Don’t fight the new rivalry, App State. Give in to Coastal and forget Georgia Southern
Note to readers: Never question the supremacy of the Appalachian State-Georgia Southern football rivalry. Unless, that is, you want to wind up the wrong side of App State Twitter.
The Poll learned this the hard way last week.
An innocent mishap, you see. All The Poll was trying to say was this: There’s potential for a wonderful rivalry between App and Coastal Carolina. And, in fact, one could argue given the past couple years that there’s no better emerging rivalry anywhere than App-Coastal.
App Twitter did not take kindly to the thought. It defended with all its snark the Mountaineers’ existing rivalry with Georgia Southern. Here’s the thing, though: for one, Georgia Southern is trending down, and way down, since a 10-win season in 2018. Beyond that, App should want its series with Coastal to be meaningful.
It’s obvious: Two schools from opposite ends of the Carolinas. Mountains vs. Beach. Cultural opposites. An up-and-comer, in Coastal, trying to usurp the establishment, in App. It’d be good. It’d be fun. And to reiterate: Regional rivalries matter in college football.
Which brings us to Chapel Hill this week, where North Carolina and Wake Forest will play in a non-conference game. Why? Because if the ACC isn’t going to do the sensible thing and figure out a way for the Big Four to play each other every year (N.C. State and Duke rarely play anymore, either), then Wake and UNC will take it into their own hands.
Good for them. Good for college football enthusiasts in the state.
Onto Week 9 of the All-Carolina Poll:
1. Wake Forest (8-0, 5-0 ACC)
Previous ranking: 1
Last week: W 45-7 vs. Duke
Up next: at North Carolina, Saturday
First time in the Associated Press top 10 for the Demon Deacons, and their game at North Carolina on Saturday matters mightily, indeed. Just not at all in a way anyone would’ve expected at the start of the season. Yes, there will be an undefeated team in Kenan Stadium this weekend with a Sam at quarterback. No, it’s not quite the team or the Sam you thought it might be.
2. N.C. State (6-2, 3-1 ACC)
Previous ranking: 2
Last week: W 28-13 vs. Louisville
Up next: at Florida State, Saturday
If Wake is in the proverbial driver’s seat in the ACC Atlantic, then the Wolfpack is riding shotgun — which brings to mind some strange imagery of a group of wolves crammed onto a passenger seat of a late 2000s Toyota sedan (hasn’t been a Ferrari kind of year for the ACC). In any case, State also controls its own destiny, and now begins a most important stretch for the Wolfpack.
3. Appalachian State (6-2, 3-1 Sun Belt)
Previous ranking: 3
Last week: W 59-28 vs. Louisiana-Monroe
Up next: at Arkansas State, Saturday
Isn’t a game remaining on the regular-season schedule that looks all that formidable for the Mountaineers — not even that annual grudge match against Georgia Southern, which, if you hadn’t heard, is like the Auburn-Alabama of the Appalachians (and Georgia plains).
4. Coastal Carolina (7-1, 3-1 Sun Belt)
Previous ranking: 4
Last week: W 35-28 vs. Troy
Up next: at Georgia Southern, Saturday
“No risk it, no biscuit,” Coastal coach Jamey Chadwell told reporters on Saturday after a late fake punt propelled his team to victory. Words to live by, truly, and to risk it for a biscuit takes on added meaning in a region where Biscuit Culture is arguably at its peak nationally.
5. Clemson (5-3, 4-2 ACC)
Previous ranking: 5
Last week: W 30-20 vs. Florida State
Up next: at Louisville, Saturday
Almost had the feel Saturday of one of those old-school Florida State-Clemson games in Death Valley, back in the not-so-distant past when those games decided things like conference championships and BCS rankings and playoff berths. But now? It was just a reminder of the huge door Clemson and FSU have opened for others in their division. Who walks through it?
6. North Carolina (4-4, 3-3 ACC)
Previous ranking: 6
Last week: L 44-34 at Notre Dame
Up next: vs. Wake Forest, Saturday
A popular sentiment among the UNC faithful has become: Just wait ‘til Fedora’s players are gone! You mean, gone like the offensive skill players who helped lead the Tar Heels to the Orange Bowl a season ago? Or gone like Chazz Surratt, the All-ACC linebacker? In Year 3 of Mack Brown 2.0, the defense has regressed to Fedora-like levels — but it’s not because some of his guys remain.
7. South Carolina (4-4, 1-4 SEC)
Previous ranking: 7
Last week: Off
Up next: vs. Florida, Saturday
A fact that may surprise you: South Carolina hasn’t fared all that poorly against Florida over the past decade or so. The Gamecocks are 5-6 against the Gators since 2010 -- after beating Florida just once (in 1995) after joining the SEC. The Gators are the better team, but who knows where their psyche is after enduring a humbling defeat against Georgia.
8. ECU (4-4, 2-2 American)
Previous ranking: 8
Last week: W 29-14 vs. USF
Up next: vs. Temple, Saturday
A fact that may surprise you, Part II: Last season was the first time that ECU beat Temple since these schools started playing each other every year in 2014. The Pirates had lost six straight against the Owls. There are plenty of very random match-ups that happen annually in college football at the G5 level, and ECU-Temple is right up there with any of them.
9. Duke (3-5, 0-4 ACC)
Previous ranking: 10
Last week: L 45-7 at Wake Forest
Up next: vs. Pittsburgh, Saturday
The Poll cares not for New York Times trend stories that suggest emoji use makes us look lame. For little describes Duke football these days better than the gritted-teeth grimace (or “yikes”) emoji. Duke has never gone winless in the ACC under David Cutcliffe, but it’s fair to wonder where the Blue Devils find a victory down the stretch. Perhaps Louisville? Miami? Yikes, indeed.
10. Charlotte (4-4, 2-2 Conference USA)
Previous ranking: 9
Last week: L 45-13 at Western Kentucky
Up next: vs. Rice, Saturday
A real treat for those area college football enthusiasts who enjoy games involving teams with Owl-related mascots: There are two such games this weekend featuring teams from the Carolinas! Not only does ECU play against the Temple Owls, but Charlotte is playing against the Rice Owls. And both games are in North Carolina. An Owl invasion, folks.
This story was originally published November 1, 2021 at 1:51 PM with the headline "Don’t fight the new rivalry, App State. Give in to Coastal and forget Georgia Southern."
