Why is ETSU Subservient to the Tennessee Volunteers?
Sure, other SoCon teams live in the shadow of their SEC or ACC brethren. But the Bucs almost seem to exist to be the Vols’ subordinate.
When it was announced Tennessee’s football game would host East Tennessee State in 2025, one might think the reaction in Johnson City might be one of excitement.
Sure, the Buccaneers beating the Volunteers in football is a longshot, but even if David doesn’t slay Goliath, it’s a chance to play in a great showcase within a couple of hours of home.
But that really isn’t the reaction. The reaction among the Bucs’ fan base is one of impending doom, instead of potential opportunity.
Granted, the Bucs’ 3–8 record last year, combined with a preseason pick for sixth place in the Southern Conference and overall feel last season was more of a trend than a fluke doesn’t merit much hope for an FCS team to beat an FBS program that was briefly ranked №1 in the College Football Playoff Poll last season.
But it’s also because while other Southern Conference teams may live in the shadow of their more renown Division I neighbor, ETSU lives in subservience to the Volunteers.
When these two teams met once before in 2018, then-head coach Randy Sanders said if ETSU were to win he would walk home naked with the…
