Greatest rivlaries...in all of sports....and....

[jakez4ut]

the week UNC/Duke always play, it always comes up...what is the greatest rivalry? is there one? can anyone make a case w/out being biased? Here's how i see it: (and it really has to do with more of what i think fans of those teams make of it, more than what the game means year in and year out)

College football:
1. Bama/Auburn
2. Mich/OSU
3. FSU/Miami
4. OK/TX
5. USC/ND

College bball:
1. Duke/UNC
2. KY/L'ville
3. ????

NFL:
1. Bears/Packers
2. Raiders/Cheifs
3. Cowboys/Skins
4. Steelers/Browns
5. Broncos/Raiders

Baseball:
1. Red Sox/Yankees
2. Cubs/Cards
3. Giants/Dodgers

Best one of all of that? For me, there a few of these games i never miss....Duke/UNC, FSU/Miami, Bama/Auburn, Red Sox/Yankees....to pick from that, i don't know that i could, but if i could only watch one of them, it would probably be Bama/Auburn.

what do y'all think? i'm sure there are other games....


TN's rivlary...still Bama for me, But UF and Bama, its more like 1a and 1b, UGA would probably be 2nd on that list.

and KY in bball obvously....

 

[milohimself]

For me, college football would go as such...

1. Michigan vs. Ohio State
2. Miami vs. Florida State
3. Alabama vs. Auburn
4. USC vs. UCLA
5. Army vs. Navy

Michigan vs. Ohio State tops the list because it is as heated as any rivalry in college football, and it has national implications just about every single year. Miami vs. Florida State and Alabama vs. Auburn, but I have to put Miami vs. FSU ahead of Bama/Auburn because this game will determine the ACC year in and year out. Alabama vs. Auburn is level with Michigan vs. Ohio State as the most heated rivalry here, but unfortunately both teams are rarely in the BCS hunt in the same year. USC vs. UCLA takes the 4 spot as the greatest cross-town rivalry in all of sports CFB and otherwise. Trust me, USC fans care more about beating UCLA than Notre Dame and UCLA would rather beat USC than Cal any year. Army vs. Navy is the last pure game in Division I ball.

 

[milohimself]

Tennessee doesn't have any great rivals, unfortunately... Against Florida, I believe they view us and Georgia as equal rivals. And Tennessee's greatest rival is probably Alabama, but Alabama has a bigger rival in Auburn. Kind of unfortunate. But oh well.

 

[jakez4ut]

I don't know about that ....ask some Bama fans, i think you'd be suprised at some of the answers you'd get. they really don't like us down there. Same for Florida. The cocktail party and the FSU games get the pub, but the TN game is early, and it is divisional. UF/TN means more year in and year out, usually anyway, than either of the other two.

 

[tidwell]

My favorite rivalry to watch in any sport is the Yankees and Red Sox, honestly. I borderline hate both teams, but nothing pulls me in more than a playoff series between those two. Those series' in 2003 and 2004 were incredible.

For me, it's hard to get into any national rivalry unless the game means something in the standings. For that reason, Ohio State and Michigan is my favorite college football rivalry. The winner usually decides who the Big Eleven winner is more often than not.

Duke and UNC is the same way. I understand completely how rivalries like that along with Auburn and Alabama are big on a local level. With that said, I enjoy most if not all of the SEC rivalry games.

Most of my Vol watching life, UT has OWNED Alabama. On the field and in the court room, but that's neither here nor there... so for that, I've always enjoyed the Tennessee/Florida games more and thought of that as more of a rivalry, in my lifetime anyway. I know most of that was created with Spurrier, and the Alabama rivalry goes back decades.

FSU/Florida and FSU/Miami are fun to watch in years when both teams are good... FSU/Miami play so early and are usually ranked high in the pre-season, so that's usually good.

 

[bigtime]

TN biggest to me write now since im so young and bama hasnt been that good and givin us to much trouble since iv really gotten in to ut football or bball would be florida

 

[milohimself]

I don't know about that ....ask some Bama fans, i think you'd be suprised at some of the answers you'd get. they really don't like us down there. Same for Florida. The cocktail party and the FSU games get the pub, but the TN game is early, and it is divisional. UF/TN means more year in and year out, usually anyway, than either of the other two.

Florida fans don't seem to have the same level of hate for UT that they do for FSU or Miami

 

[vols2345]

I think the greatest rivalry in all sports is the cards vs. cubs... It is very heated, between fans and players, more than most know cause yankees and redsox get all the espn love... But the respect between the fans and players is what really makes it great. When the other team is in the playoffs, most cub and cardnial fans will root for the other team to win cause of the respect between each other... I think there is to much hate between the yankees and redsoxs, espically since they are basically the same team. buy out all the top players, and flatter at the end...

 

[volinbham]

In CFB - I agree with Milo that OSU/Michigan is consistently the biggest. Others include Aub/Ala; Okla/Texas; Okla/Nebraska (but not for a while); Miami/FSU. These games all have teams that are contenders and capture the nation's interest. Aub/Ala is biggest in the South but OSU/Mich bigger nationally.

In CBB - Duke/NC is tops. For the last 2 decades, these teams have been at the top.

To me, Tennessee's biggest rivalry is with Bama in football. History of streaks, 2 winningest teams in the SEC, etc. Bama's hate for Auburn is strong but you'd find as many Bama fans that put UT at the top of the list.

 

[jakez4ut]

yeah, this is a good debate, and for those of you that have already declared UF as UT's cheif rival, because of your age, you are correct.

But make no mistake, Bama/TN goes long way back and should be looked on with equal hatred with Florida for you youngins.

See for me, UF has gotten to the equal footing for Bama, and just wait, if Bama ever gets consistently good again, well, your rivalry meter won't have any trouble getting in to the red.

Plus, SPurrier made that rivalry....it'll be interesting to see how it develops with UM at the helm...

 

[MHSVol4Life]

I think the greatest rivalry in all sports is the cards vs. cubs... It is very heated, between fans and players, more than most know cause yankees and redsox get all the espn love... But the respect between the fans and players is what really makes it great. When the other team is in the playoffs, most cub and cardnial fans will root for the other team to win cause of the respect between each other... I think there is to much hate between the yankees and redsoxs, espically since they are basically the same team. buy out all the top players, and flatter at the end...

Yeah... I know this personally. I'm situated right in the middle of the 2 teams. 5 hours from StL and 3 from Chicago. I hate both teams btw. Only b/c I can't hardly get Braves stuff up here.

 

[Hoosier_Vol]

CFB:

Michigan-Ohio State
Bama - Auburn
Florida State - Miami
Texas -Oaklahoma
Notre Dame - USC
Army - Navy

CBB:

Duke - UNC
Indiana - Purdue
Kentucky - Louisville


NFL:

Dallas - Washington
Indy - New England
Cincinnati - Pittsburgh
Chicago - Green Bay
Kansas City - Denver


NBA:

Indiana - Detroit
Boston - L.A. Lakers
Miami - L.A. Lakers
Cleveland - Denver


MLB:

N.Y. Yankees - Boston
San Fransico - L.A. Dodgers
Chicago Cubs - St. Louis

 

[OrangeAndBlue]

Here's my :twocents: ....

I personally dislike UT more than UM and FSU, but in general I'd say FSU is our biggest rival just due to the history and what not. Our rival with the most meaning behind the game has recently been against UT, so I view them as our #1 current rival. To me, it varies. We hardly ever play Miami, so its hard to develop a deep disdain for them when you barely play each other. And we practically own Georgia, so...you know how that goes. :biggrin2:

In general in college football I think it's:

1.Michigan/OSU
2. Miami/FSU
3. Army/Navy
4. Alabama/Auburn

 

[TennesseeVols317]

College football:
UT/UF or BAMA (its tough to choose)
Mich/OSU
FSU/Miami
OK/TX
PSU/OSU

College bball:
Duke/UNC
Nova/UConn
Cuse/Uconn

NFL:
Browns/Steelers
Broncos/Chiefs
Bears/Packers
Bills/Patriots

Baseball:
Red Sox/Yankees
Indians/White Sox
Indians/Twins
Giants/Dodgers

NHL:
Flyers/Devils
Avalance/Red Wings
Rangers/Penguins

 

[wncvolfan]

We have a rivalry in Division II football and in all other sports in the WNC mountains between Western Carolina and Appalachian State. Man, they take that stuff a little T-O-O-O-O serious. It's more dangerous for spectators than ateletes.

 

[jakez4ut]

yeah, i live in Charlotte, and there are a lot of fans from both schools here...isn't App St. and Ga Southern a big rivlary too?