Florida–Tennessee football rivalry
Florida and Tennessee have played on the third Saturday of September almost every year since 1992, giving the rivalry its nickname. Notable exceptions were in 2001, when the game was postponed until December 1 due to the September 11 terrorist attacks, and in 2014, when the addition of two new members to the SEC temporarily scrambled the dates of many traditional conference rivalries and moved the Florida–Tennessee game to October. The rivalry has sometimes served as the conference opener and is often the first significant test of the season for one or both of the teams.
Florida–Georgia football rivalry
The first game acknowledged by both schools was held in Jacksonville in 1915. The rivalry has been renewed annually since 1926, except for the 1943 season when Florida did not field a team due to World War II. The game has often had championship implications, with both teams competitive in the Southeastern Conference. Florida, which did not win the SEC title until 1991, had its hopes dashed several times by a loss to Georgia in Jacksonville, including during Steve Spurrier's senior season in 1966. The game took on new importance when the SEC split into Eastern and Western Divisions in 1992, with both Florida and Georgia in the Eastern Division. As the two teams are frequently at or near the top of the division standings, the game has often determined who will represent the Eastern Division in the SEC Championship Game. To date, Florida has fourteen Eastern Division titles while Georgia has nine.
While the two universities agree that Georgia leads the overall series, they disagree as to the overall series record due to the disputed 1904 game. As of the 2017 contest, Georgia leads with a 51–43–2 record by its reckoning, and 50–43–2 by Florida's count. Georgia dominated the series before 1952, with Florida winning just five of the first 29 (or 30, if counting 1904) contests. Georgia also had an advantage in the 1970s and 1980s, leading the series 15–5 during those decades. Florida dominated the series 18-3 in the two decades following Steve Spurrier's return to Florida in 1990. Since 2010, the series has been split, 5–4.