Rivalry?

#27
#27
vol2002 said:
Our record head to head with Florida since the divisional era began would suggest we aren't their rival according to some of the arguments above.
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Agree. The logic is sound and consistent. It had gotten to the point where many UF fans and players didn't see Tennessee as a rival....we were just an automatic win. Now that we finally won, the rivalry from their point of view can begin to be renewed. We win again next year and it's definitely on. To have a rivalry, both teams have to win some, both teams have to lose some. Can't be a hammer and nail situation which is all the Ky and Vandy series have been. Our games with them are "series", not "rivalries" IMO.
 
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#28
#28
Thunder Good-Oil said:
I'd consider every team in the SEC a rival. Plus several others outside of the conference with a history... such as UCLA and GA Tech. Those three that you mentioned are IMO the biggest rivalries. Memphis and Vandy are tiny rivalries although Vandy was once big. Alabama might not consider TN to be a big rivalry if things don't soon shift in favor of TN.
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You forget Auburn (who was a bigger rival than UF and others prior to the division split) and Ole Miss (who we played pretty much every year - a lot of the time in Memphis - going right into before the division's were split). Also Kentucky - the beer barrel and what not.
 
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#29
#29
KBVol said:
Plus 1.....USC isn't remotely a rival. We have 3 constant annual rivals....Georgia, Florida, Alabama.
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I wouldn't even put UGA in the "major" / "historic" in the rivalry department yet. We've only played, what, 45 total times? And a little over half of those (24) came after the division split in 1992.


It's an important game each year, yes, but that doesn't necessarily makes us the main rivals to each other either.
 
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#31
#31
BJSforVols said:
Yes. I'm older I guess. I was around during the Ray Goff era, and UGA has just never been a real threat in all honesty unless TN is down. Living in middle TN probably has a lot to do with Vandy. The fans they have around Nashville are ridiculous. Vandy always seems to play us better than they should too.
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Yes, and George Cafego and Joe Thompson detested Vandy, so that's good enough for me. :loco:
 
#32
#32
Let's not be so smug. Just a few yrs ago we were celebrating beating these guys. Respect your opponent.
 
#33
#33
HuntlandVolinColo said:
Tennessee Rivalry Pecking Order:

Alabama
Vanderbilt
Auburn - inactive
Georgia Tech - inactive
Ole Miss - inactive
Kentucky
Florida
Georgia
Arkansas
USCeast
Mizzou
Sewanee
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For me the list is:
Bama
Florida
Georgia
Vandy
Kentucky
USCjr
Auburn
LSU
UCLA
ga tech
Then maybe Missouri and I guess Clemson for whatever reason in recruiting.

That's just me.
 
#35
#35
It is the same way how Bama and Florida sees us. When u beat some one 10 times in a row, it loses its "rivalry" charm but we still see them as rivals. To the media, if it is 50 - 50 in the last decade or so, they become more interesting rivals.
 
#36
#36
BJSforVols said:
I don't consider UGA a rivalry, but I do Vandy. I live in the middle TN area though. My three in order are Bama, FL, and Vandy.
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I've lived in Georgia for 17 years. They're in top 3 for me.
 
#37
#37
This entire thread comes down to semantics. Specifically, how do you define "rival" and "rivalry"?

My personal definition of rival has always been a lot like this one: "A competitor with the same goal as us, striving to attain the same thing on a recurring basis."

In that sense, every team in the SEC East is our rival, because they are competitors (whether good or bad at it) with the same goal as us (win the East, get to Atlanta). Yes, even Mizzou, though this new rivalry has not yet had time to develop any real weight or history.

And since we and Bama compete regularly for the same thing (SEC Championship), that makes them a rival as well.

Anyone we play less frequently (Auburn, Mississippi State, Ole Miss) or who has departed the SEC (Georgia Tech) is an historic rival, but not so much one today.

Define it however you like. But be consistent in your definition: if the competition has to be close for it to be a rivalry (which is why many of you eliminate Vandy and UK as rivals), then is Bama really our rival today? Something to chew on, if you're being honest with your own definitions....
 
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#38
#38
Bama - cause it's the best rivalry in the country
Florida - rivalry that's relatively new but they have made us their ***** and we need to dig out.
Georgia - long standing rivalry
Candy - instate rivals whether you like it or not. See FL above.
Kentucky - many don't remember the battle for the beer barrel.
 
#39
#39
VFL-82-JP said:
This entire thread comes down to semantics. Specifically, how do you define "rival" and "rivalry"?

My personal definition of rival has always been a lot like this one: "A competitor with the same goal as us, striving to attain the same thing on a recurring basis."

In that sense, every team in the SEC East is our rival, because they are competitors (whether good or bad at it) with the same goal as us (win the East, get to Atlanta). Yes, even Mizzou, though this new rivalry has not yet had time to develop any real weight or history.

And since we and Bama compete regularly for the same thing (SEC Championship), that makes them a rival as well.

Anyone we play less frequently (Auburn, Mississippi State, Ole Miss) or who has departed the SEC (Georgia Tech) is an historic rival, but not so much one today.

Define it however you like. But be consistent in your definition: if the competition has to be close for it to be a rivalry (which is why many of you eliminate Vandy and UK as rivals), then is Bama really our rival today? Something to chew on, if you're being honest with your own definitions....
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Well, shat.
 
#40
#40
TrueOrange said:
I wouldn't even put UGA in the "major" / "historic" in the rivalry department yet. We've only played, what, 45 total times? And a little over half of those (24) came after the division split in 1992.


It's an important game each year, yes, but that doesn't necessarily makes us the main rivals to each other either.
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I don't understand the "number of times that we've played threshold" theory. What does it matter if we've played 20 games or 100 games? To me, it's the importance of the game and the competitiveness that matters most in determining the rivalry. Georgia more than checks the box on both.

We've played them 46 times and narrowly lead the series 23-21-2. And pretty much every year, it's s knockdown dragout type of game that has significant bearing on who gets a chance to play in the SECCG. That's a rivalry game to me.
 
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#41
#41
VFL-82-JP said:
This entire thread comes down to semantics. Specifically, how do you define "rival" and "rivalry"?

My personal definition of rival has always been a lot like this one: "A competitor with the same goal as us, striving to attain the same thing on a recurring basis."

In that sense, every team in the SEC East is our rival, because they are competitors (whether good or bad at it) with the same goal as us (win the East, get to Atlanta). Yes, even Mizzou, though this new rivalry has not yet had time to develop any real weight or history.

And since we and Bama compete regularly for the same thing (SEC Championship), that makes them a rival as well.

Anyone we play less frequently (Auburn, Mississippi State, Ole Miss) or who has departed the SEC (Georgia Tech) is an historic rival, but not so much one today.

Define it however you like. But be consistent in your definition: if the competition has to be close for it to be a rivalry (which is why many of you eliminate Vandy and UK as rivals), then is Bama really our rival today? Something to chew on, if you're being honest with your own definitions....
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Add another element IMO. Rivals aren't necessarily mutual.

For example, we are Vandy's biggest rival, hands down, no? But they aren't remotely a "rival" for us IMO. They're more a nusance. We typically beat them 8 or 9 times out of 10, and we definitely do not have the same goals for our respective seasons. They're trying win 4, 5 or, GOD forbid, 6 games so they can go play in a bowl game, lol. Obviously, we're trying to win the East and get to Atlanta.

As far as Bama, history and tradition tells us all we need to know about this rivalry. It's a series of streaks and we're due one, soon, to return the favor.

And like I said, it's not always mutual in a given time period. I doubt too many associated with Bama feel like we're a top rival right now, while all Vol fans know they're one of ours. But, like Florida this year, I think their thought process changes once we beat them again and play a factor in whether or not they reach their goals.
 
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#43
#43
KBVol said:
Vandy and Kentucky?? No. They're virtually automatic annual wins and teams we have play to close out the season. Nuances yes, rivals no. Nothing more, nothing less. We have 3 legit rivals....UF, UGA and Bama.
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BS! I live on the KY state line. There is a loathing for our little sisters from the north that people from Union county and south would never understand. I hate the Cats just as much, if not more than FL and AL. I definitely hate them more than AU and GA. Every win against them is a feather in my hat and I always make a special trip across the state line sporting orange after a win. It NEVER gets old.

The people in Knoxville and surrounding counties don't have to put with KY, Vandy,and GA fans all day every day like some of the rest of us do. You've got a three or four county buffer. Consider yourselves lucky. Did I mention I hate KY?
 
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#44
#44
kentucky sucks said:
BS! I live on the KY state line. There is a loathing for our little sisters from the north that people from Union county and south would never understand. I hate the Cats just as much, if not more than FL and AL. I definitely hate them more than AU and GA. Every win against them is a feather in my hat and I always make a special trip across the state line sporting orange after a win. It NEVER gets old.

The people in Knoxville and surrounding counties don't have to put with KY, Vandy,and GA fans all day every day like some of the rest of us do. You've got a three or four county buffer. Consider yourselves lucky. Did I mention I hate KY?
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You'll always hate the fan base where you live because you'll have to deal with them. That's where I'm at with South Carolina
 
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#45
#45
I define a rivalry as having a mutual level of hate. There also has to be a certain proximity between fan bases involved.

Based on that, who's a rival is debatable.

I dont consider Tennessee a rival because of a lack of interaction between fan bases.

If you dont take **** from friends, family, co-workers, neighbors, etc., after a loss...it's not a rivalry
 
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#46
#46
South Carolina is not, nor will ever be, a rival. Vandy is not a rival. Kentucky is not a rival. The historical record and competitive results are clear: we are a top ten program with six national titles and a long history of beating the hell out of those three. I'm not even sure their all time winning percentages are over 50-55%. Just because we have fallen a bit over the last 10 years doesn't mean we should slum with those fellas.

Our rivals are Florida, Bama, and Georgia. And to a lesser extent Auburn. I wish we played them more.
 
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#47
#47
99gator said:
I define a rivalry as having a mutual level of hate. There also has to be a certain proximity involved.

Based on that, who's a rival is debatable.

I dont consider Tennessee a rival for this reason.

If you dont take **** from friends, family, co-workers, neighbors, etc., after a loss...it's not a rivalry
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I'm not understanding this.

Is my reading comprehension lacking?
 
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