A friend of mine sent this to me from a Miami Hurricanes message board last night:
This may just be me but I associate rivals with pure, unadulterated hate. When I see someone wearing a rival's gear, I have to remind myself about appropriate social conduct to keep me from tripping said rival and spitting in their face. And I know a team is a rival when I know just as much about their football team and history as my own. They own us right now. It's not a rivalry when you can't beat the other team.I agree with this poster for the most part. It's not a rivalry when you can't beat the other team....except for IN-STATE rivalries. In-state rivalries are in complete leagues of their own. In-state rivalries reek of hatred no matter the long or short term series record. You will hear about your team losting at work, at church, and at your kid's sports game. The sight of your rivals logo makes you want to vomit. That is a rivalry. Simply not being able to beat a team makes you frustrated. We should know, we played Florida State.
This is not just because Ga. Tech was on the side that couldn't win. Just ask furrer4heisman over at Gobbler Country what we're talking about here. VT has won 5 in a row and 9 of the past 10. Is it a rivalry? Hell yeah it is. There is enough hate to keep that rivalry going.