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The SEC was established in December 1932, when the 13 members of the
Southern Conference located west and south of the Appalachian
Mountains left to form their own conference. Ten of the thirteen
charter members have remained in the conference since its inception.
They are University of Alabama, University of Florida, University of
Georgia, University of Kentucky, University of Mississippi, University
of Tennessee, Auburn University, Louisiana State University,
Mississippi State University, and Vanderbilt University. The other
charter members were:
Sewanee: Left the SEC in 1940. The school has since deemphasized varsity athletics, and is currently a member of the Division III Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference. Georgia Tech: Left the SEC in 1964. In 1975, it became a founding member of the Metro Conference, (most members joined Conference USA), competing there in all sports except football, in which it was independent. In 1978, Georgia Tech joined the Atlantic Coast Conference for all sports, where it has remained. Tulane: Left the SEC in 1966. Along with Georgia Tech, it was a charter member of the Metro Conference. Unlike Tech, however, Tulane remained in the Metro until the Metro Conference merged into the new Conference USA in 1995. Tulane remained an independent in football until the formation of Conference USA. The SEC expanded from 10 to 12 members in 1991 with the addition of the University of Arkansas from the Southwest Conference and the University of South Carolina from the independent ranks in football and the Metro Conference in other sports (except men's soccer, where it stayed with the Metro for two years; after the disbandment of the Metro, it was independent until joining Conference USA for soccer in 2005). In 1992, the SEC adopted the divisional setup that exists today. Also in 1992, the SEC was the first conference to receive permission from the NCAA to conduct an annual championship game in football, featuring the winners of the conference's eastern and western divisions. It was held at Birmingham's Legion Field the first two years and at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta thereafter. The SEC expanded once again from 12 to 14 members in 2012 with the addition of Texas A&M and the University of Missouri, both from the Big 12 Conference. The conference is divided into two geographic divisions: The East Division and the West Division. The twelve current members of the Southeastern Conference are: The SEC currently has fourteen member institutions in eleven Southeastern states. The geograpic domain of the conference streches from Texas to South Carolina and from Missouri to Florida. One or both of the flagship universities in each state in the geographic domain of the SEC is a member of the conference, along with one of the preeminent private universities of the Deep South. The conference is divided into two geographic divisions: The East Division and the West Division. The twelve current members of the Southeastern Conference are:
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