Rivals Past/Present/Future

[TractorApp]

Class of '82 grad here. Got to thinking who I considered Apps biggest rivals during my time in school, now, and hopefully in the future.

Old School for me is the SoCon days. Present started during entrance into the SunBelt and Future is who I hope our main rivals are in five-10 years. Here's my list in order:

Old School Rivals:
1. WCU. A real rivalry with lots of hate in the mid 70's thru mid 80's.
2. Furman. I still hate them. One of the few teams we have a losing all time record. Great games.
3. Marshall. "Teach a young child to hate Marshall" enough said
4. Gerorgia Southern Ultra competitve and hate filled. Six I-AA titles is stout.
5. Wake. Played them numorous times and won a decent amount. Then they got scared to play.
6. JMU. Very simular schools and football traditions. Man, I hate streamers.
7. UTC. Still remember losing 72-14 to them after we started 3-0 in 1978.
8. Montana. Much, much mutual respect and some great games.
9. ECU. We last played I think in '79 until '09. They wanted no part of us for most of that time.
10. ETSU. Local rival that normally played us tough.

Current Rivals:
1. Georgia Southern. Obviously
2. Charlotte. Friend and family ties for many of us. I never want to lose to them. Hopefully in same conference soon.
3. ULL. Trash talk early and then we dominate. Should be highly motivated this year.
4. Wake. This rivalry is starting to mean something to both side. Great regional game for us both.
5. Marshall. They still get the blood pumping for the 70's, 80's and 90's grads. Hope we are conference mates soon.
6. ECU. This one just makes so much sense. If we rock them this year, they will start to hate us again.
7. Coastal Carolina. Everybody needs a close rival that happens to have ended our championship run.
8. Arkansas St. Battle of the ASU's.
9. Georgia State. Partially because of Elliott and recruiting.
10.Troy. No one else gets me going so these guys get the 10 spot.

Future Rivals:
1. ECU. We have to win and do our part to kickstart this rivalry.
2. Wake Forest. Again, we got to start winning for this to be a rivalry.
3. GS will always be The Stink.
4. Marshall. Again, great history and an engaged fan base to battle.
5. Charlotte. Until they beat us, I can't put them higher than this.
6. Coastal. I think they go where we go.
7. UCF. I admit this is mainly hope on my part. Would love to play them regularly.
8. JMU. Hopefully, they get it together and go FBS. Would be a great close rival for fans.
9. Liberty. They are on the rise and I would love for us to evlevate our program and facilities.
10. GSU. Like Troy above, I can't see anyone realistically in the 10th spot and GSU is a good conference mate and showcase for recruiting.

Those are mine, let me know what you think and who would you list and why. Long time till September so let's hear it.

[CVAPP]

Class of 87 here. Good post and nice list. Nothing else to add in my generational opinion.

[Yosef84]

Pretty good list. I'm not sure that we will ever schedule Liberty regularly enough to become a real "rival" but they are building something in Lynchburg. When we do play, emotions will run high because most App fans absolutely hate the idea of losing to them.

WCU and Furman were great rivalries in the SoCon. It's a shame that WCU's football has remained so weak because it definitely deflated the rivalry but that rivalry does span across all sports. Not much heat left there.

In my opinion, Georgia Southern is and will remain our all time rival...at least for the foreseeable future. Their recent upsets over our highly favored teams will ensure that. This rivalry checks all the boxes.

I truly hope we can get ECU and Wake on the schedule often enough to call it a true rivalry. As App's other sports rise, that should help but for now, we hang our hat on football.

[BambooRdApp]

Great post. I am guy who somewhat confines the number of rivalries.
While in school - Marshall, Stink, WCU
Now - ULL, Stink... Maybe Charlotte. Not sure I view Wake as a rivalry unless we schedule them more. Same with ECU.. Nice to play and hopefully beat them. Need more runway on Coastal. One year does not a rivalry make.
Future- would love it to be ECU, UCF... Know where this is going.
Just my humble opinion.

[EastHallApp]

Very comprehensive list, though I agree, no one really has that many rivals at once.

I still consider GS to be our only true rival, though we could have something brewing with a few other Sun Belt teams. Coastal hasn't been good long, but they definitely have a way of poking the bear that could accelerate hostilities.

Charlotte obviously has potential as a rival, but they just aren't good enough yet.

I still think of Marshall as a sort of traditional rival, although I'm sure they're just another game to guys in school now.

I'm not sure Wake will be a rivalry any time soon, even if we beat them, because P5 fans are loath to acknowledge a G5 as a rival. Even one who's better than them. And you can't really have a rivalry if one side doesn't acknowledge it.

[bigdaddyg]

Graduated in ‘86. Honestly never really felt the vibe of a WCU rivalry. I once read that in order for a real rivalry to exist each side needs to win close to same amount of games against each other. Don’t we have a decided edge over WCU back in the old days? Stink definitely. I still recall Marshall really packing the visitor side. As far as future it’s probably never going to happen but a conference to include App, Charlotte, ECU, CCU, Marshall and Stink would be incredible. Lots of easy games to attend and every opponent would guarantee a packed home game. It will take years to develop another real rivalry in the current Belt. I am one who firmly believes we should play Wake every year. Charlotte and ECU at least every other year might not be bad.

[Stonewall]

JM who?

[appstate77]

I'm Class of 77 and I remember beating Weak Forest for the first time. I'd love to see that game turn into an annual, old fashioned slobber knocker. Same with EZU....And The Stink, damn gnats are coming out in SC, makes me want to hurl.....and as always Furman still sucks. I'm looking forward to ripping fELON a new one. I haven't forgotten that they purposely went after Armanti's knee.

[appswin1]

Tractor great post! I agree on these and not much to add.

[huskie3]

East Georgia as the rival. Dream game for old times sake: 1st half furman - 2nd half west carolina.

[SpeedkingATL]

Class of 77 here. Excellent post TractorApp. Nothing really to add except...

I still hate purple!

[AppfaninCAALand]

Don't have anything really to add to the list - it looks good to me. I would like to see Coastal and UNCC grow to be really passionate rivalries on par with Ga Southern - Troy also. I'm more ambivalent on Ga State; and other than Ark State, I'd be fine with exchanging the trans-Mississippi Sun Belt for a mix of Marshall, ECU, JMU, and ODU (and VCU too if they ever pull their heads out of the posteriors and start playing football).

[EastHallApp]

I doubt ECU wants in, but as always I am 100% all-in for regional realignment of the Sun Belt and CUSA. I do think we'd see multiple rivalries quickly develop (or rekindle) if that happened.

[Blackshirt68]

Showing my age here: extreme hate for Lenoir Rhyne in late ‘60s.

[TractorApp]

Wasn't that the, "Flush twice, LR needs the water" generation??

[appdaze]

I'd rather have 1-2 teams as rivals. If you get anymore than that then you have to question what you are really calling a rivalry. I've never considered WCU a rival. App dominated them. That isn't a rivalry. Just googling the record we are 59-18-1 against WCU and 30-7 after the "jug" trophy was created.

Right now GA southern is our Only true rival.

To gain a new rival we need a good 20 years of yearly play where every game matters and is hard fought to build the tension. It helps to also be the spoiler for each others big seasons.

As far as the future goes UNCC is the only team I see that could logically become a true rival. If that program actually grows the way they are hoping it does they could become what WCU always thought they could be. Other than that I just don't see us building any kind of long term history with any of the other teams that have been listed unless there are some serious conference changes.

[Stonewall]

We are CCU , LALA, SOGA, GAST rivals .I would say their primary rival. Football speaking anyway.

[Cro-Magnon App]

I still pull against Furple. They kicked the Baptists out.

[stafford]

'86 here - The only 3 people I personally knew that graduated from Furman were all Baptist preachers. And man did I hate that school even though I liked the preachers.

Never considered WCU a rivalry.

Marshall paraded their band down the home side at KB and got pelted with potatoes (Here we go to Idaho). That was dangerous but what were they thinking. Who cares, it's Marshall.

[fjblair]

Good work OP, but you can't have ten rivals in my view. Maybe 2 or 3. Also if you have only played a team a few times, it isn't really a rivalry. There has to be some history.

Right now Georgia Southern is our only true rival, but Ark State is closing fast.