Who Are the Vol's Biggest SEC Football Rivals?

by War Eagle Atlanta on Feb 12, 2009 12:34 AM EST Comment 37 comments

This is an interesting question, and it's always a good thing to help a fellow blogger with research. Besides, TET has always been a respectable site and deserves some props. I would ask one thing - that rivals fans please abstain from voting. We promise not to vote on your sites in return, and we'll all learn more about each other if we don't go mucking up the answers to honest questions.

--hooper

I'm preparing a thread over at sister SB Blog Track 'Em Tigers to determine who every team in the SEC ranks as their three biggest rivals and compare the cross-over. I'd like to know who Vol fans feel are their top three conference rivals, either current or past. Please help me out and vote in this poll and I'll compile all the results into a thread next week.

Thanks!

Greg

WEA-Track 'Em Tigers

Poll

I'm assuming that your top two SEC rivals are Alabama and Florida, respectively. Who comes in third place?

A) Georgia

206 votes

B) Vandy

16 votes

C) Auburn

5 votes

D) Kentucky

10 votes

E) South Carolina

11 votes

248 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

I disagree with the top two rivals.....

But I guess that just comes from living in Chattanooga on the border of extreme-redneck-Georgia-fan-land.

by VolBrian on Feb 12, 2009 9:40 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

I expect...

…at least two other teams to rank the Vols are their biggest rivals, and maybe the same number will rank you as the second biggest.

by War Eagle Atlanta on Feb 12, 2009 11:48 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

BTW:

Hooper: I had to vote so I could see the results!

by War Eagle Atlanta on Feb 12, 2009 11:50 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Well, at least you know that.

And the thwarters were kept to a relative minimum, thankfully.

Odd, though; the “Results” link didn’t work for you?

by Hooper on Feb 12, 2009 11:54 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Is there a 'results' button?

Ooops!!

You know, with 80% polling Georgia, I wonder if there’s a chance they might supplant Florida as number two? Anyone?

by War Eagle Atlanta on Feb 12, 2009 3:41 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Probably...

but they would supplant Alabama instead. Like below, Alabama is definitely a rival, but a historic one more than anything. Georgia and Florida are more crucial being in the same division. Plus, Georgia fans are ignorant rednecks IMO.

by VolBrian on Feb 12, 2009 3:46 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Er.

Pardon the language. I forgot this blog is PG, I can’t figure out how to delete it.

Sorry.

by Prometheus1185 on Feb 12, 2009 1:22 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

No problem: Here's the safe version.

Looks like a consensus.

I don’t want that ugly bulldog in Neyland anymore…I heard last time he gave Smokey Fleas.

by Hooper on Feb 12, 2009 1:25 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I actually place the Bulldogs as a rival

above Florida (which would be as #2 for me). Can’t explain why, other than:
- a fair amount of their fans can’t put subjects and verbs in the same sentence
- the whole ARPing thing (although it’s a great way to mock them, not going to lie)

by Graysnail on Feb 12, 2009 4:44 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Just a friendly rebuttal

I’m a Bulldog fan that graduated from the university. Well, lookie there, I was able to put subject and verb together in the same sentence. But on a more serious note, that’s a blanket statement that you could say about your own fanbase, Alabama’s fanbase, Auburn’s fanbase, Florida’s fanbase, “insert any school not named Vanderbilt in the Southeast” fanbase. I will give you props on the ARP thing, though. The more insecure Bulldog fans like to pull that out as their rebuttal card and frankly when half of your football players are majoring in “Rec and Leisure Studies”, I don’t find it that surprising that we get high APR marks. Anyways, thought I’d put my two cents in and try to be civil about it.

http://hobnailboot.blogspot.com/

by AuditDawg on Feb 14, 2009 3:20 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Always welcome, friend.

You’ll find most of us rather civil, and that much of the snark that comes through is more a fault of text-based communication than anything else.

by Hooper on Feb 14, 2009 4:03 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I wholly disagree with this

The snark coming from me is intentional.

by Graysnail on Feb 14, 2009 5:41 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I said most of us, and much of the snark. You’re certainly excluded. ;)

by Hooper on Feb 14, 2009 8:08 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

That and an attempt to be funny

Failure rate: high.

Rocky Top Talk

by Joel on Feb 14, 2009 6:41 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

for me, anyway

;-)

Rocky Top Talk

by Joel on Feb 14, 2009 6:41 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Oh, and welcome, AuditDawg!

Rocky Top Talk

by Joel on Feb 14, 2009 6:41 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

The subject/verb line was somewhat tongue-in-cheek.

It comes down to some of the first in-Neyland experiences I had; by and large the Georgia fans were the ones most likely to lack any class whatsoever. There’s a line between rivals, hatred, and downright lacking class, and they were way closer to that third group than any of the other two. Your mileage may vary.

I wasn’t referring to the quasi-majors some of the team majors in (everyone’s guilty of that), but the annoying-as-heck tendency to bark at …pretty much anything. Yes, your team is the Bulldogs. Yes, you have a bulldog as a mascot. Yes, you have a larger dude in a bulldog costume as a secondary mascot. But do you really need to bark to remind people that you’re the Bulldogs? I mean, Syracuse doesn’t pelt opposing teams with oranges during kickoffs (although it’d be awesome if they did). Alabama doesn’t ….um, maybe I shouldn’t finish that sentence on this blog. Never mind.

by Graysnail on Feb 14, 2009 5:48 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I fully endorse Syracuse pelting the other team with oranges

Especially if they’re playing Kansas. You know you’d watch a Kansas/Syracuse game if there was a chance Mangino would get pelted with oranges. However, it is generally just silly to generalize any group of fans as “most likely to lack any class whatsoever”. Every fanbase has its bad apples. I’ve been to games at every SEC stadium and I’ve run into terrible fans at every single one of them. I’ve also ran into great fans at every single one of them. If you want to make your point about Georgia fans and the barking = lack of class, then I shall retort that Tennessee fans and their choice of color = hunting range/prison. It’s a weak comparison at best in both cases.

http://hobnailboot.blogspot.com/

by AuditDawg on Feb 14, 2009 6:22 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

But, but,

the orange comes from flowers! How can that be low-class?

by Hooper on Feb 14, 2009 8:07 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

If you want to retort with that, I certainly wouldn't stop you.

Hate flows better when it’s going both ways. :) And besides, what’s rampant overgeneralism if it doesn’t lead to hasty conclusions and stereotyping of an entire fan base? I mean, isn’t that why everyone follows CFB in the first place? I’m not saying we’re perfect (if you ever catch me saying that, feel free to verbally smack me across this blog). All I’m saying – here, at least – is that Georgia fans drive me nuts. Although I’d say barking more equals ….well, something I don’t understand. At all.

Although hey, at least you didn’t ever employ Coach Fran, so you got that going for you, which is nice.

by Graysnail on Feb 14, 2009 10:06 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Very fair

It’s nice to have a fun conversation with an opposing fan without resorting to petty namecalling and questioning the other’s sexuality. I can appreciate Georgia fans drive you nuts. Personally, Florida fans are the worst I’ve experienced of any of the aforementioned fans.

http://hobnailboot.blogspot.com/

by AuditDawg on Feb 14, 2009 11:08 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Cool.

Now that we’re all on the same page, let the mudslinging begin!

;-)

by Hooper on Feb 14, 2009 11:53 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

AuditDawg's got a point on the any other U besides Vandy in the southeast, deal

by samhitch on Feb 16, 2009 2:25 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I say our main rivals in the SEC in the year 2009 and beyond

are Georgia and Florida. Alabama is very nostalgic as a rival, but to survive in the SEC East we need to defeat UGA and UF every year.

by CityOrange on Feb 12, 2009 1:22 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I was sad to see LSU was not an option. Florida #1, Alabama has been bumped up to number 2# but I spend too much time at 3sib.com and the LSU, Georgia, Auburn, Arkansas, South Carolina, Kentucky, Vandy, Miss. St., Ole Miss

by BigBeefe on Feb 12, 2009 4:03 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

The thing...

…that makes it such a crap shoot between FL and GA being #2 + #3 is that you really didn’t have much experience with either prior to the conference realignment in 1992. 97 years in the same conferences and you only played each about the same number of times Auburn had played LSU. Call it distant conference cousins.

The only thing that gives FL a nudge over GA with you is those heated games during the Spurrier-Fulmer days. Joel, Hooper, I’d like to see your personal picks AND how you feel most Vol fans would rank them…

I’ve always contended that TN should have been in the West and Auburn in the east, geography in the Volunteer state be damned…

by War Eagle Atlanta on Feb 14, 2009 5:00 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I went with Georgia

My top three:

Florida
Alabama
Georgia

I think most Vol fans might flip the top two, but that GA is a solid third, but I don’t really speak for them. It’s often a product of who beat you most often during your formative years, I think.

Rocky Top Talk

by Joel on Feb 14, 2009 6:43 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

My thoughts:

The top three, in order, would be

Florida
Alabama
Georgia

Auburn and LSU are OOC without the well-known history of UT-Alabama. South Carolina, Kentucky and Vanderbilt are usually closer to midmajor level than elite level, so the concept of a rivalry just isn’t as interesting. I would place Florida ahead of Alabama simply because most of the emotion about Alabama is historical, while most of the emotion of Florida is modern-day (i.e. Spurrier forward). Add that the Florida game is divisional and usually has a greater influence on Tennessee’s final standings, and I think the actually logistical significance of Florida bumps it ahead of the Alabama rivalry.

Georgia is definitely third, though Auburn could have been a terrific candidate if they played UT every year. That off-rotation thing absolutely kills that game as a rivalry.

And like Joel said, you’ll find a whole lot of people who’d flip Alabama and Florida in that list. It’s just that the win/loss versus Alabama usually doesn’t ultimately determine where Tennessee is ranked in the East, but the Florida game does. (Beat Florida, and UT will probably win the East. Win the East, go to Atlanta. Lose to Florida, and it’s a rare thing to win the East.)

by Hooper on Feb 14, 2009 8:06 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs