Is Vanderbilt now a respectable rival?

#1
TNnative

TNnative

Well known pain in the azz
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#1
https://www.seccountry.com/tennessee/tennessee-football-vols-vanderbilt-rivalry

https://www.seccountry.com/tennessee/tennessee-football-vanderbilt-derek-mason

Ladies and Gents, I already know what most reactions are going to be, but since somebody else hasn't brought it up, I figured what the heck?

As many will remember, the Tennessean was wanting to sponsor a rivalry trophy to present yearly to the winner of the Tennessee-Vanderbilt game a couple of years ago. I doubt I was the only Vols fan who emailed the guy who wrote the article, and told him how much ridicule the idea was getting from East Tennessee fans.

2 wins in how long? I argued while that might be noteworthy in Nashville, it wasn't so impressive east of the time zone line between Cumberland and Roane county. The guy actually wrote me back and asked what Vanderbilt needed to do to gain the respect needed to make this trophy worth presenting. I thought about it and said, "If Vanderbilt can actually win another one in this decade or at keep it respectable, I might have to give them their due respect."

Like it or not, they won a third game in this God forsaken decade. I really doubted that would happen. The question I want to ask here is:

Do we move past our disgust for Vanderbilt and recognize them as a "respectable" rivalry? And if not, what more needs to happen to make it respectable? Like it or not, and Vol pride aside, whatever they might be planning could actually in the long term be good for the state of Tennessee.
 
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#2
#2
TNnative said:
https://www.seccountry.com/tennessee/tennessee-football-vols-vanderbilt-rivalry

https://www.seccountry.com/tennessee/tennessee-football-vanderbilt-derek-mason

Ladies and Gents, I already know what most reactions are going to be, but since somebody else hasn't brought it up, I figured what the heck?

As many will remember, the Tennessean was wanting to sponsor a rivalry trophy to present yearly to the winner of the Tennessee-Vanderbilt game a couple of years ago. I doubt I was the only Vols fan who emailed the guy who wrote the article, and told him how much ridicule the idea was getting from East Tennessee fans.

2 wins in how long? I argued while that might be noteworthy in Nashville, it wasn't so impressive east of the time zone line between Cumberland and Roane county. The guy actually wrote me back and asked what Vanderbilt needed to do to gain the respect needed to make this trophy worth presenting. I thought about it and said, "If Vanderbilt can actually win another one in this decade or at keep it respectable, I might have to give them their due respect."

Like it or not, they won a third game in this God forsaken decade. I really doubted that would happen. The question I want to ask here is:

Do we move past our disgust for Vanderbilt and recognize them as a "respectable" rivalry? And if not, what more needs to happen to make it respectable? Like it or not, and Vol pride aside, whatever they might be planning could actually in the long term be good for the state of Tennessee.
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Let em win 26 out of 30 and then holla back.
 
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#6
#6
They've beaten us 3 out of the last 5 years. That should be grounds for an all-out buttstomping this year.
 
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#10
#10
Absolutely not! The day we stoop to the level of considering them anything other than a little brother I'm out. While we're at it why don't we start losing to Ky and settle in the bottom with the other losers. They will always consider us a rival but this should be just a blip on the radar like it used to be
 
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#12
#12
Theh are a rival for sure. That will be difficult for people to admit but it doesnt change the recent history. Its similair to us with Alabama. I consider them our biggest rival, yeah they do not consider us a respectable rival at all. Likewise with Florida, since 69 we are 9-26 against Florida and 1-12 in our last 13 meetings.

Funny to me how the majority of Tennessee fans will laugh off the Vandy thing, yet consider us rivals against Florida and Alabama, in very similiar circumstances.
 
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#13
#13
There are several things that make a rival.

Competitive games, geological location, fighting for recruits, respect, and reputation.


They are very close to us, we play them every year, and the past few years have been competitive.

The difference in the two teams would be obvious, at least in football, we have a much higher ceiling than they will probably ever have.

I think they look at us as a rival. A bigger brother who always gets more shine and attention in national and local media.


So all that aside I would consider them rival. Just like Kentucky is even tho our all time records are very lopsided.

It would be weird for me not to play Vanderbilt year in and out.
 
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#14
#14
Any team that we play annually, that can beat us on a given Saturday....should be considered a rival...
 
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#15
#15
davethevol said:
Nope. We do need to bring back the beer barrel for Kentucky though.
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Well, the chances of that happening are between slim to none. Somebody used the death of a young man to kill that one, and that is a tough ban to repeal nowadays.
 
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#16
#16
Trophy or not, they'll be back to licking UT's boots in due time. The last 5+ years have been peak Vanderbilt. Mason isn't going to build a Stanford East in this league. Let them give out a trophy. Then, when it doesn't leave Knoxville for two decades, the question will be answered.

You will not stop the talk from Nashville though. Vanderbilt fans considered it a rivalry even at the height of the 90s UT teams. They always will. UT fans see losing to Vanderbilt as a sign that the program is in the toilet. Vanderbilt sees beating UT as an ultimate goal for a season. It is what it is.

In the long term, if there's one thing UT does...
 
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#17
#17
TNnative said:
Well, the chances of that happening are between slim to none. Somebody used the death of a young man to kill that one, and that is a tough ban to repeal nowadays.
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I'd like to have trophies for every rivalry game. Maybe they could make a trophy with a coal reference for us and Kentucky. It would make sense. Idk what it would be tho.
 
#20
#20
volfannbama said:
Theh are a rival for sure. That will be difficult for people to admit but it doesnt change the recent history. Its similair to us with Alabama. I consider them our biggest rival, yeah they do not consider us a respectable rival at all. Likewise with Florida, since 69 we are 9-26 against Florida and 1-12 in our last 13 meetings.

Funny to me how the majority of Tennessee fans will laugh off the Vandy thing, yet consider us rivals against Florida and Alabama, in very similiar circumstances.
Click to expand...


All good points, but what more needs to happen to justify the trophy? Even if it turns your stomach. Cause at some point, we start looking less like proud fans and more like butt sore whiners.
 
#21
#21
volfannbama said:
Theh are a rival for sure. That will be difficult for people to admit but it doesnt change the recent history. Its similair to us with Alabama. I consider them our biggest rival, yeah they do not consider us a respectable rival at all. Likewise with Florida, since 69 we are 9-26 against Florida and 1-12 in our last 13 meetings.

Funny to me how the majority of Tennessee fans will laugh off the Vandy thing, yet consider us rivals against Florida and Alabama, in very similiar circumstances.
Click to expand...

Last season was the first in which losing to Vandy cost us anything of importance. Wins against Bama and/or Florida have usually resulted in good seasons...maybe even special. Maybe if we hadn't run the train on them the previous two seasons we'd see the trend you're advocating. I think we hate crime them this season and find another opponent to obsess over.
 
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#22
#22
TNnative said:
https://www.seccountry.com/tennessee/tennessee-football-vols-vanderbilt-rivalry

https://www.seccountry.com/tennessee/tennessee-football-vanderbilt-derek-mason

Ladies and Gents, I already know what most reactions are going to be, but since somebody else hasn't brought it up, I figured what the heck?

As many will remember, the Tennessean was wanting to sponsor a rivalry trophy to present yearly to the winner of the Tennessee-Vanderbilt game a couple of years ago. I doubt I was the only Vols fan who emailed the guy who wrote the article, and told him how much ridicule the idea was getting from East Tennessee fans.

2 wins in how long? I argued while that might be noteworthy in Nashville, it wasn't so impressive east of the time zone line between Cumberland and Roane county. The guy actually wrote me back and asked what Vanderbilt needed to do to gain the respect needed to make this trophy worth presenting. I thought about it and said, "If Vanderbilt can actually win another one in this decade or at keep it respectable, I might have to give them their due respect."

Like it or not, they won a third game in this God forsaken decade. I really doubted that would happen. The question I want to ask here is:

Do we move past our disgust for Vanderbilt and recognize them as a "respectable" rivalry? And if not, what more needs to happen to make it respectable? Like it or not, and Vol pride aside, whatever they might be planning could actually in the long term be good for the state of Tennessee.
Click to expand...
Yes and no. They are not a "respectable" opponent they are still at best a third tier team in the SEC.

They are however an opponent that must be respected. that is exactly why we lost last year. We did not respect the fact they are gonna play up 2 levels anytime we are on the field with them. We paid the price. They are not a better team than us and likely never will be anytime soon.

I had an older cousin who was on my high school wresting team with me and another who wrestled for a crosstown opponent, all the same weight class. Both of them were miles better than me but anytime we went head to head I would pull out wins from time to time because they knew they could beat me and didn't go all out. I however was always convinced I could beat them against all logic and even more I was convinced I HAD to and nothing else mattered. Or we could use the Mike Tyson/Buster Douglas match up as a comparison. The only person on the planet that thought Buster Douglas had a chance to beat Tyson was Buster Douglas. If they had fought 100 times tyson wins 99. tyson got fat and lazy going in and Buster had the fight of his life (never fought like that again in his career).
 
#24
#24
TNnative said:
All good points, but what more needs to happen to justify the trophy? Even if it turns your stomach. Cause at some point, we start looking less like proud fans and more like butt sore whiners.
Click to expand...

Speaking of whining, think the Negavols are fans of such a trophy? :)
 
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#25
#25
Hairy Vols said:
I'd like to have trophies for every rivalry game. Maybe they could make a trophy with a coal reference for us and Kentucky. It would make sense. Idk what it would be tho.
Click to expand...

How many working coal mines you all got in your neck of the woods? I haven't been up there in awhile. But if there are a few on our side of the line? A gold plated coal shovel might be a cool replacement until somebody raises Hell about it promoting black lung.
 
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