What Are The SEC’s Best In-Conference Rivalries?

Nov 2, 2013; Jacksonville, FL, USA; An overview of the fans split in half of the Georgia Bulldogs and Florida Gators during the second quarter at EverBank Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

In-conference rivalries are the life-blood of just about any conference, but the SEC has some that can get particularly nasty at times.

Rivalry.

Defined as a competitive or antagonistic state or condition.

Competitive is putting it mildly when it comes to college sports, and the way that players, fans (and even coaches) regard their most hated opponents.

When you think rivalries in college sports, a lot of different names and games can come to mind. “The Game” featuring Ohio State and Michigan is a big one. Notre Dame and USC have a storied past. In-State clashes between teams like Florida and Florida State or Georgia and Georgia Tech also play a big part in the traditional toast to hatred among schools.

You have huge basketball rivalries such as the Tobacco Road games between Duke and North Carolina, or Kentucky and Louisville’s giant yearly to-do.

A lot of the SEC’s best rivalries fall out of the conference to be honest.

But inside the SEC, there are some bitter, ugly and downright hateful rivalries that just seem to put all those other skirmishes to shame. Some are purely football rivalries, and some of them bleed over into basketball season and even baseball at times.

While Arkansas-Texas A&M has potential to be a good one, and Tennessee-Vanderbilt are an in-state rivalry, neither of them really make the list of big time hate-fests.

You want to know what the best SEC in-conference rivalries are? Here’s the list of those who really stand out among the crowds who hate each other.