re: Would you prefer to play Florida every year if you had the choice?

I'm not afraid to play anybody. Our only loss in 2003 was to Florida, and we still won the BCS. Our defeat of Florida in 2007 cemented our position as the best team in the country (despite losing 2 heartbreakers later in the season) and set the table for our appearance in the BCS game.

Having said that, I want it fair - no other team in the West plays as consistently good a cross-divisional opponent as Florida, who is rarely out of the top 2 spots in the East.

With the expansion of the conference, the time has passed for cross-divisional rivals. Every team should play every team in its division, and rotate through ALL the other teams in the other division on a regular basis. Every recruit should face the possibility of playing every other team in the conference, should he play 4 seasons. That's not possible with the current setup.

Just my $0.02.

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Posted by TKLSUMD Sure. You have to play the best teams in order to be the best team.

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Signed,

Alabama

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Before spurrier Florida wasn't great but is on a run now just like lsu with Saban

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The supposed weakness of Florida pre-Spurrier is a myth. Florida has outperformed everyone in the East over the last 50 years or more. They haven't had a losing season since 1979, WAY before Spurrier. The one knock against them was that they didn't win the SEC title until Spurrier, but even that is just a technicality, as they did finish first in the SEC in 1984 and 1985, but were ineligible for the title (in fact, the 1984 title was originally awarded to them and then stripped and vacated). Florida has always been a solid team, even if not a superpower like they have been now for the last 20+ years. Long-term demographic trends suggest they will continue their dominance of the East for the foreseeable future.

SEC hates LSU

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Gator fan here. I know our fanbase has mixed feelings on this, as do I. There are pros and cons to it of course. But as a Tiger fan, how do you feel if given the choice?

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I love the florida game. If I had a choice, i'd keep it under a different set of rules.

When Alabama or Lsu play florida, they lose. Not always to florida, however, it affects other games they play. bama beat florida a couple of years back, however, it took so much out of them that south carolina whipped them. Same with lsu. Lsu has lost to ole miss or auburn as a result of beating florida.

Even when Nicky was here at lsu, the florida game kept lsu out of the s.e.c. championship game twice. (arkansas got in because they didn't play florida only to lose to them in the s.e.c. championship game. i believe the same happened with Au)

With tenn. being down, and they were never as strong as florida consistantly, you have to rotate the teams. The thing about Tenn, they don't have a recruiting base and they may not come back. Just like notre dame. people will say notre dame is back, nope. they just made their sched. weaker and when they faced tough competition in these bowls, they get destroyed.

I vote for a home and home changing east division opponents every 2 years.

Yes...one of my favorite games every year.

The focus shouldn't be on who LSU plays it should be on who Alabama doesn't play. LSU has always played a tough schedule and they've showed they can handle it.

Even though the Florida game has provided some of my most favorite memories as an LSU fan, I'd be fine without seeing those guys every year.

I haven't read the whole thread, and I'm sure this has been said, but with the level of high school talent in that state, and even with as many "tier 1" teams located there, Florida's never going to be an easy out again. Year end/year out, Florida is going to be hard to beat. Us having to play them every year gives a decided advantage in most years to other western division teams, and that's getting pretty old.

Hell, even when we run the table on which Florida rests - that's not even good enough in some years, so yeah, I'd be fine w/Florida going to a rotation deal.

As much as we complain about the cross division "rivalries", the UF matchup has helped LSU overall as a program. It gives us another premier game of the year every season and thats huge for recruiting.

Its still an extra hurdle LSU has to climb to get to the NC. I dont hate the game, i just wish other teams had a similar challenge (looking at you bamma).