Non Conference Rival

[VFL-82-JP]

Yes, Bristol was a ball for sure !!!
Your idea about the 3yr rotation is the most logical one I've seen when people talk of doing a game in Bristol again.
Next best idea was to make it an every 3 or 4 year event with a different opponent from the region, such as Virginia, WVU, NC, NC State, etc.

I like the idea of keeping it as a rotational event. But maybe instead of every 3 years, I'd prefer like once a decade or so. Keep it unusual enough that it stays a Big Event. Special. Noteworthy. Generational.

50 years from now, have Vols and Va Tech fans bragging about how they've attended 2, or 3, or even all 5 Battles of Bristol. That kind of monumental.

And don't rotate it to include other teams, no. I know there was talk about that at one point. But no, Bristol is the halfway mark of Tennessee-Virginia Tech. Those ought to be the two playing, every single time.

Go Vols!

 

[RDU VOL#14]

Richmond here and work with tons of VT fans. Have never had this sentiment from them - even during Battle at Bristol.

They were awful to me, my wife and entire tailgate walking to the game. I was pretty shocked considering that I had the same opinion going into that game at Bristol.

 

[VFL-82-JP]

They were awful to me, my wife and entire tailgate walking to the game. I was pretty shocked considering that I had the same opinion going into that game at Bristol.

Yah, one of my best buddies back in the early 90s was a fellow Army officer who graduated from Va Tech. As well as we got along, he (and his wife, even) could get pretty obnoxious and downright rude--even crude--about football.

Note, they didn't dislike Tennessee so much as they disliked any team or fan that wasn't a Hokie.

 

[Sarms58]

My initial thoughts were North Carolina, West Virginia or Virginia Tech. All close enough to be border rivals. But Pitt as an annual rival would be cool, too. Call it the Johnny Majors Classic and play it in September every season.

 

[OrngeJuiceJones]

Coastal Carolina, let's turn Myrtle Beach orange. Cool trip, golf too

 

[RDU VOL#14]

.

 

[Southeastern VFL]

Penn State

I wouldn't mind playing Penn St. at there place. The have a really good game day atmosphere and even tho they have beat us the last few times the games have always been competitive except for the one in Tempe which was for a half then they took us apart in the 2nd half.

 

[Manchester Vol]

Vandy

 

[Brave Volunteer]

I wouldn't mind playing Penn St. at there place. The have a really good game day atmosphere and even tho they have beat us the last few times the games have always been competitive except for the one in Tempe which was for a half then they took us apart in the 2nd half.

Ugh, don't remind me! And I remember the TV announcers talked the entire first half about how there was no way Penn State could compete with our team speed. Which at the time was code for "Penn State has way too many white players to compete." Well...there's no other way of saying it. That was an ass whipping in the 2nd half.

 

[Southeastern VFL]

Ugh, don't remind me! And I remember the TV announcers talked the entire first half about how there was no way Penn State could compete with our team speed. Which at the time was code for "Penn State has way too many white players to compete." Well...there's no other way of saying it. That was an ass whipping in the 2nd half.

I will never the sport caster on ABC News Channel 9 out of Chattanooga at the time he was excited and ready to go and well needless to say on the 11 o'clock he was speechless. There is no doubt about it they left no doubt what so ever who the better team was.

 

[Elhanan]

West Virginia would be cool. Smaller fan base but they got a lot of spirit it seems.

 

[HuntlandVolinColo]

Vandy

Sewanee

 

[Brave Volunteer]

West Virginia would be cool. Smaller fan base but they got a lot of spirit it seems.

I want WV in the SEC. I think if we expand beyond Texas and Oklahoma, I would like to see us add West Virginia and Oklahoma State.

 

[HuntlandVolinColo]

I want WV in the SEC. I think if we expand beyond Texas and Oklahoma, I would like to see us add West Virginia and Oklahoma State.

Sounds good except that it would actually reduce average revenue per team, especially since we already have the state of OK covered with the Sooners team.

I would like NC or VT but that would make it somewhat harder for TN to raid those states of elite players. But it would be good from a TV revenue standpoint and NC is a "blueblood" program, at least from a bball standpoint.

 

[volfan2024]

Michigan, wife’s home state .

 

[volfan2024]

UCLA second west coast relatives

 

[csheaton]

UCLA and Notre dame are classic non conference rivals for UT. I think Virginia Tech could become that if we continue the series. Would love to see it.

 

[Vol in Buckeye Land]

Sewanee

Heck, bring back the series with Maryville College after a century long hiatus. You’d have the mother of all traffic jams for Blount County, MC could raise their entire athletic budget off that one game every two years, UT could set records for scoring, and I’d have the strange experience of rooting against the Big Orange for the first time ever (MC class of ‘14 — Orange, garnet float forever!).

UT got its first football victory ever against the Scots back in 1892, at Maryville I believe. Maybe that’s what we need to reset and get back to winning form.

 

[PlanetVolunteer]

Richmond here and work with tons of VT fans. Have never had this sentiment from them - even during Battle at Bristol.

I'm from Lynchburg VA and my whole life Tech fans have been awful. I live in TN now, but lord they're a bunch of pseudo-redneck hokie pokey birds thinking they're better than UT and that the ACC is comparable. I was GIDDY when we best them in 2016.