... State will renew its rivalry with former Southern Conference rival East Carolina in a game many around the Old North State have awaited with high expectations since the announcement the two would play in the winter.

Expectations come from the fact that both programs have seen an overnight surge in rising to new levels in their respective football traditions. For Appalachian State, anxious to wash the bitter taste from its mouth left by a FCS quarterfinal loss to Richmond in '08, it’s an expectation that was realized in 2005.

The Mountaineer football program had always been a football program that was good and trips to the playoffs were that of second-nature to head coach Jerry Moore and staff,...

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