Is Bama UTs Biggest Rival?

#77
#77
I am 21 and I grew up watching games with my grandfather and seeing him despise everything crimson. Most people my age see Florida as our biggest rival, I don't. To me, Alabama is our biggest rival.
 
#79
#79
BigOrange15 said:
I am 21 and I grew up watching games with my grandfather and seeing him despise everything crimson. Most people my age see Florida as our biggest rival, I don't. To me, Alabama is our biggest rival.
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I'm glad to see a younger fan who prefers to beat Alabama. Most UT fans who choose Alabama are at least 35 years old. We didn't even play Florida on an annual basis until I was 17, and they weren't any good before Spurrier unless they were cheating.

A lot of my strongest memories of UT football growing up relate to the Alabama games between 1982 and 1985, when we beat them all four times.

And Georgia? Forget it. They're just another good team we have to beat. We never had any rivalry whatsoever with them until Richt. Hardly ever played them before '92, and when we did, it was always when one was good and one was down. No one under 35 would ever imagine that we once had a far bigger rivalry with Georgia Tech, a team we haven't even played since '87.
 
#80
#80
I have had this argument with my Vol friends many times. You guys should ALWAYS worry about beating Bama more than you ever worry about beating us.

I think it is an age thing. People 40 and under, as suggested above, think Florida is Tennessee's chief rival. We aren't nor should we be. You guys worry about us too much as it is imo.

This is the same argument Florida fans have. The over 40 crowd says Georgia is our biggest rival, the under 40 says FSU.

I also didn't realize that Florida holds the all-time lead in the UT series at a slim 21-19.
 
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#81
#81
The Waco Kid said:
I have had this argument with my Vol friends many times. You guys should ALWAYS worry about beating Bama more than you ever worry about beating us.

I think it is an age thing. People 40 and under, as suggested above, think Florida is Tennessee's chief rival. We aren't nor should we be. You guys worry about us too much as it is imo.

This is the same argument Florida fans have. The over 40 crowd says Georgia is our biggest rival, the under 40 says FSU.

I also didn't realize that Florida holds the all-time lead in the UT series at a slim 21-19.
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I think that's a big generalization. I don't think it will take that long for that to change, either.
 
#82
#82
I graduated in 97' (same year as Manning). I saw us snap the Bama steak with the Manning Pass to Joey Kent to start the game, and realize what a big rivalry it is.

However, I will have to say that I consider UF our biggest rival for a few reasons.

1) Manning was 0-4 which fuels fan hatred to beat a team
2) We had to finally beat UF to win the National Title in 98
3) For 10 years the SEC EAST Title was decided largely by the UT /UF game

Of course, i wasn't a UT fan back when UT/BAMA was the bigger game.
 
#83
#83
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#84
#84
Without question.

When there is a book entitled "Third Saturday in September" we'll talk Fla.
 
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#85
#85
Florida is important and must win to win the east along with Georgia. I don't care for either especially gator fans. But bama is and always will be our biggest rival no matter what. Beating bama is as good as an sec championship win. To make their fans mad and upset is priceless cause most of them are self serving, arrogant people with no teeth or too much money and not enough sense. Besides being a tennessee fan you should never cheer for bama unless it is because they lost.
 
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#86
#86
The Bama/Tennessee rivalry flame is carried by the Tennessee fans...in the same way that Memphis thinks that the Vols are a rival. Alabama/Auburn...that's all they ever care about.
 
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#87
#87
The generational thing between bammer and Florida is true in my family.

I am an old fart, 56. My daughter is 17.

I despise everything bammer. I want them to lose EVERY game they ever play. I do NOT care what it means in the SEC, BCS or any other situation. I want us to beat them 5,000-0 every time we play them. I ALWAYS root for whoever bammer is playing. Every time.

My daughter has the same feeling for Florida. We live near Orlando, so there are obviously Gator fans all around us. Heck, I have two brothers who are Gator fans. They are the black sheep of the family. In 2011, my daughter and I were at the UT-Florida game at the sewer about 100 miles north of us. It was the game when Justin Hunter blew out his knee. In the middle of the third quarter, Florida was starting to pull away and it was getting obvious that we weren't going to get a miracle and get out of there with a win. There was an obnoxious Florida fan a couple of rows in front of us. (I know, that is redundant, saying obnoxious Florida fan, but this guy was over the top.) He kept saying, "Tennessee sucks" and such as that. I ignored it and found this guy rather amusing, actually. He was one of those fans who embarrass other fans of the same team. My daughter, who was only 15 at the time had enough and yelled to him, "No they don't" after one of those "Tennessee sucks" brilliant statements from the goofball. That sort of shut the guy up at least for a little while, but a few minutes later, my daughter turned to me and said, "Dad, Florida is my alabama." I smiled and hugged her neck and said, "I understand, sweetie. I understand."

P.S. To school today, she wore an Orange shirt that said, "100% Vol Girl." Raise up a child in the way she should go and when she is old, she will not depart from it. #GBO #VFL

:bammer:
 
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#88
#88
Until we make it a rival and beat Bama then we will be number 2. Auburn will always be Bama's 1 rival. We don't understand what it is like to play an in state team that is consistantly good... and we all know Vandy and Memphis consistantly sucks. Our biggest rival now is got to be UGA or USC jr.
 
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#89
#89
I haven't been down here but 10 years. I would call the Bama game bigger than any other SEC opps.
 
#90
#90
jakez4ut said:
i would argue the FL/UGA is more important that either of those games mentioned above in today's atmosphere...that could change very quickly obviously....

While FL gets my blood boiling, no doubt, UGA never has. I mean i don't like them, but i still usually expect to beat UGA....we beat them 9 straight games. they beat us 4 or 5. We got a huge upset while they were in the top 3 in Athens in 04...it's shaping up to be a good rivalry and is.....but i digress. the Florida rivalry while i hate the gators, we all HATED spurrier more. he was the one that reall got our blood boiling. Fulmer vs. Spurrier was the headline more times than it was Vols vs. Gators. And admit it...since Spurrier left Florida, that game just hasn't had the same zeal it had in the 90's. Still very heated, still means a ton to the conf. standings, we don't like them, they don't like us...all true. but i for one would have liked Fulmer to have a chance to gain some ground on Spurrier after that 2001 season. leaving when he did, even though we beat him last, he still had 4 games on him with his departure...and low and behold, it's now grown to 5. Take USC for example...there's no real rivalry there, but it's Spurrier vs. Fulmer once again...can Phil ever turn the tide, pardon the pun, on the 'ol ball coach? hope so.

that is not the case with Bama. it's crimson vs. oragne. Smokey vs the big dumb elephant. it IS TIDE vs. VOLS. there is no one figure or player that got our blood boiling. you know what gets the blood boiling for TN fans? the incessant chanting of "roll tide, roll tide, roll tide". ugh. It's bama fans holding up 4, 5, 6, 7's on cards during the streak in the 80's and early 90's. it's Jay Barker and Gene STallings smoking cigars after beating us. It's the TN football team singing "we don't give a damn about the whole state of alabama, 'cause we're from Tennessee" after we beat them. i'm sure some Bama fans would tell you that "Rocky top" has caused a few profanity laden outbursts as well. Bama just boils down to good old hatred. No need to have anything on the line. We simply don't like each other and each October, we both draw lines in the sand and say "bring it".

oh...i'm ready. go vols.:rock:
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I'll chime in. I'd rather beat UT than any school. Auburn has crept up the scale a notch since the $cam Newton thing but, after having traveled TN on business for years, and listening to K'ville sports talk radio, UT's my #1 rival. 70% of UGA fans would put UF at the top. Probably another 20% would say Awbarn. The rest would be split between UT, USCe and the rest. Can't really say why, I just love to beat UT. That's why I originally visited this board.:hi:
 
#91
#91
CardassianVol said:
This last year made the third straight SEC Championship Game that I refused to watch.Posted via VolNation Mobile
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Even though we wound up on the losing end, I think most CFB fans would say it was one of the most exciting conference championship games ever. I've traveled the country and, when people find out I'm from GA, they talk about what a great game that was. I was in Puerto Rico two weeks after the game and met 3 different people who said similar. Could have gone either way. Wish we'd had a chance at ND. Maybe next year.:clap:
 
#92
#92
i'll just say briefly that i don't dislike tennessee.

but, the tennessee game is the most frustrating game on the schedule. it doesn't matter how often florida wins, how large a margin they win by, etc, etc, etc.

tennessee should have won the game. almost every single year, that's all i hear. tennessee had the better team and got screwed or played poorly that day. or florida got lucky. or if it hadn't have been for this or that.....tennessee would have won. damn near every year.

florida's had games where they hung 62 and 59 and i still heard tennessee should have won.
 
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#93
#93
BAMA. Don't get me wrong, I hate UF and the divisional format has made it the big "early game to win or the season is over" kind of game but...BAMA!

Beating BAMA is a satisfying season in and of itself.
 
#94
#94
It depends on where you live....


Id say most Vol fans anywhere would say Bama...

However, Bama fans In Alabama would say Auburn, Bama fans in Tennessee would say Tennessee.
 
#95
#95
The answer is yes to me because the term "rival" implies a longstanding fued with rich history and tradition. That doesn't exist with Florida. When I was a boy learning to love the Vols we didn't even play Florida. However, being in the Air Force for 21 years I have made friends with several fans of both schools and here is my take on the two: Alabama fans are just like us in that they love their team and football is their heart and soul. They are completely irrational on every level because of tradition. Florida fans are different. They love their team but lack the tradition necessary for it to be their heart and soul. I would also say that Alabama fans are better people as a whole. The reason we hate them is because of the rivalry and the success they have had. The reason we hate Florida is that they have prevented us from having success and their fans suck. So I think Alabama is our biggest rival. But that doesn't mean I hate them the most...If the state of Florida sank tomorrow the world would be a better place!
 
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#96
#96
volgrl said:
The Bama/Tennessee rivalry flame is carried by the Tennessee fans...in the same way that Memphis thinks that the Vols are a rival. Alabama/Auburn...that's all they ever care about.
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Wrong. Go to Birmingham with a Phil Fulmer For President shirt on and see how they feel about UT.

Bama hates us. They were bred to hate Auburn......



They choose to hate UT.
 
#97
#97
Fighting Possum said:
The answer is yes to me because the term "rival" implies a longstanding fued with rich history and tradition. That doesn't exist with Florida. When I was a boy learning to love the Vols we didn't even play Florida. However, being in the Air Force for 21 years I have made friends with several fans of both schools and here is my take on the two: Alabama fans are just like us in that they love their team and football is their heart and soul. They are completely irrational on every level because of tradition. Florida fans are different. They love their team but lack the tradition necessary for it to be their heart and soul. I would also say that Alabama fans are better people as a whole. The reason we hate them is because of the rivalry and the success they have had. The reason we hate Florida is that they have prevented us from having success and their fans suck. So I think Alabama is our biggest rival. But that doesn't mean I hate them the most...If the state of Florida sank tomorrow the world would be a better place!
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this is part of the reason florida fans are the way they are
 
#98
#98
Historically, our best seasons overall have also been years we beat the Bammers. Sure, division play made FL and GA every year opponents and rivals too, but as much as it pains me to say it, AL is still THE team to beat for the SEC, the BCS, and most of all for UT.
 
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#99
#99
I went to UT in the late 90's so I consider Florida our biggest. I realize we have not faired well against them lately but once we start winning again, this will be the game again everyone waits for
 
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