Pick Our Rivals

[johnboyhunter]

Should alternate Alabama every 2nd or 3rd year and interchange with another west team. Right now it’s an automatic L for us. Florida doesn’t have them on their schedule.

 

[johnboyhunter]

It may not be a rivalry to you but Fla is public enemy #1 in our state. Some of us would trade a whole season of L's for that 1 win, especially if Fla is on top at the time. I talked cash ish for 2yrs straight after the 2016 win. Still to this day Fla is the only team I've seen us tear down goal posts after beating. That game means alot to us

I’ve been at 2 games where we tore down goal posts in the mid 80s. Doesn’t happen enough these days. Guess it’s dangerous. But then again back then we road in my grandpas truck windows up while he smoked unfiltered camels with no seat belts.

 

[JRich]

I have always said that a rivalry has to have implications in your back yard. As such, Florida-Tennessee has never been a rivalry.

The same as the Patriots-Colts is not a rivalry. There was a period when Brady and Manning were on those teams and they played heated games with a lot of meaning. Now that they are gone, no one cares. Whereas Browns-Steelers is forever.

Same applies to Florida-Tennessee. During the 90’s when the game was meaningful, it got treated like a rivalry and people called it a rivalry. But, to me, it wasn’t. And it’s not. If South Carolina became a top 10 team and Florida and Carolina battled it out for divisional supremacy for a decade, I wouldn’t consider that a rivalry either

I don’t have to take heat from a neighbor or co-worker when Florida loses to Tennessee and if I do, it’s a Florida State or Georgia fan giving me the heat

Nice perspective!

 

[mickeyvol]

My two cents-

Alabama.
Florida.
Georgia
Vanderbilt

 

[901 Orange]

I’ve been at 2 games where we tore down goal posts in the mid 80s. Doesn’t happen enough these days. Guess it’s dangerous. But then again back then we road in my grandpas truck windows up while he smoked unfiltered camels with no seat belts.

Lmfao

 

[GTBATV]

In this hypothetical, you can't.

Because right now we have permanent, annual rivalry games with Bama, Vandy, Kentucky, Florida and Georgia (5, already busted the hypothetical limit of 4), plus USCe and Mizzou. We play those seven teams every single year.

What if we couldn't?

I would have to go big three - Bama, UGA, Florida. Toss up between Vandy and Kentucky for the fourth.

 

[IndianaVol]

Bama but that's because I'm older and understand what TSIO means to the world.
Kentucky because it's our oldest opponent and up until the 90s a pretty even matched series.
Vandy because they are instate and the reason UT hired one Robert Reece Neyland...it could be said without Candy there would be no Gen'rul and likewise Tennessee football as we know it would not exist.
My last vote was Florida, but could have went Georgia as well...in my eyes both are equal and both are our current stumbling blocks to getting back to the top.

I do like the OPs idea of that 4 team set and then rotate everyone else in a 9 game schedule. Would we make the 4 permanent does be a split between East and West or just do away with divisions and the best two records play for SEC title?

 

[VOLnMiami]

It's just not Tennessee football without Alabama on the schedule...Those of you that want it gone just do not understand the historic nature this game takes on, Yeah they have kicked our butts for several years now but the tide will turn once again "See what I did there"? and We'll be back on top of the rivalry...Just because they have kicked our butts is no reason to get rid of the game, Thats like being a sissy and taking your ball and running home because the big bully beat you up...It's my favorite game and when we start winning it again the celebrations will be epic....So stop being crybabies.

 

[Hank Bukowski]

So imagine that the SEC does away with divisions in football, and establishes a rotating 9-game SEC play slate for each year.

As part of that new alignment, each team gets 4 permanent rivals, teams they play every year. The other 5 games rotate among the remaining 9 SEC members.

Who would you pick as the 4 permanent rivals? There are cases to be made for several of them:

• Vandy is our in-state foe. And, in a nod back to the days of Neyland, our key conference rival for leadership of the SIAA, the Southern Conference and the early SEC.
• Kentucky we've played more often than any other team (111 times), and used to have a border war trophy to compete over.
• Bama is most hated foe for many of the older crowd here; it took over from Vandy as the fight for top position during the middle years of the SEC.
• Florida and Georgia have been our top rivals for SEC East lead since introduction of divisions in 1992; lot of hate for both those programs.
• Strong historic ties with Auburn. Same for Ole Miss. In fact, after Kentucky, Vandy and Bama, those are the two teams we've played most often.

But that's seven teams. Too many to all be yearly foes.

Which four would you pick?

Me, I think I'd go with Bama, Vandy, Kentucky and Auburn. But it's really hard to choose just four.

Brother, at this point, which is the lowest since Fulmer’s last year, we are at the bottom. Starting over. Everyone is our rival. Everyone, every team we play. Nowhere to go but up.

 

[Alto1]

Alabama is #1 rival. Period. Florida, Georgia is a toss up for #2..........

 

[Volunteer forever]

I’ll say KY, Vandy, Miss St, and Missouri that way UT has a chance to win a few SEC games

 

[ftsandersvol]

Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and LSU. You don't get better playing average to below-average teams.

 

[JCHateSteve]

Vandy, in state, so we have to.
UGA, border war with bad blood.
UK, see above.
Bama, that goes beyond football and dates back to the Civil War.

 

[TNnative]

Bama, Auburn Florida, Ole Miss.

 

[TNnative]

Vandy, in state, so we have to.
UGA, border war with bad blood.
UK, see above.
Bama, that goes beyond football and dates back to the Civil War.

Send Vandy to the Big 10., or the OVC.

 

[JCHateSteve]

Send Vandy to the Big 10., or the OVC.

Who should the SEC replace them with? Memphis?

 

[sona]

I don’t get the idea of we’ve got to get rid of Bama because they beat us every year, but it’s ok to keep Florida because they keep beating us every year.

Florida isn't nearly the juggernaut that bama is. We don't beat Florida, but they hardly represent the challenge that bama does.

I see Florida as the middle rung on a steep ladder. Bama is the last rung that warns you not to stand on it.

We need baby steps. Some day we will be ready to reach for the last rung but it isn't today and it isn't soon. I wish Florida played them every year.

 

[sona]

I feel like beating bama post Saban will be a hollow victory. Some team really needs to beat them while he is there. Would love to be the reason he rode off into the sunset.

 

[TNnative]

Who should the SEC replace them with? Memphis?

Hell Steve, I thought we were fine with 12.

 

[VolFreakJosh]

Georgia, Bama, and Florida are our main rivals.

Vandy and UK doesn’t matter.

 

[VFL1953]

I'm going to be the heretic again and say that I don't care that much about keeping the annual Bama game.

IMHO, having that game as a near guaranteed loss over the last 15 years has hurt UT's chances of recovery.

These days our "chances of recovery" are being hurt more by losing to Kentucky, uSC, Mizzou and even Vandy. Everybody is losing to Bama. But sure, screw tradition. Let's drop Bama and add the Pennsylvania Institute for Gynecological Studies. Go PIGS........

 

[peaygolf]

It has to Vandy as the biggest rival.

Before I get blasted, let me explain.


Bama/Auburn - each other are there biggest rival
USCe - have Clemson
Miss St/OleMis - see bama/auburn
UK - has Louisville
UGA - has UF and GaTech...........problem is with UF as a rival for UGA is .................see below
UF - has Florida State
Mizzu - has Kansas (believe they are starting to play again)
Vandy - has Tennessee

Ark, A&M, LSU, Tennessee: each of these teams have "rivals" but those rivals don't consider these teams as their biggest
rival.

A&M - has Texas, but they don't play anymore
Arkansas - ????????? Go back to the SWC
LSU - has Ole Miss and Bama, but LSU isn't their biggest rival
Tennessee - Alabama and UF. Not even close to being their biggest rival.

Hate is a strong word to use, but I will anyway. Rivals have to literally hate each other.

peaygolf HATES Mu**ay St. (See how easy it is)

 

[sjt18]

These days our "chances of recovery" are being hurt more by losing to Kentucky, uSC, Mizzou and even Vandy. Everybody is losing to Bama. But sure, screw tradition. Let's drop Bama and add the Pennsylvania Institute for Gynecological Studies. Go PIGS........

Yeah. This is the kind of stupidity I was afraid of.

 

[zeppelin128]

Bama, Florida, Georgia, and Kentucky. I just do not care one bit about playing Vandy.

If we are trying to balance out the permanent rivals and make it a bit more fair, then Bama, Georgia, Ole Miss, and Kentucky. We do have quite a bit of history with Ole Miss pre first expansion. And we could play a game sometimes in Memphis for us flatlanders over here in West TN.

 

[TNnative]

These days our "chances of recovery" are being hurt more by losing to Kentucky, uSC, Mizzou and even Vandy. Everybody is losing to Bama. But sure, screw tradition. Let's drop Bama and add the Pennsylvania Institute for Gynecological Studies. Go PIGS........

Why not the Science Hill Institute of Technology?