Would you like to see Virginia Tech become a rivalry?

Would you like UT-VT to become a rivalry?


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#51
#51
We don't need another rival, and why should we help Virginia Polytechnic Institute? Who are their rival? Virginia and East Carolina? We already get recruits from Virginia!
 
#52
#52
I wold rather see us play North Carolina more often and renew that rivalry...We do have a history against those guys and we owe them a massive butt kicking.
 
#53
#53
I am for making our "premium" non-conference game against a natural regional rival most years. For example a rotation that would include NC State, North Carolina, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, and Duke twice every decade would be pretty cool ( I know that would be 12 games in 10 years but work with me here). Over time (granted a lot of it), perhaps one of these home and homes would develop into a heck of a rivalry given the correct circumstances and said opponent could be scheduled with more frequency. Such a "regional rotation" would be fun even if a rivalry doesn't eventually come out of it. I would imagine it would also produce some great football.
 
#54
#54
Would rather renew the GT rivalry than start a new one with VT.

Of course back in the day (1891 - 1939) TN vs Sewanee was a good rivalry too. In 22 meetings, UT was 12-10 vs Sewanee.
 
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#55
#55
To those of you saying VT is not up to "Tennessee's standards"...

I watched them live...kick Tennessee's ass in the most recent Peach Bowl...

And THEIR last 15 years are MUCH better "Nationally" than Tennessee's...

Whether you want to admit it...or not.
 
#56
#56
I would like a regular home/home with UNC for selfish reasons because first of all I hate them and want to always kick their ass, but i would be able to attend games a lot more. I would not be opposed to an annual rivalry game with VPI either.
 
#57
#57
I know they really can't do it because of future scheduling but I think it would be cool if they turned it into the "battle at Bristol kickoff championship". The winner of vt/UT is the defending champ and next year they invite another p5 team to face the previous years bb champ and the winner just keeps defending the championship and holding the trophy. Kinda a Daytona 500 deal were there would be a championship game to kickoff the season.
 
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#58
#58
I know they really can't do it because of future scheduling but I think it would be cool if they turned it into the "battle at Bristol kickoff championship". The winner of vt/UT is the defending champ and next year they invite another p5 team to face the previous years bb champ and the winner just keeps defending the championship and holding the trophy. Kinda a Daytona 500 deal were there would be a championship game to kickoff the season.

And it would be really cool if they had last years national champion runner up be the other p5 team. That way they could still try and win a championship in that calendar year, or the 5th ranked team that got left out of last years playoff
 
#59
#59
Depending on how big an event the initial Battle at Bristol is (and I think it's going to be yuuuuuuuuuuge) I can see the owners giving serious consideration to a yearly or maybe every two year event along those lines. It all depends on the $$ at the end of the day and the teams that are invited. Some fan bases travel better than others and say an Alabama-Michigan game or a Georgia-Notre Dame match could be very profitable.

It'd have to be realistic teams in the game. Close enough that the travel wouldn't be difficult. Keep one team in the SEC as a "home" team (excluding Vandy since they just don't travel) and a P5 opponent as the "visiting" team and it could work.


Heck, Vandy don't show up at home with any significant numbers!
 
#60
#60
Maybe we should move Neyland into Bristol MSW. That way we could have 160,000 seats all the time!

That could work well for the track...NASCAR hasn't filled the house in a decade. They're focused on things other than putting out a product people want to see. UT had that problem for a few years but it appears to be rectified.
 
#62
#62
VT does not interest me. Never has and probably never
will.
They are a second rate team and a second rate school.
We should set our sights higher than VT.
 
#63
#63
I like the idea of a rivalry with VT. Maybe not on a yearly basis, but every 2-3 years would be fine.
 
#64
#64
VT does not interest me. Never has and probably never
will.
They are a second rate team and a second rate school.
We should set our sights higher than VT.

Not ranking wise. They are quite a bit higher than UT
 
#65
#65
That's simply not true. While I was living the gypsy life in the Army, I heard about Va Tech from out in California. I heard about them in Germany and France. Heard about them out in Kansas. Down in Haiti and Honduras. Out in the deserts of Southwest Asia.

They've been a nationally-recognized program for the past 20 years. Maybe you live too close to them, and can't see that.

Honestly I see just about every team from the Power 5 at any duty station I've been to. Heck, I've seen a bunch of smaller schools represented a lot too (Idaho, etc).
 
#67
#67
Honestly I see just about every team from the Power 5 at any duty station I've been to. Heck, I've seen a bunch of smaller schools represented a lot too (Idaho, etc).

Honestly, what you see most often are the Top 25 teams (and whoever they're playing, of course). That's how ESPN/ABC roll, is focusing most of their scheduling effort on them.

But Va Tech has been in the Top 25 often enough over the past 20 years to be a legit focus for the networks. More than a dozen 10+ win seasons between 1995 and 2011. Just not as good the past few years. Interesting question will be whether they can get back to that level post-Beamer....
 
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#68
#68
Honestly, what you see most often are the Top 25 teams (and whoever they're playing, of course). That's how ESPN/ABC roll, is focusing most of their scheduling effort on them.

But Va Tech has been in the Top 25 often enough over the past 20 years to be a legit focus for the networks. More than a dozen 10+ win seasons between 1995 and 2011. Just not as good the past few years. Interesting question will be whether they can get back to that level post-Beamer....

I think they can. I believe Fuente is a good coach.
 
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#69
#69
I want to keep my big time Home and Home games with teams like Oklahoma and Oregon. I think VT being a rival game every 4 years would be alright but I think people would get tired of that. I think no for now and for years to come.
 
#70
#70
Take look at their regular season opponents in years
past. They built their record beating chumps.


712–451–46 (.608) all-time record
12–17 (.414) Bowl Record, 36th all-time in appearances (ahead of Wisconsin, Michigan St)

They have the same amount of Division titles in the ACC as the Vols do in the SEC (with a lot less years in the conference).

I was talking academically though.
 
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#73
#73
I voted no for a VPI rivalry. That school was not relevant until the late 1990's.

The whole AD has never really been relevant. Guess who has more varsity team sport national championships, every single VT team sport or the ladybug in your yard? If you guessed it was a tie you would be correct. They both have 0.
 
#74
#74
Oregon never won a national championship in football, either. Like Va Tech, they've played for one...but didn't bring it home.

I consider Oregon a relevant football program. And I considered Va Tech one during the Beamer years. Whether they remain one...well, we shall see.


p.s. Interestingly, these two programs have been nationally relevant for about the same amount of time: since the mid-90s.
 
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#75
#75
Oregon never won a national championship in football, either. Like Va Tech, they've played for one...but didn't bring it home.

I consider Oregon a relevant football program. And I considered Va Tech one during the Beamer years. Whether they remain one...well, we shall see.


p.s. Interestingly, these two programs have been nationally relevant for about the same amount of time: since the mid-90s.

I know that. He commented the school wasn't relevant until the 90s. The football team became relevant then. I was saying the school as a whole has never really been relevant. You bring up Oregon which is a nice comparison. Oregon by the way has 30 championships in varsity sports compared to VTs 0 by the way. Oregon is a lot more relevant and has been for a long time. To me a rivalry is more than just football. A true rivalry makes me hate their other teams like in basketball a la Florida. I'm not ever going to get excited to watch UT play VT in baseball like I am verses say a Vandy. I support the whole university AD. Not just 1 sport.
 
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