Agree and disagree, of course with Toolame we would be there biggest rival but they would never be our biggest rival again, maybe a year or 2 when they had up years, but not on a whole. Arkansas has a good chance for that since neither of us as an instate rivalry to overshadow it. Auburn we are their third most important behind UGA also. Ole Miss/LSU could become Ole Miss' biggest rivalry game if Ole Miss stays up their and/or gets better and of course if we stay where we are as well as MSU staying down. So it would seem that Arkansas has the potential to be our bigggest over a long period of time if the games always mean anything. Last year I disagree that the Arkie game was anti-climatic, it was a very big game for us and until the second half I was pumped big timeThey scared the bejesus out of be the first few times they had the ball. I did enjoy reading your post very much though, very well thought out and made sense. If Tulane was a public institution I think the rivalry would ahve remained and they would still be in the SEC but being a private school that most in the state couldn't care less about is a big reason the rivalry is dead and gone.
Oh of course. And don't get me wrong, Tulane bears just as much blame for letting this rivalry grow cold as LSU if not more, by letting "pointy-headed academics" get control of their school and destroy their athletic program. They really screwed themselves by getting out of the SEC. They succumbed to the stupid notion that it is impossible to have excellent academics and excellent athletics at the same university and that you must choose one or the other. But the rank-and-file Green Wave faithful (what's left of them anyway) had nothing to do with their administration's stupid choices, just like us. They are victims. If Tulane wants this rivalry renewed really badly, they need to be prepared to make concessions, like giving us a game guarantee and 50% of the gate at the Superdome. We also need to be prepared to make some concessions, and in general, just do it because it's good for tradition and football in Louisiana. I think the onus is on them just to show some kind of commitment to athletic excellence though. You gotta win at more than baseball. You are right that Tulane is alienated from the rest of the state. Tulane, in it's quest to be the "Harvard of the South," got so focused on SAT scores and acquiring friends and benefactors on the well-monied East Coast, that it lost touch with it's Louisiana/New Orleans roots. I find it disturbing that less than 25% of Tulane students are from Louisiana. There was an article in the Times-Pic awhile back called "Where Tulane Went Wrong" that went into much more detail about this. They are taking steps to make this, and their athletics, better. It will take time and effort to correct the mistakes of the past though. As for Ole Miss, yes, it can once again be a great rivalry, but it just won't be the same dynamic as their in-state rivalry with Mississippi State. It could be a very, VERY close second, but that's all it would be. Arkansas has potential because they have no in-state rival, and "border war" rivalries can often be just as intense as in-state rivalries (see Oklahoma/Texas, Georgia/Florida, Colorado/Nebraska for context). I've often thought a good idea to light a match to the "Battle of the Boot" is to expand Independence Stadium's seating and have the game in Shreveport every year around the time of the State Fair. We could have our own "Red River Rivalry" and with time, it could rival Oklahoma/Texas.
That wouldn't be a bad idea if they could the stadium up to about 90,000, so I don't think that will ever happen, how many does it hold now? and if you look at what the city of Dallas just gave to OU and UT to continue due to all of the extra cost involved it is expensive. Wonder if there's any way that it would be worth it? Doubt it.
Gotta go with Ole Miss. I just hate losing to them. Second would be Auburn, but I think that has to do more with a lack of respect for Tubby and his program. I would like to see the Arkansas rivalry intensify. But you can't manufacture a rivalry (i.e "The Boot"). It'll have to just grow on it's own over the years. The players and caoches didn't even bother with The Boot this year. They just went in the locker room and left the trophy in the endzone.
I have to say USC. Cheap bas***ds! Split National Championship my @$$! We went to the Sugar Bowl, won, and are now National Champions. Where did they go? the Rose Bowl. Fricken USC needs to shut their mouth talkin crap about they can beat us. As long as we're in their way, they can NEVER get another National Championship. My second would be Auburn.
I agree with Jetstrom. Bring back Tulane. Sometimes in college football it's about more than money. This is about tradition. It's about playing for the Rag, state pride, our dislike for the weenies, and all of the pranks between the schools. This game would bring excitement to the state. Lets face it here, we have had some good games vs. the weenies. Bring back Tulane, bring back the tradition.
