Grading Hatred: Which Team Is Georgia's Biggest Football Rival?

I grade Tech as our biggest rival because it is imperative that we beat them to maintain state braggin’ rights. However, being from Columbus, I echo the geographic arguments for Tiger hatred.

I voted Florida but I doubt they think it is a rivalry give our most recent two decades. I also have little hope that we will beat them any time soon given this coaching staff and their record. 2 out of 8 is not good. We have the talent but for some reason we find a way to lose. Go dawgs.

Seems like geography and age are important determiners, so here’s mine: I’m from middle Georgia (so no proximity to any out of state rivals) and I’m 22. And here’s why Florida is it for me:

- Can’t be Tech because I don’t take them seriously. They’re my favorite team to make fun of, and the one I hate losing to most (so if we went 1-11, that might be the one I’d want as the "1") but we’ve been so dominant during my lifetime, it’s hard to get very amped up. My family didn’t go to a ton of Georgia games when I was growing up, but we went to a lot of the Tech-UGA games (even some in Atlanta) and the three-in-a-row streak was rough. But sandwiched between two 7-gamers for us, so I’m over that now. Honestly, at no point in our close games over the past few years with them did I ever think we’d lose, up until about :40 left this last time. But everybody has a bad day, and it won’t happen often. So it’s not Tech.

- Can’t be Clemson — we don’t play them enough. I understand why it might be for a different generation, but now, nope.

- Can’t be Auburn. I would never root for Tech or Florida under any circumstances. (That includes both the ‘06 and ’08 title games. There, I said it.) But I could definitely see myself rooting for Auburn in the right circumstances. I hope we beat the hell out of them every year, of course, but it’s not hate so much as they’re a conference rival and we ought to beat ’em.

- It could be Tennessee. In fact, when I graduated (May ’08), I would have said it WAS Tennessee for me. UT was the only school we played more than once that we had a losing record to while I was in college (look it up) and those were rough games — the ’04 letdown after the LSU win, the ’06 comeback that killed us for a full year, and the ’07 game that looked like an ’06 repeat and ended up keeping us out of the SEC and maybe National title games. I hate Tennessee. And the series with Florida seemed to be changing. But this year, things changed — UT sucked something awful while UF surged in obnoxious fashion. So, meet the new boss, same as the old boss…

- It’s Florida. It’s Spurrier running it up. It’s Urban Cryer and calling late timeouts. It’s Saint Tim (who might be a genuinely nice guy, if only the media would let up for a minute). It’s whatever the obscene count is over the last two decades — despite the count overall that nobody seems to mention, as if Florida never fielded a football team until c. 1990. It’s a neutral site game, jean shorts and all. It’s a divisional game and we’re usually two of the three best teams in the division. Maybe most of all, it’s the fact that I almost didn’t post this because I can’t stand that Florida, of all teams, is our biggest rival because they’re the only division team that’s been more successful than us, on a national scale, since Richt arrived. So yeah, it’s the Gators. Argh.

…….. Our goal every year should be win the east (without that we advance no where). Florida is the bully blocking the gate that we must open before we can even begin to discuss top five rankings.

My fascination (“coming of age”) with all things UGA began in 1966 with the beat down of the Gators (my first UGA game). I’ll never forget it – I wore a 3 piece wool suit (as did most civilized fans back in the day) and got into the game without a ticket as the crowd overwhelmed the gate – pouring in like lemmings.

By the 4th quarter the Gator Bowl was half empty as the Gator fans ran for the exits just as Spurrier ran from the relentless Dogs – Patton and Stanfill in particular. After Hughes returned a Spurrier interception for a TD I was able to move down closer to seats near the Gator bench. Finally I was positioned close enough to see the great Spurrier sitting with a towel over his head, battered, bruised, humiliated and a loser. Damn – I’m old.

As one who remembers Georgia football B.M. (before Munson), Ga’ s biggest rival since Tech chose to go independent and then to the basketball conference because Chick Graning got his face mashed in playing big boy SEC football has been and always will be the Gators. Heck, I’m so old I remember Theron Sapp and Pat Dye playing for Georgia as well as the Big Toe from Cairo (that’s Kay-row) to you youngsters. Gators ate boogers then, and always will__no matter who wins the game. Some things just don’t change.

My argument is very similar to NMdawg’s…I’m from southeast Georgia, I’m also 22, and Florida is tops on my list.

To me, it would fall between Florida and Tennessee, but I rate it a little bit differently that some people. A large portion of my family are Auburn fans/alumni, so I really have very little disdain for the Flatlanders. They’re certainly obnoxious, but personally, I just don’t really have an issue with them, and generally pull for them when not playing Georgia. I think the best way to judge the biggest rival (though Skigator’s 1-11 argument is very good) is which victory/loss gives the most satisfaction/disappointment. To me, hands down, that is Florida. I dislike Tennessee, but after losing to Tennessee last year, I could still have a reasonable conversation with most Tennessee fans and simply say “y’all beat the crap out of us today, there’s nothing we can say, you outplayed us”. However, after being trounced by Florida this year, there were no such niceties…on either side. All I could think was how much I hated Florida…and I don’t think there was a single nice comment from a Florida fan after the game. It was pretty much “(insert expletive here) you, you (expletive-ending-in-ing) (insult-directed-at-sexuality)”. To quote a friend of mine who goes to Tennessee but came down to join in the festivities: “Wow, I’ve never seen anything like this. We don’t like Florida and we REALLY don’t like Alabama, but we’re still more or less civil to each other. You guys truly HATE each other.” To me, when a fellow SEC fan with huge rivalries of their own can objectively look at two other teams and admit that their respective rivalry is much more heated, it only serves to reconfirm that Florida is, indeed, our biggest rival.

As for Tech, yes, it is disgusting to lose to them, but when beating them, it just kinda feels like…eh, we were supposed to do that. They’re our nerdy little brother, whereas Florida is the jerk we’re competing with to get the girl…it just isn’t the same.

Sorry I just can’t buy the Auburn justification above, or Tennessee (even though I lived up there for many years and can attest to the obnoxiousness of UT fans), or Tech (they have been a joke since I was a little kid with the exception of a good year every now and then and using ineligible players).

No it has to be Florida….my first Dawg game was in 1978 so I remember Herschel and the Glory Days of the early 80’s. And I remember that we took as much joy then as we do (every blue moon) now when we beat the Swamp Lizards. I remember 44-0, I remember when UF was ranked #1 and left with their tails between their legs. I remember when the streak was in our favor, and one day it will be again.

If we were 1-11 and that one win was against UF and prevented them from winning the East it would be a disappointing but good year.

UGA fans, I enjoy reading your posts, so I signed up for an account.
For me, UGA is our biggest rival and FSU is second. For most Gator fans that are 35-38 years old, it’s UGA, for the younger Gator fans it’s FSU. For us “oldies” we lived thru the heartache of the 70’s and 80’s (the Richard Appleby, Gene Washington and Lindsay Scott era’s!!!) where no matter what the records were, no matter how much talent we had, we were going to find a way to lose to UGA. Basically, what you guys have been going thru in the 90’s and 00’s. I also live in St. Simons Island, Ga—a major stopping point for UGA fans for Fla-Ga weekend so that definitely doesn’t help!!
I think you guys are going to be alright next year even without Stafford, Moreno and Allen.
You have alot of talent coming back and alot of new talent coming in.

GATORQUEDOG

Remember who we sing “to hell with” when we sing Glory Glory??? Yes, some of the luster may have gone off our rivalry with the nerd school in downtown Atlanta, much like the luster has gone off our rivalry with Florida since they are the hammer and we are the nails, but come on!! It takes only one win by the trade school for them to return to their cocky arrogance in even greater waves. Were you at “historic” Grant Field the year of the Sanks fumble that wasn’t? If so, then you know that that school has to be our biggest rivals. I still have key marks from the techies scratching up my truck after that game. Bill Cromartie had it right, except I don’t know how “clean” my old-fashioned hate is for that place. I live in Knoxville, lived here before we turned that rivalry around, and it may have been bad at times. BUt there is NO WAY I could live in Atlanta anywhere near that place. Tech suxs! Go Dawgs!

1 – Florida
2 – Tennessee
3 – Georgia Tech
4 – Auburn
5 – Clemson

I grew up in Clemson Country and…kinda like ’em. My dislike for USC is much greater than anything towards Clemson. I always liked tailgating at Clemson, maybe cause I know more people there than at a Dawg game.

I think Georgia Tech and Auburn are interchangable, but man the Auburn rivalry seems like it gets more interesting every year. But no hatred or even dislike for Auburn, so I had to put them below GTech who I do dislike strongly.

As for Tennessee, the hell with Tennessee. I hate that stupid Rocky Top and I hate Phat Phil and I hate what they did to Bama and I hate their stupid endzones and I hate their jailhouse jumpsuit colors. Peyton seems okay though.

As for my #1, Florida, what can I say that hasn’t been said?

who smashed in Chick Granning’s face.