04/20/24
June 08, 2015
Football Coach Creates Rivalry Game Without Rival's Knowledge: UConn head football coach Bob Diaco has done something that could explode spectacularly in his face. He's commissioned a trophy and declared a "rivalry game" with the University of Central Florida. The Civil Conflict -- named for the American Athletic Conference schools being from the north and south -- pits two schools that only have played twice. Last year's UConn victory was the only Division I win for Diaco's team and UCF's only conference loss. "They don't get to say whether they are our rival or not," he said. "We might not be their rival, but they don't get to say whether they are our rival -- that is for us to decide."
I used to talk about creating UNT/New Mexico State as a rivalry game when the schools were Big West opponents. The Mean Green lack a rival because of our frequent conference hops and the unfortunate trip down into the old Division I-AA. The team we've played the most is New Mexico State.
But I couldn't come up with a name. I needed a river that divided us.
posted by rcade at 05:04 PM on June 08, 2015
This comes off as very bush league. It's too bad Coach Auriemma (who knows something about maintaining an elite level rivalry) didn't find out about this before Diaco went ahead with it. UConn's athletic department is too accomplished to have something like this cooked up in the school's name. It seems as though Diaco is striving for relevance before excellence.
By contrast, when the Ravens and Steelers were starting to build their rivalry, the Steelers were the better team at first and the Ravens were fairly newly relocated and felt like the junior partner in the arrangement. After a particularly hard fought game, a Ravens player was asked about the developing rivalry and replied: "It isn't a rivalry until the Steelers say it is".
posted by beaverboard at 09:57 AM on June 09, 2015
But I couldn't come up with a name. I needed a river that divided us.
No rivers, but how about the Llano Estacado (Staked Plain) "Stakeout, or the Jornado del Muerto "Death Trip"? This latter terrain feature is a bit too far north to be in between the 2 schools, but the Llano Estacado area around Amarillo, TX, is sufficiently bleak to serve as a terrain feature.
posted by Howard_T at 04:45 PM on June 09, 2015
It's too bad the game doesn't cross the Jornado del Muerto. That's a fantastic name for a rivalry game.
posted by rcade at 05:47 PM on June 09, 2015
The teams have only played twice, with UCF winning 62-17 over the Huskies on Oct. 26, 2013. Diaco said that score isn't on the trophy because the game predates his arrival in Storrs.
Rivalry games are great and I do not see a problem in trying to manufacture a rivalry. Worst case scenario is it does not work out and UCF/UCONN remains just another
Big EastAAC game. That said, leaving off the game that UCF won (very convincingly) is just silly.