Even those who have partaken in the Arkansas State-Memphis series once understand its significance.
"I felt [the rivalry] walking in the building yesterday," offensive tackle Makilan Thomas said Tuesday.
"This rivalry is one that means a lot to us here ... and everybody knows what's at stake," Kivon Bennett added.
There no longer is a trophy up for grabs -- buckets of paint and a handful of brushes that led to the contest being dubbed the "Paint Bucket Bowl" -- but with the Red Wolves and Tigers separated by a mere 70 miles, there's plenty of animus ahead of today's matchup in Memphis.