Now that Lambert is gone, perhaps itās time to try again with Marshall.
We donāt need to have a rivalry with them for a Phil Ratliff Memorial Trophy to hold a serious meaning for both programs.
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Mehā¦
Ditto
I see both sides - rivalries are born not made, but they are also encouraged a bit. I donāt hate it - if ODU was on board, but I also donāt think we will still be in this league in 5-10 years. I firmly believe we will bo out of this league - for a variety of reasons.
If we played App every year then they would be it hands down in football.
Rivalries are most about fans IMO. As many rivalries can attest it isnāt about wins and losses. Itās just fansbases and players that donāt like one another.
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App is definitely the football rivalryā¦battle of the beards could be fierce once we get to the level of seriously competing with them.
Davidson in basketball nowā¦but it WAS Cincy for a quick minute in CUSA 1.0ā¦and that grew organically over a short period of time.
Nothing about ODU moves the needle at all.
Rivalries emergeā¦no need to force or manufacture anything. Let it happen organically.
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āBattle of the Beardsā has some weight. Good concept.
I saw their women, weāre at a huge disadvantage here guys.
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Battle of the Beards is the very definition of manufactured rivalry. The two athletics departments pushing out t-shirts and cups for a series for two teams who have never played before? Pretty damn manufactured.
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Plus it is a two game series with App.
A rivalry is fueled by hateā¦not a slogan. There is plenty of hate between us and Appy to field a rivalry. There is apathy for ODUā¦not hate. You would have to manufacture the hate.
Not sure how you donāt get that.
I think it makes sense. We need a rivalry game each year and a series with ODU is the most guaranteed game to happen with a regional team out there. If another series takes its place down the line then so be it but for now it makes the most sense. Appās in a different league than us in football both literally and metaphorically.
Although itās manufacturered we hate them and they love us so itās as good of a shot as anything. Something we should lock in for years to come! #screwappstate
ECU has some holes in their future schedules because VPI canceled 3 games at Greenville. ECU is still scheduled to play in Blacksburg 2 or 3 more times, but those games arenāt going to happen. Charlotte can take some of those dates with ECU. A regular series with them might make the AAC pay attention.
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But does Charlotte have the openings?
ECU could have become rivals if they stayed in C-USA, but they didnāt. To become rivals their must be some form of parity and consistency. We have neither with either them or App. The only thing we share with either are a state.
ECU and App are natural rivals in football. The best kind. We should be playing one of the two every season IMO, just like Davidson in hoops.
Why?
Do we play them every year?
Will we play them every year?
Do they see us the same way?
The only thing natural about it is some of US want it, few of them do.
I can see ECU if we were in the same conference and playing annually but we will never form a real rivalry with any school we play twice in a decade.
geĀ·ogĀ·raĀ·phy
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noun
the nature and relative arrangement of places and physical features.
Why are you acting obtuse about this? We have geographic overlap of fans and recruiting grounds. State pride. Etc. Any FBS program in this state is a natural rival of ours, though ECU and App are especially so in football because they are also G5 schools, trying to assert their priority in the in state hierarchy.
Location doesnāt mean anything when you donāt play each other more than twice a decade. You have to play the games for them to matter. Get back to me about them being our ON THE FIELD rivals when we sign to play them more than twice in a decade. Recruiting battles donāt mean anything when the season starts.
Again, we should be playing one of the two of them every year, which was the genesis of this conversation. We are already finishing a series with App, and we have one schedule with ECU. We need to make this an annual thing.
Davidson is not in our conference in hoops. Doesnāt stop them from being a rival.
Cincy and Xavier havenāt been in the same league and thatās one of the most heated rivalries in sports. Ditto Louisville and Kentucky for both hoops and football. Same reasons. Geography.
I also love that they are easier road trips for fans. Geography.