The Bobcat Nation

something has been bothering me. lately, and only after a few ass-kickings i must say, the griz faithful have been downplaying our rivalry. some ignorantly state that the only game the cats care about is cat griz. others claim to have bigger rivalries with other schools. first, i'd say that the cat-griz game is equally as important to the griz fans as us. i have no proof of this other than the fact that i have to read more posts on our boards from the griz fans than the cats. you guys, and cat fans, talk more ****** about eachother than anything else. of course, if the cats win, the griz didn't really care about the game because they have "bigger fish to fry"! which brings me to this; just because you played a team, doesn't mean they are rivals. if you griz folk have such a rivalry with youngstown, and app state, and maine, and georgia southern, can i assume that you find your way to their boards 30 times a day to talk trash too? while i cant prove it, i soncerely doubt it. well, i'm off to other boards. i want to spit some trash to my bitter rivals oklahoma state, washington state, colorado state, and florida.

whitetrashgriz wrote:something has been bothering me. lately, and only after a few ass-kickings i must say, the griz faithful have been downplaying our rivalry. some ignorantly state that the only game the cats care about is cat griz. others claim to have bigger rivalries with other schools. first, i'd say that the cat-griz game is equally as important to the griz fans as us. i have no proof of this other than the fact that i have to read more posts on our boards from the griz fans than the cats. you guys, and cat fans, talk more ****** about eachother than anything else. of course, if the cats win, the griz didn't really care about the game because they have "bigger fish to fry"! which brings me to this; just because you played a team, doesn't mean they are rivals. if you griz folk have such a rivalry with youngstown, and app state, and maine, and georgia southern, can i assume that you find your way to their boards 30 times a day to talk trash too? while i cant prove it, i soncerely doubt it. well, i'm off to other boards. i want to spit some trash to my bitter rivals oklahoma state, washington state, colorado state, and florida.

Any griz fan that downplays the rivalry with the Cats is full of s*it. The same goes for any Cat fan who does the same.

Maybe the griz had "bigger fish to fry" a couple of years ago. It's certainly not happening now as some of those "smaller fish" wiped them up and down the field this past year.

They only downplay it when they lose. And when we beat them in bball, its "we all know the sport that really counts." And then when thy beat us, its "oh Cats suck, griz rule." Same old sh** all the time.

whitetrashgriz wrote:something has been bothering me. lately, and only after a few ass-kickings i must say, the griz faithful have been downplaying our rivalry. some ignorantly state that the only game the cats care about is cat griz. others claim to have bigger rivalries with other schools. first, i'd say that the cat-griz game is equally as important to the griz fans as us. i have no proof of this other than the fact that i have to read more posts on our boards from the griz fans than the cats. you guys, and cat fans, talk more ****** about eachother than anything else. of course, if the cats win, the griz didn't really care about the game because they have "bigger fish to fry"! which brings me to this; just because you played a team, doesn't mean they are rivals. if you griz folk have such a rivalry with youngstown, and app state, and maine, and georgia southern, can i assume that you find your way to their boards 30 times a day to talk trash too? while i cant prove it, i soncerely doubt it. well, i'm off to other boards. i want to spit some trash to my bitter rivals oklahoma state, washington state, colorado state, and florida.

whitetrashgriz wrote:something has been bothering me. lately, and only after a few ass-kickings i must say, the griz faithful have been downplaying our rivalry. some ignorantly state that the only game the cats care about is cat griz. others claim to have bigger rivalries with other schools. first, i'd say that the cat-griz game is equally as important to the griz fans as us. i have no proof of this other than the fact that i have to read more posts on our boards from the griz fans than the cats. you guys, and cat fans, talk more ****** about eachother than anything else. of course, if the cats win, the griz didn't really care about the game because they have "bigger fish to fry"! which brings me to this; just because you played a team, doesn't mean they are rivals. if you griz folk have such a rivalry with youngstown, and app state, and maine, and georgia southern, can i assume that you find your way to their boards 30 times a day to talk trash too? while i cant prove it, i soncerely doubt it. well, i'm off to other boards. i want to spit some trash to my bitter rivals oklahoma state, washington state, colorado state, and florida.

Hmm...let me attempt to defend my Griz bretheren, because I actually do feel a lot of the sentiments that you're referring to, but I think you're taking it as a slam against the Cats, when it really isn't.

First of all, the Cats always have been, and always will be, our biggest rival. No Griz fan can deny that, and you'll never hear me try to do so. If anyone is denying that now, then you're right to say that they're simply rationalizing the fact that we lost. We care about the game as much as you do; there's no way around that.

However, the difference in how we view the rivalry and how you view it is that the Griz do have other rivalries that are almost as important to us as Cat-Griz, whereas I don't think the Cats really do. I'm not talking about Youngstown State and Georgia Southern; I'm talking about Idaho and Boise State (in the old BSC), and EWU and PSU in the current BSC. Have you ever been to a Griz-Vandals game in Missoula? The atmosphere really is almost as nasty as a Cat-Griz game; there is true animosity between the fans of the schools and the teams themselves. The same was true of Boise State when they were in the conference, and the same is becoming true of Portland State now. EWU is a bit of a friendlier rivalry, but it's still a game that we care about above other BSC games, because of the regional proximity and the fact that they're almost always a contender.

Anyway, I think that's the difference between our fans. It's not that we care about Cat-Griz less; it's that we have other teams that we dislike nearly as much as the Cats, so it might seem like the rivalry means less to us.

--GL

That statement is somewhat incorrect. I think it is assinine to assume that most of the Big Sky schools don't enjoy some sort of rivalry. I know for a fact that MSU feels the same way toward WSU, ISU, and EWU in the same way you mention

catamaran wrote:That statement is somewhat incorrect. I think it is assinine to assume that most of the Big Sky schools don't enjoy some sort of rivalry. I know for a fact that MSU feels the same way toward WSU, ISU, and EWU in the same way you mention

Look, I don't claim to know how fans of any other school feel about anything. All I know is that, to Griz fans, our games against Idaho, BSU (if we ever play them again), PSU and EWU mean almost as much to us as Cat-Griz (and actually, when UI and BSU were still in the conference, I for one hated both schools more than I dislike the Cats). If the Cats have other rivalries too, then so be it, but I've never gotten that impression from my Cat-fan friends.

Grizlaw when I played for the Cats the ISU game was pretty heated. I remember in 2000 the ISU coach ran up the score on us, and then Kramer did the same to them in 2001. The fans were ready for a heated battle this year against ISU like they have been in the previous years. EWU always brings a sense of excitement (i.e. over 200 Cat fans at the Rock Pile Bar in Billings to watch the game), but there isn't as much hatred against EWU as ISU. Our players and fans know there are other big games within the conference, but we don’t kid ourselves saying that these games are as big as the Cat-Griz game.

I guess if the Griz have "as big" of a rivalry with teams such as PSU and ISU, then students camp out for those tickets just like they do for Cat/Griz tickets. I have had friends who have camped both here and Missoula for Cat/Griz student tickets, but have never heard of someone camping out for Portland State tickets, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong though as I have not been there for gameday tickets to go on sale in Missoula so I am only speaking from hearsay which I totally acknowledge. Also, I don't think you have people scalping or selling tickets on eBay for the Idaho State/Griz game as well for a hundred bucks a pop. Just by gauging fan response to getting tickets, I would say there is no comparison in either program for how big of a game Cat/Griz is. While fans may feel that there are other rivals in the conference just like Grizlaw said (which I am one of those fans as well) stating that the Cat/Griz game is just another game and not that big of a deal is ridiculous. It is the biggest and in my opinion BEST rivalry in Division I-AA football.

mquast53000 wrote:Grizlaw when I played for the Cats the ISU game was pretty heated. I remember in 2000 the ISU coach ran up the score on us, and then Kramer did the same to them in 2001. The fans were ready for a heated battle this year against ISU like they have been in the previous years. EWU always brings a sense of excitement (i.e. over 200 Cat fans at the Rock Pile Bar in Billings to watch the game), but there isn't as much hatred against EWU as ISU. Our players and fans know there are other big games within the conference, but we don’t kid ourselves saying that these games are as big as the Cat-Griz game.

I would agree with this viewpoint. Grizlaw, perhaps UM fans do feel genuine rivalry like feelings toward other teams. And maybe I'm defining a rivalry in my own mind as only what happens between our two teams; year round conversation about it, a travelling trophy, the whole state is consumed by its magnitude the week of the game, and so on and so on. When we played EWU this year, the WA and MT governors had a bet on the game. I was ridiculous all week in anticipation for the game because of its implications. But, I would still not put it on a "rivalry" level; big game yes, rivalry no.
But, you are entitled to your opinion and definitions. And, I respect that.

...bottom line, you hate us..we hate you...enough said...

info197176 wrote:...bottom line, you hate us..we hate you...enough said...

even though I hate you

I can't speak for all Griz fans, but to me Cat/Griz is still the game I look forward to all year long. It is without a doubt in my mind, our biggest rivalry. EWU, I think, is becoming number 2, because of their close proximity. This is the same case with Idaho in the years we play them, since they are about 3 hours away as well. This is the major difference between the Cats and the Griz, I think. We have more teams with a close proximity to us. Also, since the Griz dominated the conference for a while, more teams looked at us as their big game. As the Cats resurgance continues, I think they will start to see similar rivalries emerge.

mquast53000 wrote:Grizlaw when I played for the Cats the ISU game was pretty heated. I remember in 2000 the ISU coach ran up the score on us, and then Kramer did the same to them in 2001. The fans were ready for a heated battle this year against ISU like they have been in the previous years. EWU always brings a sense of excitement (i.e. over 200 Cat fans at the Rock Pile Bar in Billings to watch the game), but there isn't as much hatred against EWU as ISU. Our players and fans know there are other big games within the conference, but we don’t kid ourselves saying that these games are as big as the Cat-Griz game.

I guess what it comes down to is that every relationship between teams is different. Maybe what constitutes an actual "rivalry" is a question of semantics.

Having thought about it for a while, I think I would define UM's true "rivals" as MSU and Idaho (and when Idaho was in the conference, I would say that Idaho was almost as much of a rival as the Cats were, complete with the Little Brown Stein). The more recent Idaho games were different than the pre-1996 games; there is still tension, but since the teams are no longer on the same level, it's not quite what it used to be.

Boise State was close to that level when they were in the conference, but we haven't played them since they left, so the feeling has died off. (Supposedly, BSU's athletics director at the time they left went on record as saying that they would never play UM again -- I've never seen that comment in print, but supposedly he made it publicly, although it does seem a little far-fetched.)

EWU I wouldn't call a true "rivalry." It's a big game every year because they're always good, but the relationship is respectful.

PSU -- after thinking about it, I realize that I might personally dislike PSU more than the Griz population at large does. I've had a few bad incidents with their fans at a few games, but maybe they're not quite on the same level as MSU and Idaho. However, their fans do p!ss me off to no end. Visit their message board sometime; you'll never have to scroll back very far to find posts discussing how lame the BSC is, and debating whether it's worthwhile to have a football program at all if they can't go I-A within the next few years. I was really happy when they joined our conference because they historically have had a good program, but at this point, I'd be thrilled to see them have a few 0-11 years.

ISU, WSU, Sac., etc...I've never claimed any of those teams to be a rival of the Griz. They're just conference opponents; we care about the games, but no more than any other.

Anyway -- that's all I've got. Time to quit playing and actually get some work done.

--GL

"The atmosphere really is almost as nasty as a Cat-Griz game; "

Wow I thought it was the bobcat fans that started all the problems, are you saying the Griz fans have problems at other games????

Grizlaw wrote:

whitetrashgriz wrote:something has been bothering me. lately, and only after a few ass-kickings i must say, the griz faithful have been downplaying our rivalry. some ignorantly state that the only game the cats care about is cat griz. others claim to have bigger rivalries with other schools. first, i'd say that the cat-griz game is equally as important to the griz fans as us. i have no proof of this other than the fact that i have to read more posts on our boards from the griz fans than the cats. you guys, and cat fans, talk more ****** about eachother than anything else. of course, if the cats win, the griz didn't really care about the game because they have "bigger fish to fry"! which brings me to this; just because you played a team, doesn't mean they are rivals. if you griz folk have such a rivalry with youngstown, and app state, and maine, and georgia southern, can i assume that you find your way to their boards 30 times a day to talk trash too? while i cant prove it, i soncerely doubt it. well, i'm off to other boards. i want to spit some trash to my bitter rivals oklahoma state, washington state, colorado state, and florida.

Hmm...let me attempt to defend my Griz bretheren, because I actually do feel a lot of the sentiments that you're referring to, but I think you're taking it as a slam against the Cats, when it really isn't.

First of all, the Cats always have been, and always will be, our biggest rival. No Griz fan can deny that, and you'll never hear me try to do so. If anyone is denying that now, then you're right to say that they're simply rationalizing the fact that we lost. We care about the game as much as you do; there's no way around that.

However, the difference in how we view the rivalry and how you view it is that the Griz do have other rivalries that are almost as important to us as Cat-Griz, whereas I don't think the Cats really do. I'm not talking about Youngstown State and Georgia Southern; I'm talking about Idaho and Boise State (in the old BSC), and EWU and PSU in the current BSC. Have you ever been to a Griz-Vandals game in Missoula? The atmosphere really is almost as nasty as a Cat-Griz game; there is true animosity between the fans of the schools and the teams themselves. The same was true of Boise State when they were in the conference, and the same is becoming true of Portland State now. EWU is a bit of a friendlier rivalry, but it's still a game that we care about above other BSC games, because of the regional proximity and the fact that they're almost always a contender.

Anyway, I think that's the difference between our fans. It's not that we care about Cat-Griz less; it's that we have other teams that we dislike nearly as much as the Cats, so it might seem like the rivalry means less to us.

--GL

GL: A comment about Boise State, recognizing that your thoughts on the matter were revised later in this thread. I was in school when BSU was considered the dominant team in the Big Sky, and the Cat's were almost always were in contention. While the Brawl was still huge, our calendars always circled the BSU game, because that contest decided many BSC titles, and I'll bet it was the same in Boise.

IMO, BSU was THE Bobcat rival of the 70's and early 80's, and Idaho may have been the same for the Griz.