into one of the premier rivalries in college football over the last decade. These two teams have met with everything on the line in the National Championship twice. They have played for the SEC conference title on many more occasions and have dominated college football for the last 15 years.

 

I would have no problem if the schedule makers ignored ancient history and focused on the here and now. Few fan bases hate each other with more passion than Georgia and Alabama.