Will the Third Saturday in October Ever Be Replayed on the First Saturday in December?
By Eric Taylor
When former SEC Commissioner Roy Kramer added Arkansas and South Carolina as the 11th and 12th team to the conference in 1990 so he could stage the first ever conference championship game, anyone would have bet the family pet that Alabama and Tennessee would meet in at least one championship game through 2011.
They haven’t met once.
Former SEC commissioner Roy Kramer had a vision that many thought was blurred. It turned out okay.
Not only that, but the ‘Tide and the Vols have played in 60% of the championship games over the last 20 years. Just not against each other.
Arkansas quarterback Barry Looney floated left-handed off-speed pitches all afternoon that somehow found receivers instead of Tennessee defensive backs’ hands. The plan may have been to throw every pass so slow that — like a hitter in baseball looking for a fastball — Tennessee defenders would get way out in front of the pass and whiff on the interception.
Whatever it was, it worked.
Alabama’s win over Florida in The Swamp gave Tennessee new life in the East, but the Vols’ trip to Fayetteville would be fatal to the season.
Clint Stoerner avenged this 1998 fumble against Tennessee the next year, sealing the Vols' second place finish in the SEC East behind Florida.
All LSU had to do on the first Saturday in December was convince Les Miles not to move to Ann Arbor, beat Tennessee to win the SEC, and hope 46 teams ahead of them in the BCS lost. Check. Check. And check.
But wait. Alabama is only allowed to play Florida in the SEC Championship. That's another phenomenon to explore.
On another note, the inevitable UT Buttchugger costume is here. Thanks to @willisrush who sent in this picture of his buddy in Dallas.