3 permanent rivals

[LynchburgTNVol]

First off I wanted to plug another thread. If you are not reading the thread by peaygolf counting down his list of 250 Volunteers, you are doing yourself a disservice. It's some great knowledge of each player along with walking some of us down memory lane.

On another note, I read an interesting article that proposed the SEC moving to a nine game conference schedule that would include 3 permanent rivals.It claimed the pods and keeping the divisions were 2 unlikely options. I realize we have played Bama, Kentucky, and Vanderbilt over 100 times. We used to have amazingly, heated games against Auburn and Ole Miss and no one can ignore the rivalries we have built with Florida and Georgia since the nineties. I say all this to see if YOU were the one calling the shots, what 3 permanent rivals would you choose and why? (Thanks in advance to everyone's two cents.) Go Vols!

 

[wtmvol]

We should play Vandy home and away, and Missouri would be the other

 

[SayNoToJorts]

UF, Bama, UGA in that order

 

[orangefloyd]

I wouldn’t have permanent rivals just rotate everybody.

 

[BigOrangeTrain]

Well seeings how the playoff system we currently have doesn’t count strength of schedule, I would say Vandy, Kentucky and South Carolina as permanent rivals.

 

[livefaith]

The less permanent annual games the better, IMO. There are dozens of intriguing collegiate matchups, yet we play Vandy, KY, USCjr etc every single year forever. Boring if you ask me.

How about Kansas, or Minnesota, or Duke, or Michigan State etc etc etc etc?

 

[LynchburgTNVol]

Well seeings how the playoff system we currently have doesn’t count strength of schedule, I would say Vandy, Kentucky and South Carolina as permanent rivals.

I was thinking along these same lines. I definitely think we would be grouped with Vandy because of the in-state rivalry. Kentucky is a border rivalry and used to be the beer barrel game. Normally these two opponents should be easy wins. I realize Kentucky is arguably at its peak right now, but I believe they will come back down to earth quickly. (Plus it seems we always have their number.) In order to keep things interesting and not boring as one other poster stated, I believe you have to keep Bama. I'm not sure I'd know what to do come the "Third Saturday in October" if the Vols weren't playing the Tide. Plus I like the old saying of... you have to beat the man to be the man. I want the opportunity to knock off the Tide even if it only comes around 15 years or so. Hopefully it will become more frequent of an occurrence soon.

 

[LynchburgTNVol]

UF, Bama, UGA in that order

In my heart of hearts, I love this answer. I just think with other teams like Kentucky and Vandy not having many games they consider rivalries that those two would probably get put with us. The third permanent rival I think would be the key debate.

 

[BigOrangeTrain]

I was thinking along these same lines. I definitely think we would be grouped with Vandy because of the in-state rivalry. Kentucky is a border rivalry and used to be the beer barrel game. Normally these two opponents should be easy wins. I realize Kentucky is arguably at its peak right now, but I believe they will come back down to earth quickly. (Plus it seems we always have their number.) In order to keep things interesting and not boring as one other poster stated, I believe you have to keep Bama. I'm not sure I'd know what to do come the "Third Saturday in October" if the Vols weren't playing the Tide. Plus I like the old saying of... you have to beat the man to be the man. I want the opportunity to knock off the Tide even if it only comes around 15 years or so. Hopefully it will become more frequent of an occurrence soon.

I had a hard time leaving Bama off my list. And while some may see it as cowardice, I don’t anymore. Again, if strength of schedule actually mattered then I would have said UF, UGA and Bama be the permanent rivals. But SOS doesn’t matter so I say give us the easiest 3 rivals.

 

[77' Vol]

Kentucky, Florida and Mississippi "The Kraft Mustard Bowl". All of these would be prime time games.

 

[Volfan1000]

Alabama, Florida and Georgia for recruiting purposes.

We are playing these teams closer in baseball and basketball right now.

 

[MAD]

Ole Miss, Gators & Kentucky

Those 3 feel like the most heated rivalries at the moment.

 

[NighthawkVol]

First off I wanted to plug another thread. If you are not reading the thread by peaygolf counting down his list of 250 Volunteers, you are doing yourself a disservice. It's some great knowledge of each player along with walking some of us down memory lane.

On another note, I read an interesting article that proposed the SEC moving to a nine game conference schedule that would include 3 permanent rivals.It claimed the pods and keeping the divisions were 2 unlikely options. I realize we have played Bama, Kentucky, and Vanderbilt over 100 times. We used to have amazingly, heated games against Auburn and Ole Miss and no one can ignore the rivalries we have built with Florida and Georgia since the nineties. I say all this to see if YOU were the one calling the shots, what 3 permanent rivals would you choose and why? (Thanks in advance to everyone's two cents.) Go Vols!

Alabama, Kentucky, and Vanderbilt. I don’t really think it’s all that debatable. Florida and Georgia aren’t nearly as long-standing. Auburn was a bigger rival than both before the 1992 division split. In fact, prior to 1992, we had played Georgia Tech and North Carolina both more than either Florida or Georgia. Also, Ole Miss was an every year rival before 1992 and we might STILL have played more games against them than Georgia or Florida.

Florida and Georgia are rivals simply because of the SEC East. Without that division existing, the rivalry dissipates.

 

[Mccage]

First off I wanted to plug another thread. If you are not reading the thread by peaygolf counting down his list of 250 Volunteers, you are doing yourself a disservice. It's some great knowledge of each player along with walking some of us down memory lane.

On another note, I read an interesting article that proposed the SEC moving to a nine game conference schedule that would include 3 permanent rivals.It claimed the pods and keeping the divisions were 2 unlikely options. I realize we have played Bama, Kentucky, and Vanderbilt over 100 times. We used to have amazingly, heated games against Auburn and Ole Miss and no one can ignore the rivalries we have built with Florida and Georgia since the nineties. I say all this to see if YOU were the one calling the shots, what 3 permanent rivals would you choose and why? (Thanks in advance to everyone's two cents.) Go Vols!

We will get to choose ours after Bama and Ga. Chooses theirs. That will mean we get to choose one. I pick Vandy.

 

[Jaxon_Vol2017]

I think we should be Alabama, Vandy and Kentucky. Been rivals with them the longest.

 

[VOLINVONORE]

First off I wanted to plug another thread. If you are not reading the thread by peaygolf counting down his list of 250 Volunteers, you are doing yourself a disservice. It's some great knowledge of each player along with walking some of us down memory lane.

On another note, I read an interesting article that proposed the SEC moving to a nine game conference schedule that would include 3 permanent rivals.It claimed the pods and keeping the divisions were 2 unlikely options. I realize we have played Bama, Kentucky, and Vanderbilt over 100 times. We used to have amazingly, heated games against Auburn and Ole Miss and no one can ignore the rivalries we have built with Florida and Georgia since the nineties. I say all this to see if YOU were the one calling the shots, what 3 permanent rivals would you choose and why? (Thanks in advance to everyone's two cents.) Go Vols!

Alabama, Kentucky, and Vandy. Those are the original rivals and I have been watching Tennessee play since 1945. Next on my list would be Auburn because it was always a battle when we played them every year.

 

[Jaxon_Vol2017]

Alabama, Kentucky, and Vandy. Those are the original rivals and I have been watching Tennessee play since 1945. Next on my list would be Auburn because it was always a battle when we played hem every year.

I think my #4 would be Florida. I literally HATE everything to do with that trash program.

 

[LynchburgTNVol]

Alabama, Kentucky, and Vanderbilt. I don’t really think it’s all that debatable. Florida and Georgia aren’t nearly as long-standing. Auburn was a bigger rival than both before the 1992 division split. In fact, prior to 1992, we had played Georgia Tech and North Carolina both more than either Florida or Georgia. Also, Ole Miss was an every year rival before 1992 and we might STILL have played more games against them than Georgia or Florida.

Florida and Georgia are rivals simply because of the SEC East. Without that division existing, the rivalry dissipates.

I appreciate your reasoning. I thought this exact way for the same reasons, but I didn't want to put it in the original post to sway any opinions. I truly think there's no debate. It should be AL, KY, and Vandy.

 

[LynchburgTNVol]

Alabama, Kentucky, and Vandy. Those are the original rivals and I have been watching Tennessee play since 1945. Next on my list would be Auburn because it was always a battle when we played hem every year.

God bless you sir! The amazing talent that you've seen through the years. Saying I'm jealous is a huge understatement!

 

[Berry4Heisman14]

Vandy Kentucky Florida. No more Alabama please it’s a automatic 1 loss for us every year. Then again florida is too

 

[Vfl2407]

Vandy Kentucky Florida. No more Alabama please it’s a automatic 1 loss for us every year. Then again florida is too

We have to keep Vandy and Kentucky because, for both of them, we are their top and basically only rival and the game they most want to win.
The Vols, of course, consider Bama, UF, and UGA our biggest rivals.
I see no way they wouldn’t pair us with Vandy, UK, and Bama.

 

[FlyFishnVol]

First off I wanted to plug another thread. If you are not reading the thread by peaygolf counting down his list of 250 Volunteers, you are doing yourself a disservice. It's some great knowledge of each player along with walking some of us down memory lane.

On another note, I read an interesting article that proposed the SEC moving to a nine game conference schedule that would include 3 permanent rivals.It claimed the pods and keeping the divisions were 2 unlikely options. I realize we have played Bama, Kentucky, and Vanderbilt over 100 times. We used to have amazingly, heated games against Auburn and Ole Miss and no one can ignore the rivalries we have built with Florida and Georgia since the nineties. I say all this to see if YOU were the one calling the shots, what 3 permanent rivals would you choose and why? (Thanks in advance to everyone's two cents.) Go Vols!

Vandy, Ky and Bama

 

[rdk4121]

If there's 3 permanent rivals it is going to be Vandy, Kentucky, and Bama. I'm certainly not opposed to Florida being one of the 3. Don't care that much about Georgia. But for historic purposes, those first 3 are the obvious answer.

 

[unfrozencvmanvol]

First off I wanted to plug another thread. If you are not reading the thread by peaygolf counting down his list of 250 Volunteers, you are doing yourself a disservice. It's some great knowledge of each player along with walking some of us down memory lane.

On another note, I read an interesting article that proposed the SEC moving to a nine game conference schedule that would include 3 permanent rivals.It claimed the pods and keeping the divisions were 2 unlikely options. I realize we have played Bama, Kentucky, and Vanderbilt over 100 times. We used to have amazingly, heated games against Auburn and Ole Miss and no one can ignore the rivalries we have built with Florida and Georgia since the nineties. I say all this to see if YOU were the one calling the shots, what 3 permanent rivals would you choose and why? (Thanks in advance to everyone's two cents.) Go Vols!

This has been the situation ever since the spring meetings. The conference is down to either a 3-6-6 model (everyone has 3 permanent rivals, and rotates the other 12, 6 and 6) OR 1-7-7 (everyone has 1 permanent rival and rotates the other 14, 7 and 7).

 

[dduncan4163]

Florida, Bama, CanTurkey in that order. I just don't care about Vandy.