Dear ESPN…

For the last several years, you’ve scheduled the Deeper Than Hate rivalry between App State and Georgia Southern to be played on a Thursday. While we are genuinely grateful for the national exposure the TV slot provides, I speak on behalf of both fan bases when I say… STOP!

What you’ve actually been doing is overlooking the greatest rivalry in the Group of Five, and one of the greatest in all of college football. Don’t believe me? Consider the following:

Deeper Than Hate boasts nine national championships, 33 conference titles, four games featuring a #1 ranked team being upset, with 35 games played dating back to 1932, and played annually since ‘93. Even in just the last two years, Southern has beat a ranked Mountaineer team, adding more fuel than ever to the back-and-forth. You could even argue (and I have, many times) that Southern’s win this season kept the Black and Gold out of the Cotton Bowl.

This is a unique rivalry born organically out of pure genuine hatred between the programs.

Rivalry Week is supposed to be played the last Saturday of the season, not on a Thursday in October. It’s time Deeper Than Hate was invited to the party.

Sign the petition and share it on social media with #MoveTheHate!