Richard Gouraige reveals biggest rivalry each season

Florida Football has plenty of rivals in the SEC. They face Tennessee every year, Georgia and the Gators play annually on a neutral site, normally to decide the SEC East. However, veteran offensive tackle Richard Gouraige pegged Florida’s yearly game with LSU as the most exciting matchup on the docket each season.

One reporter asked him at SEC Media Days this week about the game with the Tigers and how it stacks up to Florida’s other rivalries. To which he answered:

“Oh yeah, man. Every year, that’s probably the biggest game of the year, especially when we head to their town or when they head to our town. We just know it’s gonna be a dog fight for sure.”

Richard Gouraige also noted that the games always take place in two of the biggest and loudest stadiums in the SEC. Which means the Gators and Tigers play in some of the best environments in the entire country.

“Oh man. That stadium be rocking man. I think the Ben Griffin Stadium is definitely up there for sure.”

Background on Florida-LSU rivalry

The most recent installment of this series was one of the more entertaining in its history. Though neither team finished with a successful season by their standards and each fired their head coaches because of the results. However, fireworks were aplenty as LSU knocked off a then-ranked Gators squad 49-42 as Florida QB Anthony Richardson tossed a game-sealing pick late in Baton Rouge. He’ll try to exact revenge this coming season.

Last year and the year before, LSU went into the game unranked only to upset ranked Florida teams. In fact, the Tigers have dominated the rivalry for the better part of the last decade, having won seven of the last nine and four of the last five matchups.

One more win over the Gators this season and LSU will tie the all-time series. The tally currently sits at 33-32-3 in Florida’s favor. With them totally controlling the series from the late 1980s through the early 2000s. Where, from 1988 to 2001, Florida won 13 of 14 games. Including a nine-game winning streak over LSU from ’88 to ’96. They also won the most lopsided game of the series, a 58-3 curb-stomping in 1993.

However, the recent LSU run narrowed the gap. At SEC Media Days next season, we could be talking about a rivalry that’s a dead heat.