This article was published with The Red & Black on July 1, 2015 and can be found here.

Rivalries make college football so much fun for fans. The problem in recent years is conference realignment and non-conference scheduling has ruined many good rivalries. Here’s a look at each Southeastern Conference school and a rivalry that should be renewed.

Alabama – Penn State. The two schools known for their legendary head coaches (Alabama’s “Bear” Bryant and Penn State’s Joe Paterno) have met 14 times since the 1959 Liberty Bowl. With the Crimson Tide historically being one of the South’s best teams and the Nittany Lions serving the purpose for the Northeast, it’s a matchup that both fan bases and any television network can get behind. The two haven’t faced off since Alabama won in 2010 and again in 2011, but a matchup between Nick Saban and former Vanderbilt head coach James Franklin would certainly be worth watching.

Arkansas – Texas. The two former Southwest Conference foes faced off every year from 1932 until the Razorbacks departed for the SEC in 1992. The two teams’ infamous 1969 meeting was one of the most bizarre in college football history, as President Richard Nixon was in attendance and declared the No. 1 Longhorns the national champions after their 15-14 victory over No. 2 Arkansas to end the regular season. The teams faced off in last year’s Texas Bowl but have not played a regular season game since 2008.

Auburn – Georgia Tech. Many forget that Georgia Tech was an SEC member for 32 years, which explains why they played so many games against teams like Tennessee, Alabama and Auburn. Both schools were led by John Heisman over a century ago and are only separated by 108 miles. Although the history and distance make a matchup logical, the two haven’t played in 10 years. Just savor the idea of Gus Malzahn’s spread offense and Paul Johnson’s option offense dueling for 60 minutes and show me where to sign up.

Florida – Miami. The round robin of the Gators, the Hurricanes and the Florida State Seminoles provided some entertaining games in the early 2000s. The two faced off in four consecutive seasons from 2001 to 2004 then took a break. They last faced off two years ago in an ugly 21-16 win for The U, but no plans for another game have been announced. Maybe the two teams will play once they return to the national prominence they both shared.

Georgia – Clemson. These two teams, separated by only 73 miles, have played 59 games since the first meeting in 1902. The matchup had national title implications a few times, including Georgia’s 20-16 win in 1980 and Clemson’s 13-3 victory one year later. The squads broke a 10-year hiatus in 2013 when they played the first of two games but have no future plans of facing off again. Border rivalries like this and the Auburn/Georgia Tech matchup mentioned above make out-of-conference games worth watching.

Kentucky – Indiana. These two schools have a lot in common: they are both well known for basketball and possess a mediocre football program. The two football teams met 36 times over the span of 112 years and played for a wooden Bourbon barrel from 1987 until 1999. The Wildcats have rival Louisville but don’t compete against familiar opponents like Cincinnati, Virginia Tech and West Virginia. A renewed rivalry with the Hoosiers would be a nice start.

LSU – Tulane. The Battle for the Rag dates back to 1893 and was an important one when Tulane was in the SEC from 1932 to 1966. The Tigers have won 18 straight dating back to 1983 but have not played the Green Wave since 2009’s 42-0 thrashing. It’s not a rivalry with a lot of flair, but in-state matchups keep a good bit of money within the state and allow older alumni the chance to talk about the glory days of the series.

Missouri – Kansas. These former Big 12 foes played in “The Border War” every year from 1919 until the Tigers left for the SEC in 2012. The end to this series had such poor timing, as some of the later matchups provided the best games. No one can argue against the ultimate matchup coming in 2007 when No. 3 Missouri beat No. 2 Kansas 36-28 in one of the best seasons ever for both schools. It seems like sour grapes after conference realignment is all that is keeping this rivalry in the history books.

Mississippi State – Louisiana Tech. A sure way to ruin a series between a big school and a smaller school is to pull an upset, which is what Louisiana Tech did in 2008 in a loss that derailed Sylvester Croom’s tenure in Starkville and launched Derek Dooley’s career. Mississippi State doesn’t have many historic non-conference series, but the two teams have played 11 times before and share a state border as well as the name “Bulldogs”. Make the trophy a golden dog collar and let the games begin.

Ole Miss – Southern Mississippi. In-state games usually occur like this: 1) The big school gives the smaller school a shipload of money 2) The two teams meet on the field 3) The athletic director from the small school counts the cash while the big school dominates the game 4) Repeat. Perhaps the reason this rivalry hasn’t been played since 1984 is the Golden Eagles didn’t follow this blueprint, beating the Rebels in four of the last five games. The Southern Miss program is down in the dumps right now, so Ole Miss would be wise to schedule a few games for the betterment of both sides.

South Carolina – Duke. Any border rivalry is a fun one, but there are many aspects to this that would make it enjoyable. You have two of the most highly-thought-of coaches in Steve Spurrier and David Cutcliffe. You see Spurrier face the school that gave him his first head coaching position. You witness the Blue Devils play an SEC team for the first time since the wild Chick-fil-A Bowl in 2013. The two sides have squared off 44 times, so it’s not like the fan bases are unfamiliar with each other.

Tennessee – Memphis. The Volunteers have one loss in 22 meetings with the Tigers, but that single defeat was a doozy. It came in 1996 during Peyton Manning’s junior year, a 21-17 loss that put No. 6 Tennessee out of the title hunt and gave Rip Scherer is biggest win as Tigers head coach. The Volunteers played the Tigers seven times after the upset but have not met since 2010. Maybe there’s still bad blood about that loss, but it only makes sense for these two teams to renew the rivalry.

Texas A&M – Texas. If we were to rank these rivalries, this one would go at the top. The Aggies and Longhorns had one of the best rivalries in football and met every year since 1898 until Texas A&M joined the SEC in 2012. The two have yet to play again despite rumblings of a rematch, including rumors the two would play in a bowl game last season. The athletic directors need to put aside their hard feelings and renew these games; the Lone Star State and all college football fans are longing for it.

Vanderbilt – Wake Forest. Much like Indiana and Kentucky, the Commodores and Demon Deacons know the pain of being the bug on a major conference’s windshield. Both sides have played each other 16 times over the years, with the last meeting being a 23-21 Vanderbilt victory in 2013. Both sides could benefit from an established, yearly matchup.