re: Is Bama/LSU bigger rivalry than bama/Tenn

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What does that even mean? Geographic?

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That's definitely part of it. Look at just about any other big rivalry. Either in-state or bordering states. Bama/LSU are neither.

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Because we are obviously the greatest competitive rivalry in all of college athletics.

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For the last two years, sure. Like I said, so were Bama and UF for two years. And for several years in the 90s. But no one calls us rivals. It's not a true rivalry.

My entire family is from east TN except for me, pretty sure they all hate UF a lot more than Bama as of right now.

Exactly what I was thinking!

Sorry if it seems we feel that way.

At BDS in 2011, there were plenty of Arky fans wearing shirts that said "I root for Arkansas... and whoever's playing Alabama."

We were like WTF? Arky considers us rivals?

There's also thing like this. LINK

Somehow Ohio State considers us rivals.

nvmd

From Volnation, before Bama's return to greatness and at the height of the UT/UF battles.....

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No question about it, I'd take 5 Gator losses to one Bammer loss. While the UF game may be more meaningful in the SEC there is nothing as historicaly sweet as watching the tide lose, and then *****ing that "...if the Bear were still here..."

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There is no doubt that bammer is our biggest rival. I know some younger folks think UF but there is only game that is an event and called the 3rd Saturday in Oct. It is history and hatred along with some respect to true blue southern football all rolled into one game. It is everything that makes college football in the south so special. It is the 2 winningest teams in the SEC going at it. It is the 2 big boys who have a history like none other. It is the 2 teams that have beaten each other more than anyone else has. Bammer is our true biggest rival. There are books written on it and TV specials. In the anals of football history UT vs. bammer is southern football.

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Florida is/was the more important game from an SEC standpoint, no doubt, but these days that has shifted to GA...it's kind of a fluid thing....but the one that always remains is Bama.

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Bama is still the biggest rivalry, the gator game and the dawg game may be more important to reach the SECCG but a win over Bama is still sweeter than all the rest.

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Definitely Bama. as previously stated, for SECCG importance UGA and UF are more important, but living in Bama country, that is the win I want most

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bama is the biggest rival in my mind, but florida is proably the most important game now. still voting bama.

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Bama remains and has always been Tennessee's biggest rival. There is a distinct difference in biggest rival and most important game. Until recently theWinner of Fla and Tenn won the SEC East. The Bama Tennessee Rivalry is one of the greatest in the country

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it's crimson vs. oragne. Smokey vs the big dumb elephant. it IS TIDE vs. VOLS. there is no one figure or player that got our blood boiling. you know what gets the blood boiling for TN fans? the incessant chanting of "roll tide, roll tide, roll tide". ugh. It's bama fans holding up 4, 5, 6, 7's on cards during the streak in the 80's and early 90's. it's Jay Barker and Gene STallings smoking cigars after beating us. It's the TN football team singing "we don't give a damn about the whole state of alabama, 'cause we're from Tennessee" after we beat them. i'm sure some Bama fans would tell you that "Rocky top" has caused a few profanity laden outbursts as well. Bama just boils down to good old hatred. No need to have anything on the line. We simply don't like each other and each October, we both draw lines in the sand and say "bring it".

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Here's another vote for Bama. Now, don't get me wrong. I hate Florida with a healthy passion. Ron Zook cooled that a bit. Let's be honest actually, it's not the same since the last time Spurrier slammed an orange and blue visor to the ground. I will never hate Georgia that much because no matter how many times they beat us or make the SEC title game, they will always be pretenders in my mind. Hating them is doing them a favor in adding to their credibility, so I won't do that. But the stretch up to '95 of over 10 years not getting a W over Alabama is still fresh on my mind. And until we post a streak longer than that on them, I'll still want that one the most.

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No doubt it is Alabama. Who cared about Florida until Spurrier got there? The rivalry with Alabama goes back a looooooooong way. And I am not sure I get the "older people" think the Bama rivalry is better. I am 25 years old, and i hate Alabama with a white hot hatred. Even in elementary school, I hated them because we could never beat them. I am sure that regionally it matters. I hail from Lynchburg, TN, just half an hour from the Bammer line. I went to college in Huntsville, AL. That made my hatred worse. Now I am in Birmingham, and you can imagine how I feel about them. I understand those from GA or FL hating the Bulldogs or Gators more. If you think the Bammer fans think that Auburn/Bama is the bigger rivalry, then you have a point on some level. It is about perspective...there are more Auburn fans in their backyard than Tennessee fans. Part of the Bammer thing is that by acknowledging UT as a bigger rival, they know they give some type of credibility to UT, and they will not do that. I GUARANTEE you that if you ask any Bammer fan who they hate more: the Vols. Go read the book Third Saturday In October. You have to understand the history! You won't even get ten pages into it before you acknowledge without a doubt that the Tennessee/Alabama game is the best that college football has to offer. thirdsaturday is offline Reply With Quote

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Like I said, so were Bama and UF for two years. And for several years in the 90s. But no one calls us rivals. It's not a true rivalry.

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You didn't play UF every year.

The one factor in establishing a rival is frequency.

As of right now, LSU fans consider UF, Bama, and AU their biggest rivals.

Is it because of the joy of beating those teams? No.

It is because those are the teams we have to beat to win titles.

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I guess it's generational. older Tennessee fans despise Alabama more, while the younger ones despite Florida more.

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That I agree with.

Shouldn't Arky be on that list? They were better and thus more of a threat than UF or AU last year

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At BDS in 2011, there were plenty of Arky fans wearing shirts that said "I root for Arkansas... and whoever's playing Alabama."

We were like WTF? Arky considers us rivals?

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Notre Dame would say the same about me.

I always pull for them to lose.