It's not Georgia-Florida, Ohio State-Michigan or even N.C. State-North Carolina. Nonetheless, the news that East Carolina and Appalachian State will face on the gridiron next year is great news for college football in the state.
"The Sept. 5 game at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium in Greenville will mark ECU's first matchup against a Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly known as Division I-AA, opponent since 2001.The Mountaineers own a 19-10 lead in the Appalachian series that dates back to 1932 but the two programs haven't met since the Pirates won 38-21 in Boone on Nov. 3, 1979.
" 'Although this is a single-game contract with Appalachian State for the 2009 season only, it is my hope that this game will be a springboard for a great in-state rivalry in the future,' ECU Director of Athletics Terry Holland said. 'The Mountaineers have proven their ability to compete against the very best programs in the area and in the nation.'"
This matchup presents a nice east-versus-west rivalry that both sets of fans can get behind. Hopefully it is a game that will be played quite regularly. It's a game that should be played on a consistent basis, along with N.C. State-Duke (whacky ACC division scheduling has screwed that up), N.C. State/UNC-South Carolina, along with the other border schools (Tennessee and Georgia come to mind), as well as NCSU/UNC-ECU. Of course, if/when UNC Charlotte adds football, the idea of scheduling like this might go out the door.
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