Fansided

Report: Florida/LSU back on for November 19th

By John Buhler

Oct 17, 2015; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; Florida Gators wide receiver Demarcus Robinson (11) runs past LSU Tigers safety Rickey Jefferson (29) during the second half of a game at Tiger Stadium. LSU defeated Florida 35-28.Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 17, 2015; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; Florida Gators wide receiver Demarcus Robinson (11) runs past LSU Tigers safety Rickey Jefferson (29) during the second half of a game at Tiger Stadium. LSU defeated Florida 35-28.Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /
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The previously postponed SEC game between the Florida Gators and the LSU Tigers will be rescheduled for November 19th in Baton Rouge.

Hurricane Matthew affected a handful of college football games in Week 6. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish had to play the North Carolina State Wolfpack in a torrential downpour in Raleigh. The South Carolina Gamecocks had their rivalry game with the Georgia Bulldogs moved back to Sunday. However, the game that was most impacted by Hurricane Matthew was the Florida Gators versus the LSU Tigers.

The SEC cross-divisional game between Florida and LSU that was set to be played in Gainesville was cancelled with no makeup date planned. Florida didn’t want to play LSU in Baton Rouge. The SEC waited too long to have last Saturday’s game go off without a hitch.

It now seems that this annual SEC rivalry game will be played this season, as Ross Dellenger of the Baton Rouge Advocate reports that the game is back on. It will reportedly be played at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge on November 19th.

November 19th was the only date that Florida and LSU could reschedule. To make this work, both Florida and LSU would have to buy out their non-conferences opponents on that Saturday. Florida was going to play Presbyterian and LSU was set to play South Alabama.

The interesting element in this rescheduled date is that it will be in Baton Rouge. Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley was reluctant to consider that notion not even a week ago. To counterbalance back-to-back games in Baton Rouge in this rivalry, LSU will have to play in Gainesville in the 2017 and 2018 NCAA seasons. ESPN’s Brett McMurphy tweeted out the rescheduled future dates.

This is a big win for LSU, somewhat of a win for Florida, and a big, fat loss for the SEC. LSU gets another home game against rival Florida in consecutive seasons.

Florida will still have a shot to win the SEC East at 7-1 if the Gators beat LSU in Baton Rouge. That is assuming the Tennessee Volunteers lose at home to the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide in Knoxville on Saturday.

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The SEC made this whole thing a headache by skating around the issue and not taking control of this rivalry game earlier. This is the first big gaffe of the Greg Sankey commissionership of the SEC.

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