Rank the Evils, I mean Rivals
- Thread starter Farsight
- Start date
I don’t dislike teams because they beat us in a big game. That’s what they are supposed to try to do. So I don’t hate Duke because of the Laettner shot.
But to me we are not only “a blue blood” we are THE bluest blue blood, so I weight most our rivals at the national level. I add in how much cheating they got away with (yes you UNCheat, Duke, UCLA, Kansas).
I also consider my interactions with their fans.
1A- UNCheat. One of the 2-3 most successful in my lifetime. Got away with 2 decades of cheating my threatening to sue. Their fans are very arrogant, even about how “clean” they supposedly were. And I’ve lived among them half my life
1B- Duke. Very close to UNC for most of the same reasons.
3- UT. I grew up just 5 miles from TN, most of our tv and radio stations in TN. And when I first became a UK fan we almost never won in Knoxville. Add in we’ve almost always played them twice a year. And that hours Rocky top song and putrid orange. And the past few years they’ve gotten good again.
4- Kansas. Basically a lesser version of UNC.
5- UCLA. Historic 12 year run (where they paid their players). Otherwise 2nd or 3rd tier, so not a blue blood even though many think so
6. UConn
7 Indiana. They were higher, but not been relevant (other than a couple random years) the past 30 years
8 UL/U6/Lil Brother - I probably have ever met <5 UL fans outside of Louisville and Bowling Green (because many kids from Louisville go to WKU).
Honorable mention: Florida, Arkansas, Georgetown, Michigan, Alabama, Auburn, Gonzaga
But to me we are not only “a blue blood” we are THE bluest blue blood, so I weight most our rivals at the national level. I add in how much cheating they got away with (yes you UNCheat, Duke, UCLA, Kansas).
I also consider my interactions with their fans.
1A- UNCheat. One of the 2-3 most successful in my lifetime. Got away with 2 decades of cheating my threatening to sue. Their fans are very arrogant, even about how “clean” they supposedly were. And I’ve lived among them half my life
1B- Duke. Very close to UNC for most of the same reasons.
3- UT. I grew up just 5 miles from TN, most of our tv and radio stations in TN. And when I first became a UK fan we almost never won in Knoxville. Add in we’ve almost always played them twice a year. And that hours Rocky top song and putrid orange. And the past few years they’ve gotten good again.
4- Kansas. Basically a lesser version of UNC.
5- UCLA. Historic 12 year run (where they paid their players). Otherwise 2nd or 3rd tier, so not a blue blood even though many think so
6. UConn
7 Indiana. They were higher, but not been relevant (other than a couple random years) the past 30 years
8 UL/U6/Lil Brother - I probably have ever met <5 UL fans outside of Louisville and Bowling Green (because many kids from Louisville go to WKU).
Honorable mention: Florida, Arkansas, Georgetown, Michigan, Alabama, Auburn, Gonzaga
1. Louisville - No matter how L's down they have been lately they will remain number 1.
2. Indiana - Has to stay number 2 because when games were played annually this was top game on season calendar most years. If ever played again it would increase greatly on everyone's list.
3. Tennessee - Never want to lose to them but with their mediocre rise games has really increased in intensity.
4. Arkansas - In the 90's this was the game Pitino vs Richardson. UK's press vs 40 minutes of hell. I think the next so many years this game will be a circle the calendar game. At least until Cal retire.
5. Duke/UNC/Kansas/UCLA - These no brainers are all the same blue bloods vs blue bloods. Hate to lose to them and us have # of National titles, number of overall wins to compare each team's greatness.
2. Indiana - Has to stay number 2 because when games were played annually this was top game on season calendar most years. If ever played again it would increase greatly on everyone's list.
3. Tennessee - Never want to lose to them but with their mediocre rise games has really increased in intensity.
4. Arkansas - In the 90's this was the game Pitino vs Richardson. UK's press vs 40 minutes of hell. I think the next so many years this game will be a circle the calendar game. At least until Cal retire.
5. Duke/UNC/Kansas/UCLA - These no brainers are all the same blue bloods vs blue bloods. Hate to lose to them and us have # of National titles, number of overall wins to compare each team's greatness.
In my opinion, our rivals are the other blue bloods.
I get so many UK fans view Louisville as a rival and I think it's just because UofL fans are so obsessed with UK and constantly poke the bear.
BUT, they are punching up, that's what they should do. Why are we punching down? Louisville doesn't win enough to be competitive, so they NEED UK to be relevant, UK doesn't need UofL, in fact, viewing UL as a rival is like Mike Tyson in his prime looking at Glass Joe as his rival.
I get so many UK fans view Louisville as a rival and I think it's just because UofL fans are so obsessed with UK and constantly poke the bear.
BUT, they are punching up, that's what they should do. Why are we punching down? Louisville doesn't win enough to be competitive, so they NEED UK to be relevant, UK doesn't need UofL, in fact, viewing UL as a rival is like Mike Tyson in his prime looking at Glass Joe as his rival.
#1 UNC
#1A Indiana
#3 Duke
#4 UCLA
after that, I'm not sure there are any other teams I can say I despise.
Indiana was, for a long time, the team (and fanbase) that I truly despised above all others, due to Knight and his fawning Neanderthal supporters. But UNC edged them out due to their cheating - especially in the face of their sanctimonious fans claiming for years that they "did it right". I consider UNC's cheating to be worse than virtually every other NCAA violation ever. (Except Baylor's, but the Baylor scandal involved real felonies, not NCAA rule breaking. That's a whole other universe). Even the most egregious recruiting violations don't match what UNC did. Recruiting inducements break the spirit of fair competition between schools, offering fake classes and giving credit for same makes a mockery of the entire idea of the University as a facility of higher learning.
#1A Indiana
#3 Duke
#4 UCLA
after that, I'm not sure there are any other teams I can say I despise.
Indiana was, for a long time, the team (and fanbase) that I truly despised above all others, due to Knight and his fawning Neanderthal supporters. But UNC edged them out due to their cheating - especially in the face of their sanctimonious fans claiming for years that they "did it right". I consider UNC's cheating to be worse than virtually every other NCAA violation ever. (Except Baylor's, but the Baylor scandal involved real felonies, not NCAA rule breaking. That's a whole other universe). Even the most egregious recruiting violations don't match what UNC did. Recruiting inducements break the spirit of fair competition between schools, offering fake classes and giving credit for same makes a mockery of the entire idea of the University as a facility of higher learning.
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Had them and replaced them with my bitterness towards UConn - yes, add Duke into the second tier actually
In the 80s _ Indiana and Coach Knight - would have been no lower than #2 most disliked
And I probably overstated Notre Dame - just old memories there
The way things are looking for Todd Golden, Florida might ask Mike White to come back.
