Georgia and LSU, two charter members of the SEC, have played a grand total of 33 times. And that includes 5 matchups in the conference title game that probably would not have happened otherwise. From 1954 to 1977 they did not play each other.
Until divisional play started in 1992, Florida and Tennessee played each other a grand total of 21 times, one of those a Gator Bowl matchup for some reason. There were two stretches of over 10 years where the two did not play.
Alabama and Florida have only played each other 41 times, 10 of those in the SEC title game.
Basically, SEC scheduling has been a total and random crap shoot from day one of the conference. While I am certainly anything but an SEC historian, anyone who thinks the conference will do the smart thing when it comes to scheduling and go to 9 games with a 3+6+6 model has no clue as to the nearly century long history of this conference.
The only way we will get 9 games will be if the television networks pony up the cash. I think it is clear the conference won't do anything until the money is right. Not necessarily the wrong stance to take, or even the wrong stance to take, but it is certainly frustrating to those of us fans that would rather see Alabama play Texas than watch Alabama crush Mercer.
I cannot see these bloated conferences lasting for very long as the scheduling imbalance is going to make too many schools upset. Maybe I am wrong and things get worked out but I just have this nagging feeling that there is another shakeup coming in college sports sooner rather than later in relation to conference alignment.