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Is ETSU Finally Shedding It’s Reputation as Tennessee’s “Little Brother?”
The Southern Conference may not be the Southeastern, but both athletic programs play in Division I. Could ETSU finally be demanding the Tri-Cities recognize the Bucs and not their neighbors 100 miles south?
If there’s one positive thing that may come out of the entire Simon Harris/Scott Carter situation at East Tennessee State University, maybe, just maybe, it will be to end the idea of ETSU being the University of Tennessee’s “Little Brother.”
Because how many times has one heard that it would be in ETSU’s best interest to avoid any conflict whatsoever with Tennessee when it comes to scheduling football games?
“Play all games on Thursday,” has been a common refrain. “That way the Bucs won’t have to go head-to-head with the Vols.”
Except, of course, ETSU’s opponents will not be following suit, and so preparation would become a nightmare with a combination of five, seven, and ten days of preparation for games instead of a generally standard seven.
Since the 1980s when ETSU has begun their football season at home, it has historically been on a Thursday, except for 2017 and 2018 when for unexplained reasons the Bucs opened on Saturday.
