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Posted on 4/21/25 at 9:51 pm to VFL67
quote:
Tennessee and Auburn have both played bama in top 25 matchups 25 times based on AP rankings.
Well the Iron Bowl hatred has always run so deep, Auburn and Bama refused to play each other from 1908-1947…. Three of those Top 25 matchups between Bama and Tennessee occurred during that time period including two of the Top 10 battles.
Since the Iron Bowl started back up in 1948, it has produced more meaningful games compared to Bama-TN.
quote:
It is definitely a bigger rivalry than Egg Bowl and Deep South Rivlary. Only two games that could be ahead are the cocktail party and iron bowl.
One thing you are missing about judging a rivalry is competitiveness… and Bama-TN is at the bottom.
Games separating rivals in games played since 1980:
3- Texas vs Oklahoma (OU leads 24-21)
5- Auburn vs Alabama (Bama leads 25-20)
5- Georgia vs Florida (Georgia leads 25-20)
5- Ole Miss vs Miss St (OM leads 25-20)
9- Texas vs Texas A&M (TX leads 22-13)
11- Auburn vs Georgia (UGA leads 28-17-1)
18- Alabama vs Tennessee (AL leads 31-13-1)
I mean… that’s not even remotely close.
quote:
Besides Auburn being in the same state,
But that’s the main thing. It’s also why the Egg Bowl is so much more fierce compared to Bama-UT. Sharing a state with your rival makes it far more intense.
This post was edited on 4/21/25 at 10:07 pm
Posted on 4/21/25 at 9:51 pm to MtVernon
quote:
Rarely does a conference bank 2 blue bloods in one day’s work.
Oklahoma is a blue blood.
Texas is not.
Posted on 4/21/25 at 10:20 pm to GamerAg
Lot of great ones, but the Egg Bowl with Russian announcers ratchets that rivalry up a few notches.
Posted on 4/21/25 at 11:54 pm to MtVernon
quote:
Wait till both are good. If that ever happens again.
This.
I’ll also say that if you ask anyone outside the SEC the question of “best rivalry” that Texas-OU would easily be top 5 if not top 3 that comes to mind.
I think Iron Bowl is top 5 but just not sure other SEC rivalries come to mind as much as Ohio State-Michigan, etc.
I also think this is somewhat cyclical. There was no rivalry people looked forward to more than FSU-Miami back in the Bowden days when both were top 5.
I’d say the problem w SEC rivalries at this moment is that none are between top 10 programs. Texas-GA was closest thing to that this year.
But from a newbie perspective my vote would be Iron Bowl just because of recent history.
Posted on 4/22/25 at 12:55 am to Monahans
quote:
The SEC recently invested in the best rivalry in college football. Smart move.
Texas/OU has nothing on Carolina/Clemson
I don't think it's the best rivalry, but SC/UGA is underrated. We typically lose, but the games are usually good and the fans get into it with each other.
I miss playing UGA
Posted on 4/22/25 at 1:36 am to VFL67
quote:
Red River is a great rivalry but no one associates that with the SEC yet
Fair enough.
Posted on 4/22/25 at 2:57 am to VFL67
Honestly, the Egg Bowl is underappreciated and gets my vote.
Posted on 4/22/25 at 6:44 am to VFL67
I give the nod to the Iron Bowl. State rivalries will always have more intensity in my opinion (South Carolina-Clemson as a reference point living in SC).
Posted on 4/22/25 at 7:52 am to HTX Horn
quote:
Texas - OU
I liked it better when it was the Red River Shootout. When y'all caved to the anti 2A crowd and changed it to the Red River Rivalry I lost a lot of respect for the game.
Posted on 4/22/25 at 8:02 am to AUTiger789
The only thing that changed the bama tennessee rivalry was Saban. Bama held a two game edge in the rivalry right before Saban took the job. Tennessee went through their worse stretch ever and bama went to another level of football under him. Now in the 2020s its an even serve which is much more normal in the rivalry's history. Its very similar to Deep South where kirby only recently widened the gap.
If you take into account overlap between Third Saturday and Iron Bowl, Tennessee has still played bama in more top 10 matchups
also why the arbitrary date of 1980. Hate when college football fans pick a random date to live by. 1980 excludes bear bryant whole career lol. This is college football where totality should matter not the NFL where you can pin point the start of SuperBowl era
If you take into account overlap between Third Saturday and Iron Bowl, Tennessee has still played bama in more top 10 matchups
also why the arbitrary date of 1980. Hate when college football fans pick a random date to live by. 1980 excludes bear bryant whole career lol. This is college football where totality should matter not the NFL where you can pin point the start of SuperBowl era
This post was edited on 4/22/25 at 8:05 am
Posted on 4/22/25 at 8:15 am to VFL67
Good post
Posted on 4/22/25 at 8:37 am to GamerAg
LSU Fans vs The Head Coach Of The Current Sport
Posted on 4/22/25 at 8:43 am to VFL67
The TSIO is just not a household rivalry for some reason. I am well aware of how big it is for Tennessee and Bama, but it was just never must see tv for anyone else. Another underrated rivalry was Auburn/Florida. It is too bad that one ended because of expansion. It is still a big game when we play, but not what it used to be.
Posted on 4/22/25 at 8:43 am to VFL67
Florida - Georgia
Alabama - Auburn
Ole Miss - Mississippi State
Texas - Oklahoma
Personal favorites (not really "rivalries")
LSU - Florida
LSU - Alabama
Alabama - Auburn
Ole Miss - Mississippi State
Texas - Oklahoma
Personal favorites (not really "rivalries")
LSU - Florida
LSU - Alabama
Posted on 4/22/25 at 8:47 am to bigDgator
quote:
Another underrated rivalry was Auburn/Florida.
Very good rivalry...back in the day UGA, UF and Auburn all played one another within a couple of weeks or one another toward the end of the season....Then Auburn had Bama. UF had FSU and UGA had GT....there was some good football down the stretch back then....none of this blind sisters of the weak state BS that goes on in week 13 now.....
Posted on 4/22/25 at 8:51 am to VFL67
don't rly wanna rank Red River it's not SEC yet to me... or Aggie/Horns for that matter...
Iron Bowl
Egg Bowl
Cocktail Party
Deep South
Third Saturday
everything else is minor league
Iron Bowl
Egg Bowl
Cocktail Party
Deep South
Third Saturday
everything else is minor league
Posted on 4/22/25 at 8:55 am to VFL67
1A will always be Bama/Auburn no matter how long people try to be sharp. In the end, we all know it.
But.....
Tennessee is 1B, and it is just as bitter and deep. There's just something different about big bro / little bro dynamic. When you live IN state with all these boogs, you are forced every day to see it and live it. It. never. ends.
But.....
Tennessee is 1B, and it is just as bitter and deep. There's just something different about big bro / little bro dynamic. When you live IN state with all these boogs, you are forced every day to see it and live it. It. never. ends.
Posted on 4/22/25 at 9:02 am to bigDgator
Florida Auburn might be most underrated rivalry in SEC. Conference realignment ruined it but the Gators kept Pat Dye down more than any other program in the 80s and Auburn returned the favor against Urban in the 2000s. Scared that we will see more rivalries fall to waste side like that.
Posted on 4/22/25 at 9:15 am to VFL67
quote:
Florida Auburn might be most underrated rivalry in SEC. Conference realignment ruined it but the Gators kept Pat Dye down more than any other program in the 80s and Auburn returned the favor against Urban in the 2000s. Scared that we will see more rivalries fall to waste side like that.
Don't forget about Little Bowden beating Spurrier 2 years in a row in the mid 90's.
October 16, 1993 Auburn, AL - #19 Auburn 38 #4 Florida 35
October 15, 1994 Gainesville, FL - #6 Auburn 36 #1 Florida 33
This post was edited on 4/22/25 at 9:16 am
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