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The UT Rivalry

Which rivalry is bigger for you, Tennessee or Auburn?

  • Total voters
    49
NoCompetition2

NoCompetition2

New Member
Oct 4, 2011
8
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0
I am by no means a veteran of this rivalry. Being only 22 I have seen some good days, but right now it has been really bad. My cousin is a huge Bama fan, and I have asked him this question before, but I would like to get some other opinions from Bama fans. Which rivalry is bigger for you, UT or Auburn? I will say Bama is definitely the biggest rivalry for me. A lot of people were devastated that the series could come to a end with the SEC expansion. My cousin is from TN, and grew up in TN his whole life. He said that usually Bama fans in TN would say UT, but the Bama fans that live in Alabama would say Auburn. Looking forward to the big game. It should be dominated by you guys, but remember anything can happen. Good luck for the rest of the season after Saturday. :biggrin:
 
subherbanite

subherbanite

1st Team
Jun 24, 2011
582
0
0
Nashville, TN
The UT rivalry is bigger for me, probably because I live in Tennessee. Auburn fans(the real ones) are scattered out, I don't hear much from them. I'm always around UT fans so I get a little edgy this time of year. I like both rivalries, both are heated and both have seen a few streaks. But the UT game gets me fired up since I'm "behind enemy lines".
 
uafan4life

uafan4life

Hall of Fame
Mar 30, 2001
15,613
7,434
287
43
Florence, AL
I think it's very much an age thing, but not necessarily the age of person. Let's call it the age of your fandom. :)

What I mean by that is really about what your perspective is regarding Alabama as a fan. While my personal memories of Alabama football don't extend far beyond the '92 National Championship - I'm 30 - I consider Tennessee a bigger, and more important, Rivalry than the barn. While the stakes and the intensity of the (used to be the) Iron Bowl are huge in the state of Alabama, the (also used to be the) Third Saturday in October was much more important nationally as well as regionally. And that's not to mention the fact the Alabama versus Tennessee rivalry was played much more and more often than we played the barn.

If your perspective is similar to mine and/or you are old enough to have lived through and cheered on Alabama during the 60's and/or 70's when the barn was nothing and Tennessee was the biggest threat to the SEC crown then you are likely to place more reverence and, even, more importance on the Tennessee rivalry. However, if your perspective is more about "what have you done for me lately?" and the biggest historical difference between the two rivalries is Peyton Manning versus "Fear the Thumb" then you are likely to push toward the Iron Bowl side of things.


Personally, I would love to see the SEC add Missouri (or another West team), move the barn to the East, have Alabama keep Tennessee as our static East opponent (preferably moving the game back to the actual third Saturday in October), and make the barn a rotating opponent. I would have no qualms about not playing the barn every year. I would, however, be very upset about not playing Tennessee every year.
 
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M

MemphisBamaDude

1st Team
Nov 12, 2008
845
575
117
Memphis, TN
I think you may be right about it depending on where you live. Listen, I've always hated Awburn, with a deep-seeded loathing that runs to my core. And that loathing has been incensed even more since the events of last season. But I've lived in Tennessee the last 15 yrs and UT fans are some of the dumbest, most obnoxious people on the planet. That orange color eats away at your retina. That song makes me wanna scratch my eardrums out. In short, it's a brutal assault on my senses and mind. I hate Awburn, but it HATE Tennessee.
 
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W

Wyatt

Suspended
Nov 29, 2010
35
0
0
Helena, AL
What has always made the rivalry so passionate is several things. First, these are easily the two winningest schools in the conference. Even in our days under Bryant UT was a problem when really no one else was in the SEC save AU a few years. 2nd the proximity. I know in Shelby county Alabama there are tons of UT grads/fans. Same with Nashville, tons of Bama fans/grads. UT vacations in Alabama in the summer, Bama vacations in the smokies in the fall/winter so UT and Bama fans are ocnstantly inter-mingling.. We dont share that with say, Florida or LSU. Too far away and we really don't share many things outside of football. I see very few LSU and FLorida fans anywhere I go in Alabama and too many UT fans. Heck, Huntsville might be close to 50/50 UT/ Bama fans. With UT, The cultures are the same, accents the same, passion for football the same and we have always been concerned with how the other is doing. We don't share much with Louisianans. No matter how good UF and LSU get, it never seems to be THE game that everybody gets up for. It's just not there like for AU and UT. Again, Bama and UT have much more SEC history and have played a long time. It's just a great game for so many reasons but I think the familiarity and number of championships really fuels it. Another thing I like is the way we fans can act on gameday. It's actually fun. UF and LSU fans absolutely ruin gamedays. I actually dread playing LSU because of their fans and the way they act. After we had a child I decided my last LSU game had been gone to. UT fans are cool. Never had one problem. We respect one another. Not sure some schools know what respect means.
If we keep anybody on the schedule let's keep UT. I love the AU game but hasnt been the same since it went to the campuses. Don't want to but could live without AU.
 
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Gallowglas

Gallowglas

All-SEC
Jan 6, 2008
1,247
212
82
Hendersonville, TN
My experience with Tennessee rivalry is very personal, not just because of where I live, but because the rest of my family are UT fans. I started watching Bama play sometime back in 1978 on an old black-and-white TV set my grandmother gave me. Sibling rivalry between my brother and I became personified in that October game and each years was a household event, so perhaps my perspective is skewed.

Nonetheless, personal experience aside, the Bama-UT rivalry feels more substantial and more meaningful. Yes, there's some negativity (a lot of which centered around Fulmer), but there's also a great deal of history.

The Auburn rivalry, by contrast, doesn't ever seem to be a positive or even respectful one. Frankly, even if I didn't bleed crimson, I wouldn't have a whole lot of use for the Auburn program. I don't like they way they've played football, the way their coaches have run their mouths, the way they recruit, or the way they've run their athletics in general. They are the only SEC team I actively root against even when they play a non-SEC school.

Frankly...and I think most here would agree...if given the choice of which rivalry to keep in a conference realignment, I'd choose Bama/UT in a heartbeat.
 
GP for Bama

GP for Bama

All-American
Feb 3, 2011
4,335
1,100
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Well Auburn is our in-state arch-rival. It is a true rivaly game...no matter the sport.

Tennessee is the traditional big football game...and has been for decades. It used to be among the classiest and most respectful rivalries in the nation (untill a fat coach wearing orange got involved). Beating Tennessee usually means something.

In short, beating Tennessee is GREAT, but a lose to *U is worse.
 
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lafella

lafella

Hall of Fame
Nov 27, 2006
5,842
0
0
Baldwin County, AL.
Auburn followed closely by Tennessee.

It might matter where you currently are according to which fan base you have to tolerate but really with
Auburn being an Instate school very close by they are our natural and true rival. Though I wouldn't give up the UT
unless forced to choose between Auburn and UT.

In my opinion UT will always be someone that is a fun game but alot of the vitrol dispersed when the Great Pumpkin exited the building.
I will always hate Auburn just for being Auburn and almost always pull against them and always will.

I can't say the same for UT I have pulled for them before or at least hoped they would do well against an OOC opponent.
 
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bamakasie

bamakasie

BamaNation Citizen
Mar 13, 2008
46
0
25
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Nashville, Tennessee, United States
I've been an Alabama fan since I was a little girl and I am now 40. So I remember the Bear Bryant era and got to go see games when Alabama would beat up on Vandy and Georiga Tech. I always had respect for Tennessee and looked forward to playing them every year. Then I moved to Middle Tennessee about 15 years ago, and that quickly changed. I think that was when Fulmer was just starting to get things hyped up with all his mud slinging and vitriol. Tennessee fans would tell me that the Alabama game was the most important game to them and they hated us. I had no idea. So it doesn't take much to despise somebody that despises you right back. I will say things have mellowed for me somewhat since Fulmer has left, but I still pretty much detest the Vols. All that said, I think this year will be very anti-climactic since I expect Alabama to whoop up on them in a big way.

And my husband is an Auburn grad. Thankfully he's not as rabid a fan as I am, or it would make things trickier. He really despises Tennessee, too, and their arrogance. I always want to beat Auburn, too, but I'm just exposed to more Tennessee fans on a regular basis. All that said, I don't think I could choose between the rivalries. It kind of goes back and forth for me. I'd say this year it's definitely more important for me that we beat Auburn because of last year's Iron Bowl.
 
T

T Town Tank

1st Team
Sep 26, 2000
383
0
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Northport, AL USA
I hate Barnville no matter what they are doing. I can pull for UT now that Fulmer is gone. I have always enjoyed the intense competition between Bama and UT when both teams are at their best.
 
DaveMitch

DaveMitch

3rd Team
Apr 3, 2009
232
0
0
49
Lincoln Co. Tennessee
I hate them both too! Living up here with the enemy, I have always wondered if the UT fans considered this the biggest rivalry because Vandy was never a real threat to them. I mean, The Crimson Tide vs. the barn is a HUGE in-state rivalry and my wife (who is a native from North Alabama and a HUGE Tide fan) argues that the barn is the biggest while all my life I have considered UT the biggest rivalry. All I know is... I HATE UT (but I respect Dooley), and I HATE the barn (and I GOT NO respect for any of them!) Roll Tide Ya'll!
 
P

p'colabamaman

All-SEC
Sep 16, 2008
1,874
0
0
Pace, FL.
I'm old enough to remember the good ol' days when Bama-UT was a real rivalry game. Both teams were more or less the elite teams in the SEC and the game was played to determine the supremacy of the conference. Not a lot of hate between the two, just a lot of respect between two great teams. Every year, fans would feel the same about this game as Bama fans are feeling about LSU this year.

The Fulmer years kinda changed the rivalry to a hate game, but I think now, it's turned back into the respectful rivalry, even tho UT has had several down years.

I absolutely hate *U so much that I don't even want our team on the same field with them, because I don't even want to look at that O&B, even tho I watch their games in hope of seeing them get stomped. IMO, it's more of a hate game than a rivalry. I can now pull for UT, in hopes of them getting back to prominence and we can resume our old-time rivalry.
 
Rolltide_PA

Rolltide_PA

1st Team
Jul 31, 2011
918
0
0
I'm 40 and the Fulmer years definitely accelerated this rivalry to a hatred for me. I don't like sCam and company but absolutely hate the big Orange. I grew up respecting guys like James Brooks and Bo Jackson but I have no respect for any UT player including Manning, past or present. In addition to Fulmer it's the fan base that puts me over the top...a bunch of ignorant punks with a serious Alabama inferiority complex.

This is my first time attending a game against UcheaT so not easy to get any work done before my Thursday flight :)
 
NoCompetition2

NoCompetition2

New Member
Oct 4, 2011
8
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Rolltide_PA said:
I'm 40 and the Fulmer years definitely accelerated this rivalry to a hatred for me. I don't like sCam and company but absolutely hate the big Orange. I grew up respecting guys like James Brooks and Bo Jackson but I have no respect for any UT player including Manning, past or present. In addition to Fulmer it's the fan base that puts me over the top...a bunch of ignorant punks with a serious Alabama inferiority complex.

This is my first time attending a game against UcheaT so not easy to get any work done before my Thursday flight :)
Click to expand...
Wow. A typical Bama fan if you ask most UT people. Did Peyton do something to offend you? Lol Im joking guys. Its all in fun. To the other ones that talked about respect I agree 100%. We respect you all for being the best program in the conference, and one of the top in the nation. If not the top. I can also say we appreciate the respect from you all. Against other rivals like UF & UGA for us its just hate. No respect.
 
NoCompetition2

NoCompetition2

New Member
Oct 4, 2011
8
0
0
I noticed a lot of people viewed the thread, but didn't give an opinion. Here is a chance just to vote. Let me know what you think Bama nation. Which rivalry is more important to you, Auburn or Tennessee?
 
B

bilbo

Pro Sports Moderator
Oct 13, 1999
702
3
187
56
Gulf Shores, AL
another way to think of it is *burn is a relative of yours who you dislike but still have to see at special occasions. Tennessee is an ex-friend/girlfriend/ annoying neighbor you'd like to see get theirs

to the poster who said he doesn't see LSU fans in Alabama- you've never been to Gulf Shores
 
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