| Sport | Football |
|---|---|
| First meeting | 1983 Valdosta State 20, West Georgia 13 |
| Latest meeting | November 11, 2023 Valdota State 58, West Georgia 28 |
| Trophy | The Peach Basket |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 43 |
| All-time series | Valdosta State leads, 29–14 |
| Longest win streak | Valdosta State, 9 (1983–1991) |
| Current win streak | Valdosta State, 1 (2023–Present) |
The Valdosta State–West Georgia football rivalry, commonly known as the Battle for the Peach Basket, is a college football rivalry game between two public universities in the U.S. state of Georgia, the Valdosta State University Blazers and the University of West Georgia Wolves that compete for the Peach Basket. The current winner is Valdosta State, who won, 36–34, on October 30, 2021.[1] Valdosta State leads the all-time series, 28–14.[2][3][4]
History
The Blazers and Wolves have played every year since 1983 in the Gulf South Conference. The first two games in 1983 and 1984 were played at Memorial Stadium in Columbus.[5][6] Since then, the game has alternated between the respective campuses. The early series was dominated by Valdosta State with the Blazers winning 9 games in a row from 1983 to 1991. This was inverted in the 1990s, when West Georgia won 7 of the next 8 contests. From 2000 to 2013 the series was again dominated by the Blazers, with Valdosta State winning 12 of 14 matchups, as well as 3 national championships. The Blazers won again in the 2014 regular season, but were then upset by the Wolves in the playoff quarterfinals, beginning a stretch during which the Wolves won 4 out of 5.
West Georgia announced they will be jumping to Division I, joining the Atlantic Sun Conference effective July 1, 2024, thus ending the rivalry for the foreseeable future.
Game results
| Valdosta State victories | West Georgia victories |
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See also
References
- ↑ "No. 2 Blazers Hold Off No. 3 Wolves in Top Five Thriller, 36-34". Valdosta State Athletics. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
- ↑ "Football Weekly Preview: The West Georgia Game". Valdosta State University. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
- ↑ "Football Preview: The Valdosta State Game". University of West Georgia. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
- ↑ "Wolves Hit the Road to Take on Rival Blazers". The West Georgian. 8 October 2016. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
- 1 2 "1983 Valdosta State football program, pg.40" (PDF).
- 1 2 "1984 Valdosta State football program, pg.24" (PDF).