It might surprise people that this wasn't the rule in the first place.
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After it was announced that the cancelled Florida-LSU game would be rescheduled for Nov. 19, ESPN's Brett McMurphy reported that the SEC would be changing its rules to allow the commissioner of the league to reschedule games if two teams can't agree on terms.
SEC also says future policy will be changed to give commissioner power to reschedule games if 2 teams can’t agree on terms
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) October 13, 2016
Both Florida and LSU have been hit with criticism following the cancellation of the game due to Hurricane Matthew. Both schools' athletic director were working their hardest to protect their teams, and there was many points where SEC commissioner Greg Sankey should have been able to step in as a neutral party to get the game rescheduled.
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Hopefully this rule change will ensure that a scenario like this never happens again. Obviously natural forces are not predictable, but LSU, Florida, and the SEC learned a lot thanks to this debacle.
Florida will now play in Baton Rouge on Nov. 19, meaning they give up what was originally a home game. The Gators will be paid back in the next two seasons, however, as they will host LSU in Gainesville for consecutive years.
