Rival??

[bigdaddyg]

Heard a little discussion the other day on a radio show about rivals and how it pertains to Rivalry Week. I bring this up to see what you guys think about or consider to be our big rival. I realize that it is Georgia Southern and before that it was basically Western. It’s been said that for there to really be a rivalry each team should win close to half of the time. Honestly when I was at App the Western thing didn’t really seem to register in the same sense as a State/UNC or Alabama/Auburn type deal. I believe we had a huge edge in that head to head. Was there really any deep seeded hatred towards them? Now obviously it’s different with Stink but we don’t have a long long history. Is there another rivalry that exists in which the distance between schools is as great as ours? When the AAC discussion comes up many of us talk about the potential to add ECU as a rival. Now that would be great. If Charlotte ever reaches close to our level that would even crazier and nasty. What do you guys think?

[NewApp]

Western was a big rival back in the day. It became one we hated to lose but didn't get much satisfaction out of winning. Always well attended no matter what..

[CVAPP]

Western was a big rival back in the day. It became one we hated to lose but didn't get much satisfaction out of winning. Always well attended no matter what..

Exactly.

[AppStFan1]

Western was a big rival back in the day. It became one we hated to lose but didn't get much satisfaction out of winning. Always well attended no matter what..

Agreed. Since the early 90s I have really considered Georgia Southern as our rival. I never hated WCU and only hated to lose to them because it brought them so much joy. I only remember two losses in my time following App. 98% of the time we kept little brother in their place. We were like the 18 year old brother and the 8 year old little brother. Maybe once or twice got lucky and pinned for a second but we basically dominated them.

I don't pull against them. I hope they improve and become a SoCon title contender. I'm sure they expected to when the top 2 powers left the league. I'm sure they would love to play us though and try to pull off a 2007 Michigan style upset.

[scatman77]

Having started as a freshman in 1973 we were not far removed from the old Carolinas Conference which included Catawba, WCU, Newberry, Lenoir Rhyne, and others. A few of the older guys like me will remember the rivalry with L-R that held over for a while. It really came to a head one fall night in 1974. They had drilled Davidson the week earlier with over 900 yards of offense. They had a running back named Scott McWhorter who was tough. They came to Boone that night feeling their piss and vinegar, with McWhorter woofing and trash-talking during warm ups like you would not believe. Let's just say that we popped 630 yds total offense on them, smacked them around pretty good, and ended the game with 0:16 left because they started a fight with our offense. I forget the exact score but it was something like 52-20. The Brakefield Bone had a field day.

[Stonewall]

I consider Marshall the best football rivalry we've had in my time. WCU died a pretty quick death by the early 90s , on our side , not theirs certainly. Southern fielded the role by default.Looking ahead to something bigger and better , hopefully in the not to distant future.

[Yosef84]

I do believe that a rivalry loses it's meaning when one team dominates like App did WCU. However, in any rivalry there will be streaks where one team wins repeatedly and then the other does. Also, the WCU rivalry was not limited to football....it was all sports. That did help to continue the "hatred" even after their football program declined.

[AppInDC]

I'm in my 30s. I have followed App football since the '90s or so. Western seemed to be a big rivalry with older family members and friends but due to the one-sided nature since I've been alive it was seen as a more historical thing. App was usually a regular in the FCS playoffs so I always felt fans were focused on who was good at the time. Marshall was a fierce rival before moving up to FBS. Furman and Wofford were heated at times. Out of conference, James Madison and Montana come to mind. Georgia Southern is the obvious natural rival due to that they had the most FCS national titles before ND State, had a long history of consistency in the SoCon, and both have had a knack for ruining each other's seasons. Since they moved up with App, it's good that perhaps their best FCS rivalry gets to continue in FBS.

[bigdaddyg]

Western probably evolved due to the proximity and of course being in the same conference but the overall football record against them isn’t even close. While I was in school I never sensed that “hatred”. I can’t speak to the other sports. Marshall would have been great had we remained in the same conference and I can see how that could have evolved. Do the current students really look upon Stink the same way is old farts do? I feel like a true rivalry also includes circling the calendar for their games. It might even approach the level of- Coach you can go 1-11 but you best beat... Obviously 1-11 is a little far fetched but hopefully it’s understood. If Harbaugh loses to Ohio State again how long will diehards up there continue to put up with it?

[t4pizza]

I consider Marshall the best football rivalry we've had in my time. WCU died a pretty quick death by the early 90s , on our side , not theirs certainly. Southern fielded the role by default.Looking ahead to something bigger and better , hopefully in the not to distant future.

I agree and I still hate Marshall. The eagles got into our conference around the time I was graduating so that rivalry didn't exist during my student years but clearly they are our biggest rival based on the history of our teams.

[JMappfan5]

In the mid to late 70s Western was our rival but there was more excitement/emotion playing ECU. Wish we still had that rivalry game annually.

[appstate77]

I see Wake Forest filling the role long term. 90 miles apart, in state, similar colors, recruiting rival. Different conferences with us being seen as the upstart. Plus the game puts butts in the seats. Georgia Sou. has developed a local rivalry with Ga. State which will become their long term in state rival.

[AppfaninCAALand]

I consider Marshall the best football rivalry we've had in my time. WCU died a pretty quick death by the early 90s , on our side , not theirs certainly. Southern fielded the role by default.Looking ahead to something bigger and better , hopefully in the not to distant future.

I agree and I still hate Marshall. The eagles got into our conference around the time I was graduating so that rivalry didn't exist during my student years but clearly they are our biggest rival based on the history of our teams.

I'm with you. I was at App during Marshall's last years in the SoCon and I still hate Marshall probably as much if not more than Ga Southern. I don't remember much caring about the Eagles until the Turds had gone on to cheat in the MAC.

[4appst8]

Add me to the Marshall haters! The games we had against them in the 80s were epic and both fan bases were jacked up when we played one another. The Western rivalry had begun to fade a bit even in those days as they just weren’t competitive on the field but we found a worthy group to hate in the Thundering Turd.

[NavyApp]

I see Wake Forest filling the role long term. 90 miles apart, in state, similar colors, recruiting rival. Different conferences with us being seen as the upstart. Plus the game puts butts in the seats. Georgia Sou. has developed a local rivalry with Ga. State which will become their long term in state rival.

GaSo and GaSt is the equivalent of us and Charlotte. One team with a history of winning and the other with no history but has been handed everything because of where they are located. Both us and GaSo want to smash our ungrateful in state counter parts for the simple fact that that don't deserve it, they haven't earned it but I wouldn't consider either a rivalry...yet. Both have potential in the next decade to be our rivals, but there has not been enough blood spilled yet, the games have carried no real weight yet. With us and GaSo their is deep seeded hate that cannot be faked or manufactured. Our fans hate their fans and they reciprocate. Our players and students hate their players and students and again like a true rival they reciprocate. I know some point to the distance between us, but Ohio State and Michigan are 4 hours apart, we are 4 plus hours from ECU and some here want that. The Stink is 5 hours from Boone aka a car ride just long enough to get you nice and pissed off which is what I want in a rival. We compete for everything; recruits, national recognition, COACHES!, everything in between. GaSo may not be the rival we all want but they are the rival we need right now!

[TractorApp]

As a 37 year resident of Upstate SC, I can only say "Teach a young child to hate Furman". The fact that I married into a Citadel family also contributes to my hatried for the Palamuffins. I ain't crazy about Wofford either, but for me, the hate still burns hot for Furman. After Furple, Georgia Southern and Marshall are fighting it out for second. With Western, it was a rivalry when I was in school from '78 thru '82, but since about '85, not so much.

[Stonewall]

We just don’t have much in common with Southern. Thankfully. I want Marshall , ECU and ok , Charlotte once they are pottie trained.

[87ASUgrad]

As a 37 year resident of Upstate SC, I can only say "Teach a young child to hate Furman". The fact that I married into a Citadel family also contributes to my hatried for the Palamuffins. I ain't crazy about Wofford either, but for me, the hate still burns hot for Furman. After Furple, Georgia Southern and Marshall are fighting it out for second. With Western, it was a rivalry when I was in school from '78 thru '82, but since about '85, not so much.

Furman still Sucks!

#BeatTroy

[hotrod2001]

Western was basically just a geographical rival but became of a burr on our asses as time progressed. There was a time they could compete with us but over the last 10 years in the SoCon it became painfully obvious that that program has fallen on hard times and continues to do so.

GaSo's definitely our arch rival. Our programs have followed similar paths. Both teams play with chips on their shoulders, being good teams which never get the respect they deserve. We have championships, fanbases, both moved up from FCS, etc. We also have the history. You can't just look at someone like Charlotte and suddenly designate them as a rival because they happen to be in close proximity to us. We've only played them twice, both times weren't exactly close and playing them isn't an every season occurrence.

If we moved to the AAC and were to play ECU every year that probably would bud into a rivalry but it wouldn't be an overnight thing. Rivalries take time to mature/immature.

[canes_mj]

Marshall was always the team I considered our rival growing up. I despised them. Their fans had quite the reputation.

GaSo definitely now. The peak of intensity for those games I think were during the Armanti years and right after. Now that they're pretty good again, it's coming back.

Although I don't consider them a rival (yet...could become one), I detest UNC-Charlotte, because of their actions when we were trying to make the move to FBS. I pull against them every game they play.