I’m curious who each fan base would consider their rivals. Here’s my stab:

Cincinnati: WVU, UCF
WVU: Cincinnati
UCF: Cincinnati, WVU
Kansas: K St, Iowa St
Iowa St: Kansas, K St
K St: Kansas, Iowa St
Oklahoma St: TTU
TTU: Houston, TCU, Baylor
Baylor: TTU, TCU
TCU: Baylor, TTU, BYU
Houston: TTU, Baylor, TCU, Okla St
BYU: TCU, Baylor

(12-10-2021 03:27 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  I’m curious who each fan base would consider their rivals. Here’s my stab:

Cincinnati: WVU, UCF
WVU: Cincinnati
UCF: Cincinnati, WVU
Kansas: K St, Iowa St
Iowa St: Kansas, K St
K St: Kansas, Iowa St
Oklahoma St: TTU
TTU: Houston, TCU, Baylor
Baylor: TTU, TCU
TCU: Baylor, TTU, BYU
Houston: TTU, Baylor, TCU, Okla St
BYU: TCU, Baylor

That looks pretty good, except I do question Houston considering OSU a rival.

One wvu fans opinion: I’ve never looked at Cincinnati as a rival in the same way Pitt, va tech and Syracuse etc where/are. That may change in time. That’s one of the tough things facing wvu since the move. We played va tech and Maryland in football and UConn in hoops this year. Those games are still more important to our fan base then XII games. This league has a lot of great programs and fans but the it takes time to overcome geography and lack of history factors.

Jackson

UCF at this point in time would only be Cinci and UH. We’ve had some heated battles with Cinci over the last few years trading off G5 supremacy.
By the time we’re in the Big12, UCF and UH will have shared a conference for 18 years, over 3.5 different conferences. They were our first ever win over a ranked team. And we have the space thing!

Anyone else would just be projecting what the future might look like.

It was never quite a "rivalry" but UC and TCU have a bit of history from the original CUSA days. For a couple of seasons TCU was the Labor Day/Season opener. Then UC jumped to the BE.

I was excited when TCU was joining the BE to renew that series. Of course, that didn't happen but I'm excited to get TCU back on the calendar again.

"Rivals" need some things to grow... History, of course is one of those things. The second is really some sort of institutional similarity. OSU-Michigan, WVU-Pitt, Texas-TAMU... Yes they are all "close" and have history, but one of the things that mark these great rivalries is that they are also similar institutions: similar size, similar mission, similar challenges. Why isn't "Illinois-Northwestern" a similar rivalry to "Ohio State-Michigan"? In no small part because Illinois and Northwestern are very different schools: Public-Private, Large land-grant-Private Academic Elite. So, who would be a similar school to UC: Large, urban, public, university? The obvious answer is "Houston."

SO:
UC-Houston
BYU-Baylor
WVU-Texas Tech

These should be/might be the makings of rivalries.

(12-10-2021 04:03 PM)JamesNathan Wrote:  

(12-10-2021 03:27 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  I’m curious who each fan base would consider their rivals. Here’s my stab:

Cincinnati: WVU, UCF
WVU: Cincinnati
UCF: Cincinnati, WVU
Kansas: K St, Iowa St
Iowa St: Kansas, K St
K St: Kansas, Iowa St
Oklahoma St: TTU
TTU: Houston, TCU, Baylor
Baylor: TTU, TCU
TCU: Baylor, TTU, BYU
Houston: TTU, Baylor, TCU, Okla St
BYU: TCU, Baylor

That looks pretty good, except I do question Houston considering OSU a rival.

Yah our rivals are the three texas schools. You could add a second tier of schools that will be pseudo rivals and include Okst in that. I'd also throw Cincy, UCF, and BYU in that. Those games will all likely draw better than the Kansas/WVU's of the conference but won't necessarily get as heated as a real rivalry.

Another thought on this: rivalries in this league are hard if your schools history isn’t in the swc or big 8. That’s why I really think as time goes on we need to get byu a rival or travel partner. That can be Boise or Colorado st or whomever. Just like the XII needed to give wvu a Cincinnati, se need to give byu a regional game for this league to work long term

Jackson

For Houston it is a no brainer, Texas Tech. We battle them for everything recruits in all sports, money from the state, and academic status.

Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk

(12-10-2021 03:27 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  I’m curious who each fan base would consider their rivals. Here’s my stab:

Cincinnati: WVU, UCF
WVU: Cincinnati
UCF: Cincinnati, WVU
Kansas: K St, Iowa St
Iowa St: Kansas, K St
K St: Kansas, Iowa St
Oklahoma St: TTU
TTU: Houston, TCU, Baylor
Baylor: TTU, TCU
TCU: Baylor, TTU, BYU
Houston: TTU, Baylor, TCU, Okla St
BYU: TCU, Baylor

Probably right. WV UCF not yet, but may develop pretty quickly.

I think BYU will be ok. Hopefully they can keep Utah and Utah St on the schedule for some in state flavor and I think they’ll quickly develop a rivalry with private schools TCU and Baylor, the former they shared a few seasons in the MWC with.

(12-10-2021 08:57 PM)Jackson1011 Wrote:  One wvu fans opinion: I’ve never looked at Cincinnati as a rival in the same way Pitt, va tech and Syracuse etc where/are. That may change in time. That’s one of the tough things facing wvu since the move. We played va tech and Maryland in football and UConn in hoops this year. Those games are still more important to our fan base then XII games. This league has a lot of great programs and fans but the it takes time to overcome geography and lack of history factors.

Jackson

Your opinion makes sense; Cincy and West Virginia had great games in the Big East but just weren't together long enough to have the same kind of rivalry develop as the Mountaineers have with Pitt.

I do believe when West Virginia and UC games really get fired up again in 2023 it will develop quickly into Cincy's best "love to hate" opponent in the new conference.

Even the short history UC has with Houston, and shorter still with UCF, will endure and make for great games against more familiar opponents early on in the expanded Big XII.

Lots to look forward to; I think most Cincinnati fans wish it could begin now.

WVU and Temple both really suffered in the balkanization of northeastern football—all their old rivals are in the ACC or Big Ten.

KU’s primary rival is definitely KSU, and vice-versa. We have of course also had long-standing series with ISU and OSU.

While it’s not something that has spurred a rivalry, KU and TCU also had a 20 year streak of non-conference football games from the mid 1940s through mid 1960s, so as someone who enjoys sports history I have an interest in that series as well.

UCF wasn't really big rivals with Cincy or UH, So to begin with I don't think we really have any rivals.

(12-19-2021 11:23 AM)goodknightfl Wrote:  UCF wasn't really big rivals with Cincy or UH, So to begin with I don't think we really have any rivals.

This is part of the reason why I think you guys need to find a way to keep USF on the schedule—you need an opponent that’s going to grind your gears and get your fan base energized.

Did WVU & UCF actually play each other before WVU moved to the BIGXII?

Red Cougar/Blue Cougar
UH/ TTU

(12-19-2021 03:52 PM)Edgebrookjeff Wrote:  Did WVU & UCF actually play each other before WVU moved to the BIGXII?

No.

I have a relative currently going to school at Cincinnati who has given me a little grief about beating UCF this season. They're our top rival now as far as I'm concerned.

(12-19-2021 10:23 PM)BearcatJerry Wrote:  

(12-19-2021 03:52 PM)Edgebrookjeff Wrote:  Did WVU & UCF actually play each other before WVU moved to the BIGXII?

No.

Actually, yes. We played WVU in 2003 and 2004, losing both times. We were a struggling team in the MAC during those two seasons.