Tennessee has no Rival

[VolBoyFord]

We’ve been in the mushy middle too long to have a true rival. Bama hasn’t considered us a threat in over a decade. Same for Florida. We are way above Vandy and Kentucky, so we don’t consider them to be a rival.

 

[Longhornjack]

Tennessee has more rivals than just about anyone.

Texas says, hi…

 

[Vols1984!]

We have teams that share dislike for each other, but if you ask Alabama they will say Auburn, Florida will say Florida State. Wonder if we will ever start a series with someone who could become our rivals one day and play that game for a trophy or something. Who are your ideas for the team that would spark a rivalry with UT?

We once played Kentucky for a trophy, but they done away with it bc it was called the beer barrel or whisky barrel one I cant quite remember which

 

[BogeyVol]

Texas says, hi…

Tennessee says

 

[sami]

Tennessee and Auburn was a big rival in the 80’s when we played them early like we did Florida in the 90’s up until now. Believe it or not Back in the 60’s the Vols-Tide was every bit as big as Bama-Auburn. To Bear Bryant Tennessee was at the top of the list.

When Tennesee is good, the Bama rivalry is a big national game, as 2022 showed. The Iron Bowl is only ever big in Alabama.

To me, Alabama has always been the primary rival in football, and Kentucky in basketball. It has a lot to do with how it was when you began rooting for the Vols - in the '80's, it was Bama and maybe Auburn, but if you grew up in the '90's and '00's, it was Florida.

 

[VolFanatic27]

We have teams that share dislike for each other, but if you ask Alabama they will say Auburn, Florida will say Florida State. Wonder if we will ever start a series with someone who could become our rivals one day and play that game for a trophy or something. Who are your ideas for the team that would spark a rivalry with UT?

The NCAA has always been our biggest rival

 

[VFL-82-JP]

Heh, this thread keeps rising to the top of the first page of the football forum, and every time I see the title again, it irks me a bit.

The title is wrong. Tennessee has TONS of rivals. Bama, Georgia, Florida, Vandy, Kentucky, recently South Carolina is becoming one, and from older days Auburn, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, and LSU have all been.

Plenty of rivals. About to add Oklahoma and Texas to that mix over the next decade or so, probably. And as 27 mentioned just above me, we can probably add the NCAA to our rivalry list. Heh.

Now, if the OP meant to say that Tennessee has no exclusive, monogamous, love-noone-but-you top rival beyond all others, well that's what he should've put in the title. That wouldn't have ticked me off every time I glanced at it, lol.

And anyway, who cares? Think Florida spends hours trying to decide whether Florida State or Georgia is their very-tippy-top top rival, and whether the other school reciprocates the sentiment? Think Georgia worries about whether Ga Tech or Florida or Auburn is their #1, and whether that other team feels the same way? Hell naw.

All rivals are good rivals, just gotta have some hate rolled in and it's golden. Beyond that, who gives a fig?

So, let's set the record straight and be done with it: Tennessee has plenty of rivals.

Go Vols!

 

[volnole]

We have teams that share dislike for each other, but if you ask Alabama they will say Auburn, Florida will say Florida State. Wonder if we will ever start a series with someone who could become our rivals one day and play that game for a trophy or something. Who are your ideas for the team that would spark a rivalry with UT?

We used to play UK for the “beer barrel “.

 

[lawgator1]

We have teams that share dislike for each other, but if you ask Alabama they will say Auburn, Florida will say Florida State. Wonder if we will ever start a series with someone who could become our rivals one day and play that game for a trophy or something. Who are your ideas for the team that would spark a rivalry with UT?

UF vs. FSU and Ala vs.Auburn are easy to identify as rivals given that they are in the same state. So yes, your own natural rival would be Vandy.

But there are examples of rivals that are not in the same state:

Ohio State v. Michigan
Nebraska v. Oklahoma
Notre Dame v. Miami

And you don't have to have just one. Notre Dame v. Michigan is a second one for both schools. UF also has UGA as a main rival.