(08-12-2013 07:09 AM)panicstricken Wrote:  Tulsa - Houston trumps SMU - Houston.

There are a lot of UCF fans that like the UCF/ECU matchup. But the in-state games are pretty big and grow quickly. If SMU can remain competitive, in time it will grow. Tulsa/Houston has been better because the game mattered and SMU was just lying around being a bottom feeder.

I am a fan of Houston/Tulsa rivalry but I see potential in Houston/SMU

(08-11-2013 09:22 AM)UConn-SMU Wrote:  Thanksgiving weekend:

USF @ UCF
Rutgers @ UConn
SMU @ Houston
Temple @ Memphis

Cincinnati has a bye (they play Louisville on 12/5/13)

This is a work in progress. I have no idea how it will look once Tulane, Tulsa, ECU, and Navy join. Some pairings will be obvious, some are not.

I disagree, I don't think there will be many changes. They want to build rivalries now.

Going Forward:
USF @ UCF
Navy @ UConn
SMU @ Houston
Temple @ Memphis
ECU vs Cincy
Tulsa vs Tulane

(08-12-2013 07:44 AM)ArmoredUpKnight Wrote:  

(08-11-2013 09:22 AM)UConn-SMU Wrote:  Thanksgiving weekend:

USF @ UCF
Rutgers @ UConn
SMU @ Houston
Temple @ Memphis

Cincinnati has a bye (they play Louisville on 12/5/13)

This is a work in progress. I have no idea how it will look once Tulane, Tulsa, ECU, and Navy join. Some pairings will be obvious, some are not.

I disagree, I don't think there will be many changes. They want to build rivalries now.

Going Forward:
USF @ UCF
Navy @ UConn
SMU @ Houston
Temple @ Memphis
ECU vs Cincy
Tulsa vs Tulane

I don't see UC/ECU being a rivalry. I'm not saying we can't have good games, I'm saying I don't see it as a rivalry...ever. The two schools are very distant in miles and there has never been a rivalry of any kind in any sport to boot. It just isn't happening. After UofL leaves we don't have a true rivalry in this conference. The closest we will have is Memphis and that's hoops only.

Tulsa and Houston has more bad blood.

The series is sometimes close and sometimes humiliating to the other team. Fans on both sides get worked up over it.

(08-12-2013 07:48 AM)Bearcats#1 Wrote:  

(08-12-2013 07:44 AM)ArmoredUpKnight Wrote:  

(08-11-2013 09:22 AM)UConn-SMU Wrote:  Thanksgiving weekend:

USF @ UCF
Rutgers @ UConn
SMU @ Houston
Temple @ Memphis

Cincinnati has a bye (they play Louisville on 12/5/13)

This is a work in progress. I have no idea how it will look once Tulane, Tulsa, ECU, and Navy join. Some pairings will be obvious, some are not.

I disagree, I don't think there will be many changes. They want to build rivalries now.

Going Forward:
USF @ UCF
Navy @ UConn
SMU @ Houston
Temple @ Memphis
ECU vs Cincy
Tulsa vs Tulane

I don't see UC/ECU being a rivalry. I'm not saying we can't have good games, I'm saying I don't see it as a rivalry...ever. The two schools are very distant in miles and there has never been a rivalry of any kind in any sport to boot. It just isn't happening. After UofL leaves we don't have a true rivalry in this conference. The closest we will have is Memphis and that's hoops only.

You admit there are no true rivalries, I agree. Cincy/Memphis in football would be a waste of a game. ECU game is at least interesting and you do have some history. From an outside perspective, I think ECU/Cincy is a better football game.

Memphis/Temple always seemed like the smarter choice in the early rivalry predictions. Both like minded, basketball first programs. Traditionally not big football powers and in most years won't be bowling.

(08-12-2013 08:01 AM)panicstricken Wrote:  Tulsa and Houston has more bad blood.

The series is sometimes close and sometimes humiliating to the other team. Fans on both sides get worked up over it.

And there isn't any bad blood in UCF/ECU??? It's still an exciting game... sure. I just think Tulsa/Houston, like UCF/ECU will be overshadowed by the in-state game.

(08-12-2013 08:09 AM)ArmoredUpKnight Wrote:  

(08-12-2013 08:01 AM)panicstricken Wrote:  Tulsa and Houston has more bad blood.

The series is sometimes close and sometimes humiliating to the other team. Fans on both sides get worked up over it.

And there isn't any bad blood in UCF/ECU??? It's still an exciting game... sure. I just think Tulsa/Houston, like UCF/ECU will be overshadowed by the in-state game.

It's not like there can't and won't be multiple rivalry games. ECU/UCF has become a bit of a rivalry over the years, but obviously UCF/USF is going to be a bigger game. ECU/Navy doesn't have the feel of a rivalry yet but I do think it could with the teams being relatively close and the large military presence in the state of NC.

(08-11-2013 10:04 AM)Native Georgian Wrote:  One suggestion:

UCF/USF
Cincinnati/Memphis
Houston/Tulsa
SMU/Tulane
Temple/UConn
ECU/Navy

Houston/Tulsa and SMU/Tulane could be re-arranged to Houston/SMU and Tulane/Tulsa or Houston/Tulane and SMU/Tulsa. But just offhand, I think that Houston/Tulsa has emerged as a rivalry with some extra juice in the last 8 years.

Swap SMU and Tulsa and you're pretty much spot on.

(08-12-2013 08:06 AM)ArmoredUpKnight Wrote:  

(08-12-2013 07:48 AM)Bearcats#1 Wrote:  

(08-12-2013 07:44 AM)ArmoredUpKnight Wrote:  

(08-11-2013 09:22 AM)UConn-SMU Wrote:  Thanksgiving weekend:

USF @ UCF
Rutgers @ UConn
SMU @ Houston
Temple @ Memphis

Cincinnati has a bye (they play Louisville on 12/5/13)

This is a work in progress. I have no idea how it will look once Tulane, Tulsa, ECU, and Navy join. Some pairings will be obvious, some are not.

I disagree, I don't think there will be many changes. They want to build rivalries now.

Going Forward:
USF @ UCF
Navy @ UConn
SMU @ Houston
Temple @ Memphis
ECU vs Cincy
Tulsa vs Tulane

I don't see UC/ECU being a rivalry. I'm not saying we can't have good games, I'm saying I don't see it as a rivalry...ever. The two schools are very distant in miles and there has never been a rivalry of any kind in any sport to boot. It just isn't happening. After UofL leaves we don't have a true rivalry in this conference. The closest we will have is Memphis and that's hoops only.

You admit there are no true rivalries, I agree. Cincy/Memphis in football would be a waste of a game. ECU game is at least interesting and you do have some history. From an outside perspective, I think ECU/Cincy is a better football game.

Memphis/Temple always seemed like the smarter choice in the early rivalry predictions. Both like minded, basketball first programs. Traditionally not big football powers and in most years won't be bowling.

The only logical choice for Temple is UConn. The 2 schools are 230 miles apart and have played 4 times since 2007.

The only other team that comes close in history and geography is Navy. Temple has played Navy 4 times since 2006, by contrast UConn has only played Navy once in that same period. Annapolis is only 140 miles from Philly so that works much better for Temple.

Temple v Memphis has the potential to become something in basketball, but there is no history there and geography makes it a challenge also.

When you consider rivalry games, two factors should come into play: first and foremost - history, and secondly, geography.

Memphis has no history with Temple in football, whereas it does have a long history with Cincinnati. Cincinnati is also closer being an eight hour drive.

There is no point in forcing a rivalry that doesn't exist. If you want to have a "rivalry" week, set aside the games that fit as a rivalry, and the others rotate as any other one did. It's the same thing for cross division rivals. When it's needed, protect a rivalry, otherwise don't. That is what the PAC 12 does, and what the Big Ten is doing going forward starting next year. The PAC 12 protects the California schools playing each other and that's it. The Big TEN will protect Indiana and Purdue and that's it. The rest rotate.

So in this regard, you have:

UCF/USF - that seems agreeable for everyone
SMU/Houston - if this is a rivalry. Only mentioned because of same state
Navy - must keep the weekend to play Army or a bye. Not sure if they can still play the week after the conference championship so if not they play Army here. If they can, they likely need a bye week here

Cincinnati - possibly with Louisville. Never really known the football game w/Memphis to be a rivalry
Everyone else - rotate unless a legit rivalry builds.

Perfect example of why UMass and Army would make great additions.

If that were the case I'd do this.

UConn / Umass
Army / Navy
USF / UCF
ECU / Temple
Cincy / Memphis
Houston / Tulsa
SMU / Tulane

(08-12-2013 10:24 AM)blunderbuss Wrote:  Perfect example of why UMass and Army would make great additions.

If that were the case I'd do this.

UConn / Umass
Army / Navy
USF / UCF
ECU / Temple
Cincy / Memphis
Houston / Tulsa
SMU / Tulane

Best I've seen, although you could easily swap Tulsa and SMU for an all-Texas and an all-private school game. Still, I prefer adding nobody right now (unless Army wants in or Navy wants out).

(08-12-2013 10:29 AM)Chappy Wrote:  

(08-12-2013 10:24 AM)blunderbuss Wrote:  Perfect example of why UMass and Army would make great additions.

If that were the case I'd do this.

UConn / Umass
Army / Navy
USF / UCF
ECU / Temple
Cincy / Memphis
Houston / Tulsa
SMU / Tulane

Best I've seen, although you could easily swap Tulsa and SMU for an all-Texas and an all-private school game. Still, I prefer adding nobody right now (unless Army wants in or Navy wants out).

Even if Army doesn't want in, it doesn't mean they can't be the "official football rival" of Navy.

Yeah it sucks we are paired up with Temple, but everything else works out well.

In the future for Memphis (When they finally get the program turned around) I see rivalries for Cincinnati (History wise) Temple (Schools in the same position and are similar) and Tulane (Always a fun game and usually a tiger W)

(08-12-2013 07:45 PM)gotigersgo111111 Wrote:  Tulane (Always a fun game and usually a tiger W)

Y'all have definitely had our number. Don't know if it's Tulane that brings out the best in Memphis, or Memphis that brings out the worst in Tulane, but 13-3-0 since 1990 is domination.

The way the 2007 game ended still just seems unbelievable to me. That was when I finally realized that the Katrina legacy was going to be measured in years and not months.

(08-12-2013 10:24 AM)blunderbuss Wrote:  Perfect example of why UMass and Army would make great additions.

If that were the case I'd do this.

UConn / Umass
Army / Navy
USF / UCF
ECU / Temple
Cincy / Memphis
Houston / Tulsa
SMU / Tulane

That's fine. SMU and Houston just don't care about each other. No animosity just a general disinterest from both fanbases.

(08-12-2013 08:49 PM)Pony94 Wrote:  SMU and Houston just don't care about each other. No animosity just a general disinterest from both fanbases.

From a distance, that has always been my impression. Interesting to see a Pony fan agree with that.

(08-12-2013 02:08 PM)PGPirate Wrote:  Yeah it sucks we are paired up with Temple, but everything else works out well.

why would it suck to get paired with Temple? I actually think ECU/Temple has a lot of potential to be a great all sports rivalry. It's an easy trip for both fanbases and a good recruiting area for both sides.

(08-12-2013 09:17 PM)Native Georgian Wrote:  

(08-12-2013 08:49 PM)Pony94 Wrote:  SMU and Houston just don't care about each other. No animosity just a general disinterest from both fanbases.

From a distance, that has always been my impression. Interesting to see a Pony fan agree with that.

ShockerBob and I have been saying this for years.