re: CFB's Top Rivalries Ranked by Competitiveness

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Interesting

I remember when the rest of the conference used to care about Ole Miss-LSU, or at least acknowledge it was a true rivarly. Now its questionable if its even has rivarly status. Yet over the course of nearly a full generation, it has the same exact record as Alabama vs. Tennessee.

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Ole Miss and LSU still consider it a rivalry, which is all that really matters in discussing what is or isn't a "rivalry". I don't think anyone would argue Alabama-Tennessee is still a big, nationally relevant rivalry.

So a 4 game streak came during that? He didn’t post it

All that and Georgia is still irrelevant.

Congrats

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We have a bunch of 20 something year olds here who know nothing about time before 2005. For a hundred years UA-UT was a tough tough game. It did not. what-so-ever diminish the hatred.

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So people no longer give a shite about it except the people who once gave a shite about it yet somehow you feel it’s still relevant.

Lol Bama logic...

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I wonder if UTs fall the last 20 years could be a result of more regional teams getting their shite together.

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Let's not pretend Tennessee's fall started just 20 years ago. 2005 is when it really accelerated, but Tennessee football started its decline in the late 1950s.

Here is where Tennessee has ranked nationally during each individual decade in terms of Most Appearances in the AP Poll:

1930s: #7
1940s: #9
1950s: #10
1960s: #13
1970s: #16
1980s: #29
1990s: #6
2000s: #12
2010s: #47

Tennessee has been on a gradual slide as a program that has accelerated into a massive dive with the short exception of the Payton Manning era. Had Manning gone to Ole Miss, UT may have never rebounded like they did during the '90s which carried over into the early 2000s. Folks often forget how bad Tennessee was during much of the 1980s.

Tennessee's program essentially has four eras:

1. Origins up to 1957: Ranked #4 nationally in AP Points during this time (1936-1957).
Truly the most dominant Southern program during this era. They trailed only Notre Dame, Michigan, and Oklahoma nationally in AP ranking from the first poll in '36 up through 1957.

2. 1958-1994: Ranked #16 nationally in AP Points
This is when the slide began. Tennessee was certainly a formidable opponent, but they lost their status as elite team during this era. This era included some good years as well as some bad.... but mostly fairly average.

In the AP Standings during these 37 seasons, Tennessee ranked behind #1 Alabama, #10 Arkansas, #11 Auburn, and #13 LSU... and were just one spot ahead of #17 Georgia and three spots ahead of #19 Florida. Tennessee had sunk from being the #1 program of the SEC to just one of several good/decent ones.

During these 37 seasons, Tennessee had 8 Top 10 finishes.... however they also had 8 seasons of finishing with a record of .500 or worse.

3. 1995-2004: Ranked #2 in AP Poll Points
Tied with Florida at #2 during this decade of football, they trailed only Florida State nationally.

This was truly the Renaissance period of Tennessee football. There's no coincidence that it really started with Payton Manning's freshman year.... it culminated with the National Championship of 1998... and carried through with great seasons in 2001 and 2004 (won the SEC East both of those years).

4. 2005- Present: #47 in AP Poll Points
Completely dumpster fire.

Up through 2004, Tennessee was mostly a strong program. But I think sometimes Bama fans and Tennessee fans try to pretend that Tennessee was far stronger than they really were... particularly from the late '50s up until the early '90s. Tennessee was frankly middle-of-the-pack in the SEC for nearly this entire time.

Considering the 45 to 3 style beatdowns Spurrier used to lay on us annually, I'm surprised to see the UF/LSU rivalry numbers as close as they are.

Bs .au Vandy is a lock...dead even..

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people no longer give a shite about it except the people who once gave a shite about it yet somehow you feel it’s still relevant.

Lol Bama logic...

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Bottom line is that it is no longer nationally relevant. It hasn't been relevant in the conference in a decade either but both teams and fans involved still consider it a rivalry and want to play the game. If you guys don't consider it a rivalry then so be it but we think it is and that's what matters. If you guys want to play the rest of the conference teams more often then go to a nine game conference schedule like we should have done years ago.

You guys don't get to decide who we consider to be our rivals.

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It's hard to believe 2012 was the last year LSU finished higher than 3rd place in their division.

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We don't give a damn about the competetivness. Bama has 2 rivals. Bama and Tennessee.

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True, nobody beats Alabama but Alabama.