Who Is Our Rival?

[rockdog]

This post is going to be short. In short...who is our rival? Now I don't want to hear about ULM and ULL. We don't play them enough. Maybe ULL but we don't play them in '05.

So this is what I'm asking...is there a way we can develop a rival. Our WAC opponents are somewhat rivals...but not really. I mean we aren't close enough to be rivals with Fresno or Hawai'i. I mean if we win...then we'll see you in 2 months 13 hours away.

So with that being said...who can we schedule yearly that can develop into a rival. We need to have one...ULL/North Texas/Southern Miss?

[beaux66]

n.tx is the clear answer

[Tech77]

Who is our rival?

We have found the enemy, and he is us.

[JAY]

rocky racoon?

[johnnylightnin]

As a former student, my answer is LSU!!!! If we had a coach worth a crap (in football) and administration that didn't have their thumbs up their a$$es, LSU would be our rival. But, alas, we're content to be small time, so we'll announce some sun belt member or a CUSA school who hates our guts.

As students, we hear it from LSU fans all the time...half of this city is LSU fans. That's who I want to claim as my rival. But, I think our administration would rather keep us in the WAC so they can go to the LSU games while our boys are on the road.

It's pitiful.

[aubunique]

Rival-Smival, just beat them all!

[bluecrew]

In order to be a (rival) you need to play a team on somewhat of a consistent basis. Anyone who was at the Fresno state football game would realize that these two teams dont like each other. In Mens hoops the game against the West Coast Dawgs always comes down to the last second and is usually very physical. And womens hoops was taken up a notch when Stacy said her Pg was better than Tasha. Talking to some players and coaches Stacy has really been bad mouthing the Tech Program. I would say its not even close Fresno is our biggest Rival.

Driving Distance: ULL we all know about the last 2 football games. I believe we start a home and home in basketball next year!

[DCDAWG]

Tulane would be a natural, if they'd ever agree to play us on a regular basis. In the meantime, Fresno's nice and despicable.

[HogDawg]

On a "go forward" basis, our most bitter FOOTBALL rivals are Fresno State and Boise State. Since joining the WAC, we've struggled against both in football, but we've had some wins too.

Back in 2000, most FSU fans were insulted that LA Tech was even allowed to join the WAC. FSU fans really and truly viewed Tech as an inferior school from an inferior part of the country.

But today, FSU fans know Tech can kick their ass in football (2004), and in basketball (several times). I believe the "turning point" in this relationship occurred back in 2002, when Antonio Meeking and LA Tech upset FSU in Fresno, ending FSU's 28-game win streak at home. That was funny.

As for Boise, the Broncos keep winning what we want most: a WAC title. That's enough to make them the hated enemy. And some of our games with Boise have been real barnburners. Always interesting and fun.

Since 2000, I would have also added Rice to Tech's list of rivals. There have been some great football and basketball games between Rice and Tech over the past 4 years, and who can forget that the Lady Owls were the first WAC team to beat the Lady Techsters. And they did it TWICE!

But, alas, Rice is moving to CUSA and Tech is not. So, the Tech vs Rice rivalry is dead. Now we're stuck with just hating Fresno State and Boise State.

HD

[oledawg66]

Truth is we don't have a rival. To be a rival, it must be someone you have a long history with, someone at the same level who wins their share while you win yours and someone who can come to your house with numbers and who is close enough that we can do the same at their house. It is virtually impossible to have a "rivalry" with teams half way across the country that the locals know very little about and could care less about and who's facilities 99% of our fans will never see. If we had been able to get into CUSA, I could see Tulane or USM or Houston becoming our arch rivals. But right now, I just don't see anybody who fills the bill.

[HogDawg]

Truth is we don't have a rival. To be a rival, it must be someone you have a long history with, someone at the same level who wins their share while you win yours and someone who can come to your house with numbers and who is close enough that we can do the same at their house. It is virtually impossible to have a "rivalry" with teams half way across the country that the locals know very little about and could care less about and who's facilities 99% of our fans will never see. If we had been able to get into CUSA, I could see Tulane or USM or Houston becoming our arch rivals. But right now, I just don't see anybody who fills the bill.

I could not disagree more. You are definately OLD SCHOOL.

Rivalries can be created quickly as long as both sides have some pride. We had a darn good one going with Rice. And now we've got a good rivalry with Fresno State. We hate them and they hate us.

By your standards, if Tech played Northwestern State in 2005, you would consider them Tech's biggest "rival". Why? Because we have a "long history with them", and we've both won our share. But I sure wouldn't waste my time driving over for that "rivalry".

HD

[oledawg66]

HD - You missed the part about being on the same level with your "rival". If we played Northwestern now I would hope that we would still have enough left in the tank to be able to beat them 90% of the time. That would just be another game to us. And you're right about old school. I remember the rivalries involed during the Byrd-Fairpark turkey day game in State Fair Stadium. There were activities the whole week leading up to that game inclunding "visits" to each others campuses. And the rivalry of the State Fair Game between the Dawgs and the Demons. But those are both history. I would consider Rice a rival if they came over in droves and packed their side of the stands to watch the Olws kick the hated Bulldogs ass and if we covered the roadways leading to Houston with our Tech flags flying so we could see the Dawgs destroy the Olws. You may hate Fresno or whoever, but it is not a feeling shared by enough Bulldog fans to qualify as that deep seated hatred of your common enemy to qualify him as your arch rival. As you say, it may have developed into that, but I just don't see anybody out there right now that I conseder a rival. That being said, I can't wait to see the Techsters dominate the Ponies in the TAC after their antics in Dallas. I will hate to see that series die.

[arkstfan]

I saw this definition once.

"A rivalry is a series of games that cause the fans of each team to look at the schedule before the season and say, 'We HAVE to beat those SOB's.'"

[johnnylightnin]

To the person claiming that LSU should be our rival........please pinch yourself and wake up. If you cant stay within 49 points of your opponent in the first half then you are certainly not that team's rival. LSU has enough rivals in Arkansas, Alabama, and Auburn that we are only an afterthought to them.

Had we improved from our top 25 finish instead of the drastic and disgusting declined we've suffered, we could viably call ourselves LSU's rival. This would've happened had the stipulations in my previous post been met.

1. Have a President that is committed to athletics
2. Have an AD that is a good business mind and is also committed to winning.

With these two peices in place, we could've moved into position to rival LSU. We would've made sure we had a winner heading up football and we would market our program and force the other peice of sh!t school in N. LA to move down to DII. But, those ingredients were missing, so here we are.

To your remark about playing your Rival close, were you at the last NLU-Tech game? I sure as hell was and it was anything but close. Hope your injuns have a good bball season. Have fun with your sinking library and your air that smells like a port-a-potty.

[nadB]

I think Boise and Fresno are too far geographically removed to be real "rivals".

I'd love to see USM be our biggest rival, but can't picture it happening.

jmo