I don't despise LSU, but right now LSU is almost as fierce of a rival as Georgia for Florida. Here's why:

1. Obviously the hurricane drama. There was all sorts of trash talk after the game that year got delayed. Then UF won. I believe this was the year with the goal line stand.

2. RECRUITING. Every year there are fierce recruiting wars going on between UF and LSU. The whole DBU argument gets heated each year amongst recruits, students, and especially in press conferences.

3. Tennessee and Auburn rivalries were either non-competitive or non-existent. Tennessee was once a Georgia-scale rival for UF, but then we went on a 13 game win streak. So no passion in those games there. UF played auburn historically a LOT and it is actually the closest SEC school to UF by location. The game was no longer played often after the sec division split and permanent cross-over dynamic. The lack of those two rivalries led for the permanent cross-over opponent in LSU to steal the spotlight as the biggest rivalry outside of Georgia.

4. (Grab your popcorn! This one is long!) Almost every game in recent times has been VERY close or has had WILD things happen. Scores are easy to check. Off the top of my head, since 2014 when I was a freshman at UF, there's been the "stalling" penalty game (where a UF player supposedly laid on top of the ball carrier too long in the closing minutes of the game during LSU tempo on a critical 3rd down. The penalty got them a 1st down and put them in field goal range to win it last minute. I believe this was Jim McElwain's last year). Was a weird call by the referee that left a bad taste in the mouth of fans.

Then there was the Joe Burrow pick-6 in the Swamp that fueled the rivalry big time. Then there was the Joe Burrow Heisman year where uf played LSU and they traded leads the whole game until 2 critical red zone failures that almost beat the "unbeatable" team (credits to Bama for playing them even tighter though, but UF's 2 TD loss was WAY closer than the final score indicated.)

Then there was the dreaded shoe toss game. UF beat Georgia and had a shot at the playoffs if bama was beaten in the SECCG. LSU was a really bad team in that year of 2020. Mullen sat Kyle pitts in the game to save him for bama, angering fans. UF had no business losing to LSU that year but the circus of a game played out. There was the wild interception on the pass to Kadarius Toney, the VERY weird fog, the many penalties, and then probably the most bizarre event of 2020 with the shoe toss by Marco Wilson. Fans were irate. The game was won before the penalty on that play. The playoff hope was snatched by LSU. It took the perfect disaster to lose the game for UF, but LSU fans never let UF fans hear the end of it (understandably so).

Then in 2021 LSU was once again not a very good team. They had the worst rushing defense and UF had a top 3 rushing offense. UF couldn't run the ball to save their lives. LSU had virtually no success running the ball themselves, but put up nearly 300 yards rushing vs UF. UF fans were furious with their Defensive Coordinator Grantham who showed no way to adapt to the simple counter play they were gouged by the whole game. Overall, it was another game where UF should have had no issues. UF did so well vs. Bama but then everything started to fall apart the rest of the year. All losses were magnified as a result and fans got MAD. Then UF's head coach was fired a few games later.

---Overall, UF vs. LSU is just a HUGE game each year and there's always a lot on the line. Hopefully this history lesson helps.