Our Actual Rivals in 2019

[Scooch]

I think there are three components to rivalries: (1) stakes, (2) familiarity, (3) proximity. Or more plainly said, there has to be something of consequence on the line (at least more often than not), teams have to play regularly, and fans need to have contact with one another.

The latter is the least important of the three. Fan bases interacting helps, but if stakes are always high and team play often, that's not essential. The first two are absolutely essential, though.

This is where the Georgetown rivalry is failing, in my opinion.

Stakes: There's little on the line these days, besides vague bragging rights.

Familiarity: We may play them annually, or we may not. For hoops, twice a year (with the occasional conference tourney matchup) really makes a difference.

Proximity: Unless you're in D.C., this has never been a crucial part of the rivalry. But now, G'town's long run of relative irrelevance has turned their fan base into something exceedingly small. How often do you run into a real Hoya fan, outside the beltway?

Like I said, there's a ton of history, but not much of an active rivalry these days. If you're 45+ years of age the hate may still burn bright. But we're onto two generations of fans that probably don't care a ton about this game, unless they have family that raised them to do so.

 

[IthacaBarrel]

I think there are three components to rivalries: (1) stakes, (2) familiarity, (3) proximity. Or more plainly said, there has to be something of consequence on the line (at least more often than not), teams have to play regularly, and fans need to have contact with one another.

The latter is the least important of the three. Fan bases interacting helps, but if stakes are always high and team play often, that's not essential. The first two are absolutely essential, though.

This is where the Georgetown rivalry is failing, in my opinion.

Stakes: There's little on the line these days, besides vague bragging rights.

Familiarity: We may play them annually, or we may not. For hoops, twice a year (with the occasional conference tourney matchup) really makes a difference.

Proximity: Unless you're in D.C., this has never been a crucial part of the rivalry. But now, G'town's long run of relative irrelevance has turned their fan base into something exceedingly small. How often do you run into a real Hoya fan, outside the beltway?

Like I said, there's a ton of history, but not much of an active rivalry these days. If you're 45+ years of age the hate may still burn bright. But we're onto two generations of fans that probably don't care a ton about this game, unless they have family that raised them to do so.

Agree 100%, I don't even dislike Georgetown anymore and actually like Ewing as he is a big former player who actually put his time in as an assistant.. Just me maybe I am sure but just the way I think about it. The rivalry to me died the day Big John retired

 

[Bayside44]

UVa has a certain amount of distain towards us because of the Elite 8 thing. TV puts us in the warmup game to UNC-Duke with Louisville it seems. (Good thing it's at 7, 9 is waaay too late). Duke had a chance to become a thing, we've done ok there but not well enough to challenge for their top spot.

 

[Owens guy]

No ACC team(s) has replaced my hate yet for Uconn and Georgetown. Nothing makes me feel better than beating them even if it is a non-conference game played in December. I'm still pissed about last year's Uconn loss at the Garden.

 

[Alsacs]

Rivalries are two way street hatred. We don't want any Civil ConFLiCT rivalries.
We had a solid basketball rivalry in the Big East with Villanova.
We had hated rivalries with Georgetown thru the mid 90's and UConn from mid 90's to 2013.
In the ACC we have no true rival. Louisville has Kentucky, Duke has UNC, Virginia has Virginia Tech.

The closest things we have are Pitt and Boston College. The BC student body doesn't care about any rivalries except BU-BC hockey. Pitt has WVU. We have UConn/Gtown but no conference games means the rivalries are less important. This Gtown-Syracuse game though will fill their arena so it does have some juice.

 

[HRE Otto IV]

I think there are three components to rivalries: (1) stakes, (2) familiarity, (3) proximity. Or more plainly said, there has to be something of consequence on the line (at least more often than not), teams have to play regularly, and fans need to have contact with one another.

The latter is the least important of the three. Fan bases interacting helps, but if stakes are always high and team play often, that's not essential. The first two are absolutely essential, though.

This is where the Georgetown rivalry is failing, in my opinion.

Stakes: There's little on the line these days, besides vague bragging rights.

Familiarity: We may play them annually, or we may not. For hoops, twice a year (with the occasional conference tourney matchup) really makes a difference.

Proximity: Unless you're in D.C., this has never been a crucial part of the rivalry. But now, G'town's long run of relative irrelevance has turned their fan base into something exceedingly small. How often do you run into a real Hoya fan, outside the beltway?

Like I said, there's a ton of history, but not much of an active rivalry these days. If you're 45+ years of age the hate may still burn bright. But we're onto two generations of fans that probably don't care a ton about this game, unless they have family that raised them to do so.

IMO rivalries should also be across sports as well. So I would add that component to your list.

Too bad Maryland left the ACC as they are a historical opponent in football, care about BBall, and care about Lax. If we played them to end the year in football, to start the year in BBall (same weekend even), yearly in Lax, then maybe it could develop?

Pitt we play historically in football but their basketball program is lacking. Since they rarely play Penn State or WV, we can become somewhat of a rival. But they don’t play Lax so they aren’t ideal.

BC’s #1 sport we don’t play.

UVA now has BBall and still has Lax. But we haven’t played them much in football. If we played them yearly, then they might have the most potential.

Duke and UNC have each other so they are out.

Another component I would add is similarity if schools. That knocks out Louisville, Clemson, GA Tech, FSU, Miami, NC State, VA Tech, Wake as we have little in common (either Southern or State schools).

Which leaves Notre Dame. There is BBall. There is Lax. Both are private schools with a presence from Boston to DC. There is some history in football. But historically they are been a national power while we were at best a regional power, and far from that now. The potential is there but it is a bit of a stretch. Plus we don’t play yearly in football.

All other schools outside the ACC we don’t play often enough, and there is no longer anything at stake. Plus most don’t have football. You can’t be a rival only playing a school in BBall with that game being in early December.

The best potential from outside the ACC IMO is Penn State. The history is there. They now have Lax. They are better at football and we are better at BBall. We no likely them.

If I were Wildhack I would talk to UVA and see if there was mutual interest in pushing a rivalry with the ACC changing or scraping football divisions. If that doesn’t work do the MD thing.

 

[HRE Otto IV]

Rivalries are two way street hatred. We don't want any Civil ConFLiCT rivalries.
We had a solid basketball rivalry in the Big East with Villanova.
We had hated rivalries with Georgetown thru the mid 90's and UConn from mid 90's to 2013.
In the ACC we have no true rival. Louisville has Kentucky, Duke has UNC, Virginia has Virginia Tech.

The closest things we have are Pitt and Boston College. The BC student body doesn't care about any rivalries except BU-BC hockey. Pitt has WVU. We have UConn/Gtown but no conference games means the rivalries are less important. This Gtown-Syracuse game though will fill their arena so it does have some juice.

I think we should play Maryland on Thanksgiving weekend in both football and basketball. Then add them OOC for Lax. We recruit the same areas in those sports. Many of the students come from the same areas. Graduates work in the same areas. It is hard to have a rival when you never bump into the other schools grads. I can count on one hand the UConn grads I have encountered. No one I know from high school went there either.

 

[Wrinkle]

They certainly don't view us as rivals but Duke, UNC, UVA. Those are the teams I most want to beat. At the moment, they're the top dogs in a conference in which we have little history. Will of course always dislike Pitt and Lville but Dixon and Pitino's departures have tempered those somewhat, for me.

 

[creatorsgam]

I think we should play Maryland on Thanksgiving weekend in both football and basketball. Then add them OOC for Lax. We recruit the same areas in those sports. Many of the students come from the same areas. Graduates work in the same areas. It is hard to have a rival when you never bump into the other schools grads. I can count on one hand the UConn grads I have encountered. No one I know from high school went there either.

No.

 

[creatorsgam]

It is hard to have a rival when you never bump into the other schools grads.

Also, this statement is just absurd.

 

[HRE Otto IV]

Also, this statement is just absurd.

How so? You don’t think proximity to the enemy makes a rivalry stronger? If you never see the opposing team’s fans in every day life or even at your stadium/arena, how can you hate them?

The internet does make the world smaller so I guess you can have online interaction. Based off that our biggest was BC when on the rivalry site, and uconn/ru on the scouting site. Since moving to this site, we have had little interaction with so called rivals.

 

[OrangeDW]

Who was Marquette or Cincinatti’s rivals in the Big East? So far we’ve kinda been the Marquette or Cincinatti of the ACC. Hard to have a rival when youre middle of the pack, unless it’s a geographical rivalry.

In the Big East we were one of the teams everyone was gunning for, and we were one of the teams clashing with others in big games with league titles on the line, so rivalries develop more easily in those situations.

Nobody cares about the 8-9 matchup in the conference tourney, with the winner getting bounced in the next round anyway.

 

[OrangeDW]

How so? You don’t think proximity to the enemy makes a rivalry stronger? If you never see the opposing team’s fans in every day life or even at your stadium/arena, how can you hate them?

The internet does make the world smaller so I guess you can have online interaction. Based off that our biggest was BC when on the rivalry site, and uconn/ru on the scouting site. Since moving to this site, we have had little interaction with so called rivals.

BC? For basketball? I don’t remember caring about them too often. Off the top, I can’t remember a thing about them for the decade in between Bill Curley and Troy Bell.

 

[HRE Otto IV]

BC? For basketball? I don’t remember caring about them too often. Off the top, I can’t remember a thing about them for the decade in between Bill Curley and Troy Bell.

No in football on the rivals board there was always banter the week we played them. Basketball we have only had online banter with UConn. Georgetown fans must not be able to afford computers and/or figure out how to use one.

 

[OrangeDW]

No in football on the rivals board there was always banter the week we played them. Basketball we have only had online banter with UConn. Georgetown fans must not be able to afford computers and/or figure out how to use one.

Georgetown fans post on a message board that is straight out of 1996. Fitting for that relic of a program. I think they just exist in their own little bubble, which is best for all.

True, I do remember some message board banter with BC, making fun of the Superfans. I think I got banned from their board for asking “if anyone wants to make a BET ON THE GAME”. I thought I was really coming up with one there, lol.

 

[creatorsgam]

How so? You don’t think proximity to the enemy makes a rivalry stronger? If you never see the opposing team’s fans in every day life or even at your stadium/arena, how can you hate them?

The internet does make the world smaller so I guess you can have online interaction. Based off that our biggest was BC when on the rivalry site, and uconn/ru on the scouting site. Since moving to this site, we have had little interaction with so called rivals.

Well I certainly don’t hate anyone based on their collegiate affiliation. That would be foolish. So there’s that.

I can count on one hand the people I knew that attended Georgetown. Same with UCONN. And only one of them I’ve spoken to this century, and that was about 15 years ago.

I never went to Syracuse but had been a fan by the time I was in kindergarten.

I can loathe the old rivals... I don’t need to bump into their grads to do so. Nor did I need to attend Syracuse to immerse myself in the rivalries growing up in the 80’s and 90’s.

Maryland does nothing for me. However, I will concede that it is a good area for Syracuse alums and CNY transplants. So perhaps there is something there that could be built upon.

 

[Alsacs]

Who was Marquette or Cincinatti’s rivals in the Big East? So far we’ve kinda been the Marquette or Cincinatti of the ACC. Hard to have a rival when youre middle of the pack, unless it’s a geographical rivalry.

In the Big East we were one of the teams everyone was gunning for, and we were one of the teams clashing with others in big games with league titles on the line, so rivalries develop more easily in those situations.

Nobody cares about the 8-9 matchup in the conference tourney, with the winner getting bounced in the next round anyway.

Cincinnati-Louisville were rivals.
The cities are an hour or 90 minutes apart.

Marquette’s old rival was DePaul since its Chicago and that is close to Milwaukee but DePaul has sucked.

 

[bozophobe]

Too soon to suggest Buffalo? Or maybe a potentially resurgent Bonaventure?

 

[bozophobe]

Wait...those 2 are close to each other. Damn, this is hard.

 

[Newhouser]

I haven’t gotten worked up about Pitt since the Ennis shot. That one is mostly dead, IMO.

I think it resurfaces this year

 

[Col. Bleep]

We’ll never have a true rival in the ACC.

That's it...barring the occurrence of some incident.

Do any of the ACC teams' fans really care about playing Syracuse?
Only our old BE foe Pitt...and perhaps Louisville.
To everyone else we're just another game.

But rivalry?
Intense hatred and utter disdain?
Even if today's students won't ever really feel it...history says that's G-town...then UConn.

It's been beautiful the way the Orange have put it in Ewing's face the last two years.
A win Saturday makes the whole season a success no matter what else happens.

I LOOOOOAAAAATHE G-town!

GO Orange!!!

 

[Eric15]

How often do you run into a real Hoya fan, outside the beltway?

I live in that area and I’m not exaggerating when I say I’ve never met a Georgetown fan inside the Beltway either. Literally never.

 

[Bayside44]

I live in that area and I’m not exaggerating when I say I’ve never met a Georgetown fan inside the Beltway either. Literally never.

They aren't exactly the Greenpeace crowd, yet...