By Kenzie Stanford
SouthernPigskin.com

Follow us at Twitter.com/SouthernPigskin.  Become a fan at the SouthernPigskin.com Facebook Page

In a somewhat surprising move, Georgia Southern will face Georgia State, not Appalachian State, on “Rivalry Weekend” in 2015.

Rivalry weekend x93 a weekend where long-feuding opponents come together to work out some undeniable tension between one another and prove who holds the title of x9ctop-dawgx9d in the current season.

The words of Al Davis, x9cJust win, baby,x9d will echo through the minds of teams and fans alike on this beloved weekend of college football. Rivalries are clearly created over time between teams that love to hate each other x93 but thats the competitive spirit that we yearn for, right?

After taking a look at the recently-released Sun Belt Conference schedule, my first thought was naturally to look toward rivalry weekend. At first glance, I noticed that Georgia Southern and Georgia State move their rivalry weekend into the week that most conferences host their championship game.

The schedule looks reasonable overall – but I was slightly confused as to why Georgia Southern plays Georgia State and not Appalachian State for their rivalry. I mean, that deep-rooted matchup goes back to their Southern Conference days when they first played each other in 1932.

So, with the game set for December 5th, could Georgia State be Georgia Sotherns new rival in the battle over who is x9cthe real GSU?x9d

Im sure that Georgia State is pleased about this rivalry game, but I cant speak for all Georgia Southern fans.

In a previous article by our own BJ Bennett on the remembrance of the SoCon rivalry between App State and the Eagles, he states, x9cOne of the Mountaineers or the Eagles has held at least a share of the Southern Conference title in 15 of the last 16 years. Either Appalachian State or Georgia Southern has made it to the postseason every season since 2004. Dating back to 1999 alone, the two have combined for five national championships.x9d

To say this rivalry is competitive would be an understatement. These two teams thrive off of both the successes and failures of each other. They have mimicked the footsteps of one another since the time of their first meeting and I do not think that the placement of their game on the schedule will downsize this rivalry.

Some fans might disagree, but I think that the game that most people will consider to be the real rivalry will take place in Boone on October 22nd against the Mountaineers. A clash with such a high-caliber team like Georgia Southern and a team like Georgia State, which has gone 1-23 over the past two seasons, does not seem worthy of this specific weekend.

The only reason I can see Georgia Southern and Georgia State starting this rivalry is considering the battle of x9cthe real GSUx9d being up for grabs – and that doesnt seem to be going anywhere, so I guess we will let this rivalry live on and develop in stride. In the meantime, the Eagles and Mountaineers will make their clash for the second time as Sun Belt contenders in October for what should prove to be a game worth watching. Let the rivalries proceed.