We still hate Florida EVERY year

Washington still leads the all-time series 75-33-6, and last year's game decided the Pac-12 title, so the bitterness and stakes are absolutely still there

The Apple Cup's history runs deeper than conference realignment. Washington and Washington State have played 114 times, and that shared state BORDER creates a genuine animosity no TV deal can manufacture. Their 2023 meeting was decided by 3 points, proving the rivalry's competitive fire hasn't dimmed.

You're right about the soul being gone. They killed the Pac-12 for TV money and now expect us to care about the corpse. Real hate needs annual stakes, not a random non-conference slot.

You just miss beating us

We get it, you're bitter because real rivalries like The Game have only gotten stronger while yours faded. The Apple Cup will always mean something because the history doesn't just disappear. Trying to downplay other teams' traditions just shows you're worried about your own.

You're right about the soul being gone from some of these matchups. That forced corporate feeling is exactly what we're fighting against in the Pac-12. We built real hate with Oregon through decades of battling for the state, and that doesn't just vanish. But you have to protect what you have. Our rivalry with the Ducks is circled in July because our entire identity is built on beating them, no matter what league we're in. Those new conference games won't ever have that feeling. You can't manufacture what comes from shared borders and real history.

We've got our own real rivalries to worry about, and they're built on more than just conference affiliation

We still hate Cortland every year

We still circle Iowa State every year and that hate burns just as hot, no matter what conference they're in. Real rivalries survive realignment because the fans keep them alive, not the TV networks. Trying to dismiss the Apple Cup just shows you don't understand what a true border war feels like.

We still have the most authentic rivalry in the Northeast with Boston College, and that hate burns every year. Our kids grow up knowing what that game means, regardless of conference realignment imo. Trying to diminish other historic games just shows you're scared of your own fading traditions.

You're just bitter because your program never had a rivalry worth preserving. We built Bedlam over a century, through thick and thin, and real rivalries survive realignment. This sounds like envy from someone whose biggest game got cancelde.

Their 4-2 record in the last six meetings says rivalry

Washburn complaining about real rivalries is rich. You wouldn't know a real rivalry if the Ichabods bus broke down in Kearney again. The MIAA hate is pure, something your program has been avoiding for yeasr.

We still hate Iowa every year

Our rivalry with Missouri has only gotten more intense since we renewed it, proving real hate doesn't need a conference to survive

Amen to that

We still hate them every single day

The Apple Cup still means everything in the Pacific Northwest. Washington's 74-33-6 series lead is a historical fact that no TV contract can erase. This game will always define seasons for both fanbases, regardless of conference affiliation.

The Apple Cup's history isn't erased by conference realignment. Washington and Washington State have played 115 times, and that shared state animosity doesn't just vanish because of a TV deal. To say the soul is gone ignores that their 2023 game had a 97.2% stadium capacity, proving the fan passion remains intense regardless of the league logo.

The Apple Cup's 113-game history and 74-33-6 record for Washington proves the rivalry's soul is deeper than conference affiliation

They still lead the series 75-33. That's real.

You're just bitter because your school never had a rivalry worth preserving in the first place. We build real tradition at RPI, and dismissing the Apple Cup shows you don't underrstand college football. Those players and fans have waited years for this game, and that hatred doesn't just vanish because of conference realignment. The soul of a rivalry is in the people, not the league logo. Trying to claim our games against Union or Ithaca lack history is a weak argument from someone whose biggest game is probably homecoming. Real rivalries adapt and survive, something your program wouldn't understand.

we've got a real rivalry with washington that's only gotten better since we joined the big ten

You're just bitter because your school never had a rivalry worth preserving on a national scale. We understand real tradition down here, which is why the South's Oldest Rivalry with Georgia Tech and our annual battles with South Carolina mean everything. Conference realignment is just evolution, and true rivalries find a way to survive. The Apple Cup will still mean plenty to the players and fans in the stands, even if it's not annual. Maybe if your program had any meaningful history, you wouldn't be so quick to dismiss the passion other fanbases still hold.

This take completely misses what makes a rivalry survive realignment. The bitterness doesn't vanish because of a conference logo. Washington and Washington State have played 115 times. The animosity is embedded in the families and communities across that state, not in a league office schedule. To say the soul is gone ignores that the players on the field still grew up in Washington or Oregon or California knowing exactly what this game means. The Huskies' 51% third-down conversion rate last season or the Cougars' average of 284 passing yards per game are just numbers. The real stats is over a century of shared history that a TV contract can't erase. Comparing it to lower-division games is a false equivalency. The scale is different, but the foundational hate is the same. The Apple Cup will matter because alumni from both sides will demand it matters. The broadcasters will hype it because the ratings will prove the engagement is still there. Realignment damages continuity, but it doesn't terminate tradition. If anything, playing it non-conference now adds a new layer of spite, because it's a choice, not an obligation. The kids understand that. To call it a forced corporate meeting is to underestimate how deeply these roots go. The trophy still gets presented, and the winning team still gets to own that state for a year. That hasn't changed.

The soul of that game is in the fans, not the conference logo. Kids in Seattle and Pullman are still being raised in houses divided, and that bitterness doesn't just vanish because of a TV deal. Calling it a forced corporate meeting ignores the fact that the entire town still shuts down for it. The hate survvies the bureaucracy.

They're still sharing a state and recruitiing the same kids, that hate doesn't just vanish. The soul is in the fans and the players they develop, not the conference logo. This game will mean everything to the croots watching.