This is just MY personal opinion, does not reflect the entire fan base.

FOOTBALL
1 Clemson - this is a healthy, non toxic rivalry built out of respect.

2 UM - there is some toxicity, but as the game has slipped in national importance, so has the toxicity.

3 GT - I have lots of respect for this school. I feel a good rivalry was taken away just as it was getting off the ground. Almost all games were close the last 20 years and not just a few were edge of your seat dramatic.

4 UL - lots of good games have been played since joining the ACC. A little sad that we won’t have this as an annual game any more.

5 SU - there is just something about them; maybe it’s the Dome or the fans actually care. I think this could be a future “circle your calendar” type of game that never happened with BC or Wake.

BASKETBALL
1 UM - with them being good in basketball and the already rivalry in football, it’s easy to translate this onto the hardwood.

2 Clem - translates well from football to basketball.

3 UL - a traditional power that I find enjoyable to play and often beat.

4 SU - I think the annual football game helps prop up the basketball game. The Carolina schools just don’t create the same synergy, maybe it’s the old guard vs the new blood and the comradery it creates.

5 GT - I think between the bad teams and losing to said “bad teams” makes this game a little loathsome, but I generally like them and see this as an import game.

Judging from the excitement level at our most recent few games played:

Football:

1 - Clemson - They're the best team in the conference the last 10 years or so. Not a surprise that the fans get most excited about playing them.

2 - FSU - Just because we played Miami every year. The FSU game was more special since we only played them home and away once every 12 years.

3- Miami - The perennial blue blood on our schedule since 1993. Always excitement even when not ranked.

4- UNC - What can I say.... They've been good recently and the home kick off game a few years ago, the fans were lit up.

5- UVA - To everyone else in the nation, this is a ho hum game that was lucky to be on Black Friday (No More) but to VT fans it always holds special meaning even though we're 20-2 since 2000.

Special shout out to Pitt. They are a true rival but the excitement level for the games has been way down because of various thrashings VT has received from Pitt.


Baketball:

1/2 - Duke/UNC - Having one or both of these teams on our home schedule gives us a season ticket sell out. Which one causes more excitement is really who's doing well at the time and how good is VT playing.

3 - UVA - Since Tony Bennet got there, they've been a perennial power and we manage to win our share at home. In Charlottesville.... not so much.

4 - Syracuse - Cuse gets here by virtue of there tickets scalping ability. Several years I've bought season ticket to only watch 2-3 games and sell the rest and Cuse always goes for 3 times the ticket price.

5 - NCSU, Louisville, Miami, FSU - so many good choices here. Based on historical basketball prestige, it should be Louisville but they experience the opposite phenomenon of Cuse. The Louisville game was always the last ACC game to sell and usually for 40% of ticket price. But then VT had a 30+ year losing streak to Louisville so that will kill excitement. All other teams were exciting to play.

My opinion for Clemson .................

Football
#1) FSU: They are the only ACC school that consistently creates "excitement" for the Clemson fanbase although that has waned somewhat the last few years due to their struggles. However, with all of the high expectations surrounding FSU this year, I expect the Sept 23 game at Death Valley to be as intense as it once was.

#2 - #5) Take your pick among GT, NCSU, UL, VT, and Miami. Interest level ebbs and flows based on the type of year each team is having and/or results from previous year.

Outside of FSU, the only teams that we play every year or with regular frequency that generate consistent excitement for Clemson all reside outside of the ACC: South Carolina and Georgia. I would probably also add Notre Dame to that mix.

Basketball
#1 and #2) UNC and Duke in no order - we of course do not create the same level of excitement for their fanbases as they do for us.

3) FSU - carryover from football

#4 & #5) Again, take your pick between WF, NCSU, UL, and SU. WF and NCSU because of history and UL/SU because of name recognition.

(06-20-2023 08:31 AM)ChrisLords Wrote:  Judging from the excitement level at our most recent few games played:

Football:

1 - Clemson - They're the best team in the conference the last 10 years or so. Not a surprise that the fans get most excited about playing them.

2 - FSU - Just because we played Miami every year. The FSU game was more special since we only played them home and away once every 12 years.

3- Miami - The perennial blue blood on our schedule since 1993. Always excitement even when not ranked.

4- UNC - What can I say.... They've been good recently and the home kick off game a few years ago, the fans were lit up.

5- UVA - To everyone else in the nation, this is a ho hum game that was lucky to be on Black Friday (No More) but to VT fans it always holds special meaning even though we're 20-2 since 2000.

Special shout out to Pitt. They are a true rival but the excitement level for the games has been way down because of various thrashings VT has received from Pitt.


Baketball:

1/2 - Duke/UNC - Having one or both of these teams on our home schedule gives us a season ticket sell out. Which one causes more excitement is really who's doing well at the time and how good is VT playing.

3 - UVA - Since Tony Bennet got there, they've been a perennial power and we manage to win our share at home. In Charlottesville.... not so much.

4 - Syracuse - Cuse gets here by virtue of there tickets scalping ability. Several years I've bought season ticket to only watch 2-3 games and sell the rest and Cuse always goes for 3 times the ticket price.

5 - NCSU, Louisville, Miami, FSU - so many good choices here. Based on historical basketball prestige, it should be Louisville but they experience the opposite phenomenon of Cuse. The Louisville game was always the last ACC game to sell and usually for 40% of ticket price. But then VT had a 30+ year losing streak to Louisville so that will kill excitement. All other teams were exciting to play.

Probably sold to Cuse fans.

I was at GTech last year...Cuse sucked albeit less than GTech but 35-40% of the crowd was Orange. If Cuse gets back into the Top 10...the Cuse crowd will double.

(06-19-2023 08:33 AM)Garrettabc Wrote:  This is just MY personal opinion, does not reflect the entire fan base.

FOOTBALL
1 Clemson - this is a healthy, non toxic rivalry built out of respect.

2 UM - there is some toxicity, but as the game has slipped in national importance, so has the toxicity.

3 GT - I have lots of respect for this school. I feel a good rivalry was taken away just as it was getting off the ground. Almost all games were close the last 20 years and not just a few were edge of your seat dramatic.

4 UL - lots of good games have been played since joining the ACC. A little sad that we won’t have this as an annual game any more.

5 SU - there is just something about them; maybe it’s the Dome or the fans actually care. I think this could be a future “circle your calendar” type of game that never happened with BC or Wake.

BASKETBALL
1 UM - with them being good in basketball and the already rivalry in football, it’s easy to translate this onto the hardwood.

2 Clem - translates well from football to basketball.

3 UL - a traditional power that I find enjoyable to play and often beat.

4 SU - I think the annual football game helps prop up the basketball game. The Carolina schools just don’t create the same synergy, maybe it’s the old guard vs the new blood and the comradery it creates.

5 GT - I think between the bad teams and losing to said “bad teams” makes this game a little loathsome, but I generally like them and see this as an import game.

FSU is hard to decipher for Cuse fans. It is usually one of my lowest attended away tailgates...I think just because Tallahassee is hours away from our fans in FL and GA.

They are still one of the big draws in the Dome for FB. Currently I'd put them behind Clemson and ND for ticket demand.

ME personally

Football:
1) FSU - 2002 game has a special place in my heart
2) Miami - Schnelly
3) VT - Loved the Vick era and was sick we missed you in the BE
4) Clemson - you guys are usually highly ranked
5) Pitt - I think you guys get disrespected. You're historically a juggernaut and people act like you're a MAC call-up. Also Larry Fitzgerald

Basketball:
1) Syracuse - Big East friends
2) Notre Dame - Big East
3) UNC - blueblood/better shade of blue
4) Duke - blueblood/lesser shade of blue
5) Pitt - Big East

(06-21-2023 04:29 PM)krux Wrote:  ME personally

Football:
1) FSU - 2002 game has a special place in my heart
2) Miami - Schnelly
3) VT - Loved the Vick era and was sick we missed you in the BE
4) Clemson - you guys are usually highly ranked
5) Pitt - I think you guys get disrespected. You're historically a juggernaut and people act like you're a MAC call-up. Also Larry Fitzgerald

Basketball:
1) Syracuse - Big East friends
2) Notre Dame - Big East
3) UNC - blueblood/better shade of blue
4) Duke - blueblood/lesser shade of blue
5) Pitt - Big East

Interesting that Pitt was the team to make both lists. I agree though. Pitt was a power in the BE. Had #1 seeds to the NCAA tourney, had the most wins of any conference team while they were in the BE. The firing (releasing to TCU) of Jamie Dixon really hurt them.