A few years ago, I wrote a column called “The Joy of Hate, our 5 Biggest Rivals.” It was well received and hated by the right kind of people and the target audience. When ET was in the Lone Star Conference, we were around for almost a century and basically knew who we hated, kind of disliked, and just wanted to beat.

Dr David Berlinkski wrote a book called “Human Nature” about 5 years ago and was asked about the emotion of hate or disdain for someone else. His response was golden; “I don’t bemoan the fact that someone doesn’t hate me, I rather like it. It has always invigorated me to find a good hater and I will always prefer them to a meeley mouthed individual.

Remember the Robert Frost poem?

“Some say the world will end in fire,

Some say in ice.

From what I’ve tasted of desire

I hold with those who favor fire.

But if it had to perish twice,

I think I know enough of hate

To say that for destruction ice

Is also great

And would suffice.”

Point being, there is desire and or passion (fire) and ice which signifies hate. In sports, rivalries are more than just about a team that lines up against you to play. Often times there is a lot in common between two blood rivals and at the same time many things that are different.

A few weeks ago I said that going forward I would like for us to play 1-2 out of conference FCS teams and then suggested with my guest on the Call The Roll Podcast Israel Hughes that we should play Tarleton State at the Cotton Bowl during the state fair. Let’s look at that.

Since joining Division I with some actual thought and a process, (and a competent administration) Tarleton is 34-17 overall and has never had a losing season. Todd Whitten returned to coach the Texans and they had a 10 win season last year and won their first playoff game in the FCS era. They have never had a losing season since joining DI, which makes me feel kind of like of a fool since we mocked them for losing to us in 2019 and they are the ones laughing now. That being said, for the better part of 40 some odd years we played them for the President’s Cup, and beat them 7 out of the last 10 times we played them and handed them their worst home loss in program history in 2015 and hold the all time series lead.

It would be cool enough to do a home and home series with them, but to play the Texans at the Cotton Bowl during the State Fair would be a real treat for both schools. Both schools have overwhelming student body populations that are from the immediate DFW area, also with all of the stock shows during the fair are attended by the ag majors of both schools, it really makes for a sound decision. It is basically equidistant, Commerce is probably 25 miles closer but when you get on a DFW freeway all things become equal in time and distance.

The biggest thing is that our players get to experience every single year a great tradition of playing in big time stadiums and against a blood rival. The way things are going, Tarleton is going to continue to be a good program in FCS and how good we will be is yet to be determined. That said, Texas and Oklahoma, Prairie View and Grambling, and East Texas A&M and Tarleton State would really lend a great addition to games being played in the most storied and important football site in the State of Texas and the Southwestern United States.

Let alone what it would do for alumni relations, the fact of having a team you really dislike would be circled on both teams calendars. The Southland is full of good programs, but none we could really call a rival. Stephen F Austin is the closest you could call one because of the history going back to the early Lone Star Conference Days, Incarnate Word couldn’t care less about us, Houston Christian is not there yet, McNeese has Southeastern as a rival and vice versa, Northwestern St and SFA have the Chief Caddo trophy, Nicholls is too far, Lamar would be more akin to a rivalry with Houston Christian, McNeese or Nicholls. We are kind of sitting west of everyone but Incarnate Word and North of everyone else. It gets lonely out here.

After all, they say you are judged by your enemies as much as your friends, and never forget there is some joy in a little hate, and in rare cases, a lot.