Missouri's Three Permanent Rivals in New Schedule

Posted on: August 23, 2025 at 10:26:56 CT

Just for S&Gs I plugged the question of "The SEC is moving to a 9 game schedule in 2026. Each team will have 3 permanent SEC teams they play each year while the others rotate. What are the best guesses on who those three teams will be for each team?" into a few AI models (CGPT, Gemini, DS, Claude, Perplexity, Grok. They all came back with one of two scenarios for Mizzou: Arky, OU and then either Vandy or Kentucky.

Either of those would be pretty favorable. I get they are all pulling from the same sources but still interesting. Here is the last one I pulled for DS using the Deep Think model.
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Of course. This is one of the hottest topics among SEC fans right now. While the conference hasn't officially announced the permanent rivals, we can make very educated guesses based on several key factors:

Protected Rivalries: The SEC has stated it wants to protect its most storied, annual cross-division games.

Geography: Minimizing travel distance for fans and teams is a priority.

History & Tradition: Long-standing series carry significant weight.

Competitive Balance: The league will try to ensure no team has a disproportionately difficult set of permanent opponents.

Based on these factors, here are the best guesses for each team's three permanent opponents starting in 2026.

Best Guesses for Each SEC Team
Alabama
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Auburn (The Iron Bowl, non-negotiable)

Tennessee (The Third Saturday in October, a historic rivalry)

LSU (A modern classic that has decided the SEC West and national titles for two decades)

Wildcard: Mississippi State (to preserve a more manageable game, but LSU is almost certain).

Arkansas
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Missouri (The Battle Line Rivalry, created by conference expansion)

Texas (Renewing the SWC rivalry is a primary reason for Texas joining the SEC)

LSU (The Battle for the Golden Boot, a long-standing and often played game)

Note: Texas A&M and Ole Miss are also strong geographic candidates, but the above three make the most sense.

Auburn
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Alabama (The Iron Bowl)

Georgia (The Deep South's Oldest Rivalry)

Vanderbilt or Mississippi State (This is the toughest call. The SEC may give Auburn a "lesser" permanent opponent to balance out UGA and Bama. Historically, they've played Mississippi State and Vandy more than others.)

Florida
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Georgia (The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, in Jacksonville)

Tennessee (A long-standing Eastern Division rivalry)

LSU (A protected cross-division game that has been highly competitive and popular since the 90s)

Note: The Florida State series makes their schedule brutal, so the LSU game is sometimes debated, but it's likely safe.

Georgia
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Florida (Jacksonville)

Auburn (Deep South's Oldest Rivalry)

South Carolina (A strong, hate-filled border rivalry)

Wildcard: Tennessee could be swapped for South Carolina, but the USC-UGA game has more history and geographic intensity.

Kentucky
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Tennessee (The Battle for the Beer Barrel, though the name is retired, the rivalry remains)

Vanderbilt (Their closest SEC neighbor, a natural rivalry)

South Carolina or Missouri (Another border-ish game. South Carolina might be slightly more traditional.)

LSU
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Alabama (The Game of the Century rivalry)

Texas A&M (A newer but incredibly intense rivalry fueled by proximity and a 7-OT classic)

Ole Miss (The Magnolia Bowl, a long-standing and culturally similar rivalry)

Note: Arkansas (The Boot) and Florida are strong contenders, but the above three are the most prominent.

Mississippi State
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Ole Miss (The Egg Bowl, the most hate-filled rivalry in the SEC)

Texas A&M (A natural geographic pairing and frequent opponent)

Arkansas or LSU (Another SWC/West division pairing. Arkansas might be the better geographic fit.)

Missouri
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Arkansas (The Battle Line Rivalry)

Oklahoma (The historic Border War/Tiger Bowl from the Big 8/12)

Kentucky or Vanderbilt (To give them an Eastern opponent. Kentucky is a more natural border state.)

Note: The renewal of the Oklahoma rivalry is a lock and a huge reason for Mizzou's excitement about the new SEC.

Oklahoma
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Texas (The Red River Rivalry/RED RIVER SHOOTOUT, the #1 reason for this entire realignment)

Missouri (Renewing the Big 8/12 rivalry)

Texas A&M (Renewing a old Big 12 rivalry, though it's less historic than others)

Wildcard: The third spot is tricky. It could be Arkansas or even a team like Vanderbilt to help with balance.

Ole Miss
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Mississippi State (The Egg Bowl)

LSU (A huge rivalry for both schools, especially since the "Magnolia Bowl" trophy was introduced)

Vanderbilt (A long-standing, traditionally competitive game between similar academic institutions)

South Carolina
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Georgia (A deep and important border rivalry)

Florida (Another key Eastern division rival)

Kentucky (A frequently played game that often has bowl implications for both teams)

Wildcard: Texas A&M was a surprise protected rival in the past, but that is almost certainly ending.

Tennessee
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Alabama (Third Saturday in October)

Vanderbilt (In-state rivalry)

Kentucky (A long-standing and traditionally one-sided but important rivalry for both)

Wildcard: Florida could easily be the third instead of Kentucky, but the UK-UT series is one of the most-played in NCAA history.

Texas
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Oklahoma (Red River, played in Dallas)

Texas A&M (Renewing the Lone Star Showdown after a 12-year hiatus—this is a lock)

Arkansas (Renewing the classic SWC rivalry, which was once one of the nation's best)

Note: This trio is almost perfectly set in stone and covers their three biggest historical SEC opponents.

Texas A&M
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Texas (The Lone Star Showdown returns!)

LSU (This has become a massive game since A&M joined the SEC)

Mississippi State or Arkansas (The SWC history with Arkansas (SWC) is strong, but the conference has paired A&M with MS State frequently and successfully.)

Vanderbilt
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Tennessee (In-state rivalry)

Ole Miss (As mentioned, a traditional pairing)

Kentucky (Their closest SEC opponent, a natural rivalry game)

Note: Vandy's trio is likely the easiest to predict, as they have a clear set of geographic and traditional opponents.
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Important Caveats:
The "3rd Game" Problem: For some teams (like Auburn, Oklahoma, Mizzou), the third opponent is less obvious and will be chosen for competitive balance. A team with two brutal rivals (e.g., Auburn with Bama and UGA) will likely get a less traditionally powerful third opponent (e.g., Vanderbilt or Mississippi State).

The Schedule Rotation: With 9 games and 3 permanent rivals, the other 12 teams will rotate on a schedule that likely sees them play every other team twice every four years (home and away). This is a significant improvement over the previous model.

Nothing is Official: Until Greg Sankey stands at a podium with a slide deck, this is all informed speculation. However, the list above aligns with the most reliable reporting from SEC insiders.

Edited by optigr50 at 10:38:34 on 08/23/25