It is November and that can only mean one thing to any serious college football fan. Rivalries. Sure there are rivalry games that are played before November, but it is the end of the season rivalries that give schools their last chance to determine the success of their season. In these games it doesn't matter if your school has lost all of its previous games, beat your rival and you can rest easy in the off season with a pleasant taste in your mouth. By contrast, if you have won every game going into your rivalry game and lose it, it doesn't matter if you go on to win your bowl game or even the national championship. You've got nothing on the fans from 'that other school' for the entire off season. Coaches, otherwise successful, have lost their jobs because they couldn't beat their school's number one rival (just ask John Cooper). Every school has a rival, but what makes particular rivalries stand out?
First and foremost, a great rivalry has to have a long history. Five or ten games between two schools does not make a rivalry. Sorry, but no one is ready to call the "The War on I-4" (U of South Florida vs. U. Central Florida) a great rivalry after 3 meetings. Schools have been playing each other since the 19th century and have series in which they have played as many as 100 games. History helps make a rivalry great. Rivalries also have to carry with them a big significance for their schools, their communities, their fans and for college football as a whole. You can have a series of games between two schools but no fire between the fans or the communities. Plus, it helps fuel the rivalry if the teams seem to always be playing for something significant, like a conference championship or a chance at the National Championship.
The FANS. The fans make the rivalry. What do they do the week leading up to the big game. What traditions do they have and how does their rivalry carry over into their personal and professional lives (i.e. I know fans of certain schools that absolutely won't date an alum from their rival's school). Finally, there are the amazing events or plays that can make a rivalry great. Like an amazing game winning play or an event (stolen mascot, a water jug etc.) that cements it as a great rivalry. So which are the great rivalries? Below, I take a stab at my top rivalries of all time-listing them in reverse order (the best for last).
Army vs. Navy
Neither of the academies has fielded a team with a legitimate shot at the national title in well over 50 years, but this still remains one of the most significant rivalries in college football. This is the only rivalry game where the student athletes mean it when they say they are preparing for war. The greatest military leaders of our nation's history have come from Annapolis and West Point and it is nothing short of an honor for fans to see these young men play each year. They have been playing since 1890 and Navy holds the slightest of leads (51-49-7) in the series. It was the first half of the 20th century when both teams held national prominence and it really hasn't been since Roger Staubach (1965) that there has been an all star player for either squad (Phil McConkey and Napoleon McCallum not withstanding).
Presidents have become involved in the rivalry (Pres. Grover Cleveland convened his cabinet to discuss brawls associated with that year's game) as well as famous generals, but it is the 1944 game that probably sums up the rivalry the best. In 1944 Army beat Navy and received a cable from Gen Douglas MacArthur (who was battling the Japanese in the Philippines at the time) congratulating them on a great victory. Fans attending the game purchased war bonds (raising $58 million for the war effort) in place of tickets. Army cadets traveled to the game via steamship, guarded by 5 Navy destroyers. The rivalry is intense but not full of bad blood. Instead, there is more of a brotherhood between the players knowing that they all are playing not for careers in the NFL but careers to defend their country and the freedom of the fans that are watching them.
Florida vs. Georgia
Anyone not familiar with the schools might think that their rivals are someone else. Some may feel that Florida's rival is Florida State or that Georgia's is Georgia Tech. They definitely get up to play those schools, but it is the game versus each other that marks their respective seasons. This game is so significant to the two universities that there is a Hall of Fame just for the records and great performances for the series between the two schools.
Neither school can even agree on when they first started playing each other with Georgia counting a game on their record books from 1904 (Florida didn't officially field a team until 1906) but the official series record most recognize is 46-37-2 with the advantage going to the Bulldogs. The greatest part about this rivalry is the party before (during and after) the game. What has become the "Worlds Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party" kicks off the festivities and they very often last right through the game and into the next night. The game is played in 'neutral' Jacksonville, FL where it has been played every year except 2 ('94&'95) since 1933 with each team getting an equal number of tickets and alternating the home team designation.
The series is full of great plays and great players. Gator fans have memorialized coach Doug Dickey electing to go for it on 4th and 1 at their own 29 yard line with a 27-20 lead as "Fourth and Dumb." Bulldog fans remember the famous timeout that negated an Eric Zeier touchdown and helped preserved a Florida 33-26 win in 1993. For history, significance and especially the fans this rivalry has few peers.
Stanford vs. UC Berkley
This rivalry makes the list not because of the great battles for national prominence that these two schools have staged but because of one play. The play. Everyone knows "The Play" and has seen it at least a dozen times. "The Play" sums up the rivalry very eloquently for anyone to see. It is all there. Brilliant play by John Elway to put Stanford in a position to win (and a mental goof to leave enough time on the clock). The last ditch effort by UC Berkley becoming successful as they lateral the football 180 times on the last play of the game. The desperation of the Stanford band taking the field and then the trombone player getting flattened as Cal scores the final touchdown. Oh, the humanity.
The reality is that this is an incredibly bitter rivalry that, in many ways, mimics the one that takes place roughly 350 miles to the south each year. You have two top universities, one public and one private squaring off to decide who has bragging rights over one metropolitan area. Next to UCLA and USC I don't think there are two schools situated so close together geographically. The two teams have been playing each other since 1892 and 2007 will mark the 110th time these two teams have squared off in what is known simply as "The Big Game."
This game is steeped in tradition. The most recognizable tradition is the trophy of the Stanford Axe being awarded to the winner. A game within the game has existed as each student body attempts to steal the axe (usually guarded the week leading up to the Big Game by 2 students handcuffed to the Axe) from the other. Allegedly, Stanford leads 4-3 in successful steals. Maybe because Stanford actually has an Axe committee. The history of the axe goes back to 1899 and has several traditions surrounding it. Most important to Stanford fans is the opportunity to change the final score of the 1982 game ("The Play") which Stanford still contends was not a legal touchdown for Cal.
Auburn vs. Alabama
Auburn and Alabama first met in 1893 in what has become known as the Iron Bowl. However, the teams have only played 71 times because no agreement could be reached concerning expenses to be paid players and which officials to be used for the game resulting in the teams not meeting starting in 1907 until 1948. This rivalry spills over into politics (fans running adds asking: "you couldn't really vote for someone from Auburn?") and personal lives. Whereas the Georgia and Florida fans can be cordial to each other, not so for the fans of Auburn and Alabama. Between these two schools, the bad blood is genuine. The series has been incredibly tight with Alabama holding a 38-32-1 edge.
Like other rivalries mentioned, these two schools have had some great teams and great coaches that have put their game in the national spotlight. The coaches at the respective schools have been the likes of Paul "Bear" Bryant, Pat Dye, Tommy Tubberville and now (at Alabama) Nick Saban. Each school has won national championships and have had to beat their rival to do it. Few rivalries divide a state quite like this one.
USC vs. UCLA
Few fans East of the Mississippi really understand how significant the rivalry is between USC and UCLA. Most schools reside in the same state or come from bordering states. These two schools exist in the same city. The campuses are less than 15 miles apart and many of the players grew up together and played each other in high school. Also, the fans and alumni share the same town and can be found everywhere. This rivalry extends way beyond the gridiron between the "rich private school kids" and the "public university kids" from Westwood. They have been playing each other since 1929 and USC holds the series lead 41-28-7. The series has been marked recently by long winning streaks for each school with UCLA winning 8 straight (1991-98) and USC winning 7 straight from 1999 through 2005.
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s the two schools were the top football powers on the west coast. During the period from 1981 - 1995 they played in a combined 7 Rose Bowls. Frequently the PAC-10 championship came down to the Battle of Los Angeles and a berth to the Rose (or BCS) Bowl. The teams play for the Victory Bell which was given to UCLA by its alumni association in 1939. After USC stole the bell in 1941 it was decided it would be awarded to the annual winner and has been ever since. 28 times the teams have played they were either playing for a Rose Bowl birth or a National Championship opportunity.
The week preceding the game is known as "Beat SC Week (or Gold and Blue week)" at UCLA and at USC as "Conquest" or "Troy" week. Even the school's ROTCs get involved with an annual "Blood Bowl" flag football game. The respective bands used to play a flag football game as well, but it was cancelled after the two bands got into a brawl. That's right, the bands brawled. Bottom line is that there is great history, big games of national importance, a proximity not found anywhere else in college football and heated rivalry that fans take very seriously beyond the gridiron.
Oklahoma vs. Texas
These two teams have squared off in what is known as The Red River Shootout (also known as the Red Rive Rivalry) 102 (Texas leading 57-40-5) times with the first meeting occurring before Oklahoma had even become a state. In 60 out of 65 games since 1945 one or both of the teams has been ranked in the top 25. The game has frequently had national implications. Over the most recent 8 games, 4 times one of the teams went on to play in the National Championship game with Oklahoma winning the title in 2000 and Texas winning in 2005.
There is no love lost between the fans with the Texas fans considering the Sooners to be country bumpkins while the Oklahoma fans look down on the Longhorns as fake cowboys from the big city. The significant games played in this rivalry are simply too many to list here but some are worth mentioning. In 1977 Earl Campbell had to take over a game where two Texas QBs had been knocked out and the Longhorns eeked out a 13-6 victory with their 3rd string quarterback playing most of the game. The 1984 game ended in a controversial 13-13 tie after OU felt they had won the game on a last minute interception. The first overtime game in Big 12 conference history resulted in Oklahoma winning 30-27 after an amazing comeback in regulation. During a 5 year Oklahoma winning streak they twice set records for margin of victory and, in 2001 fans witnessed "the Play" when Roy Williams leapt over a blocker to hit QB Chris Simms forcing an interception leading to an Oklahoma touchdown.
The series gets the governors of the respective states involved and created heated feuds between coaches. The personalities involved in the game are almost bigger than the game itself and some of the greatest players on college football history have competed. Few college football fans can remember a game when one or both of these teams didn't figure in the Big 12 title race and/or the National Championship race.
Michigan vs. Ohio State
No rivalry in College football combines more history, more significance or more drama than the contentious contest every November between Michigan and Ohio State. This rivalry has incredible personalities involved from the players to the coaches to the fans. Many consider the football battle between these two schools as a continuation to an actual bloodless border dispute the two states (Michigan was still a territory) fought in 1835-36 where Ohio ended up with Toledo. Whether that makes Ohio the winner or loser is for another debate. The two teams met for the first time in 1897 in Ann Arbor with a 34-0 Michigan victory. This year will be the 104th time the teams have met with Michigan holding a 57-40-6 advantage for the series. In honor of the 100th meeting in 2003 a resolution was introduced in Congress to recognize it as "the greatest sports rivalry in history." Also, in 2003, an Ohio inmate agreed to plead guilty if the judge would delay his transfer from the local jail so that he could watch the game. In 2006 recounting the votes for the disputed race for Ohio's 15th congressional district was delayed until after the conclusion of the game. This game is taken very seriously! Of course, the 2006 game was dubbed "The Game of the Century" since, for the first time, both teams came into the game undefeated and ranked #1 (Ohio State) and #2 (Michigan). The game lived up to its billing, ending in a 42-39 victory for Ohio State. Since 1935, this game has decided the Big 10 championship 23 times and 2007 will be no different, with the winner taking the conference crown.
The most famous era in the rivalry has become known as the 10 year war and featured two iconoclastic coaches: Woody Hayes and Glen "Bo" Schembechler. From 1969 - 1978 the two coaches squared off while fielding some of the greatest teams ever at their respective universities. The series started with Schembechler, in his first year at Michigan, ending OSU's 22 game winning streak and their shot at the national title. Schembechler finished with a 5-4-1 edge over his former mentor (Bo coached under Woody at OSU) but it would be hard to consider the war anything other than a draw. Woody Hayes could never bring himself to actually say "Michigan" always referring to his rival as "that school up north." Legend has it that Hayes, wanting to give nothing to Michigan, once pushed his car across the Michigan-Ohio border rather than purchase gas in the state of Michigan and have the tax revenue from his purchase help support the public university. The 10 year war ended when Hayes was fired for attacking a Clemson player during the 1978 Gator Bowl.
Many Michigan fans consider John Cooper the best coach vs. Ohio State that Michigan has ever had. The only issue is that John Cooper coached the Buckeyes, not the Wolverines. In the 13 years that Cooper was in Columbus he consistently fielded teams full of NFL talent. Three times (1993, '95, '96) he came into the final game vs. Michigan undefeated and all three times the Buckeyes lost. Though he had the type of success almost any coach would be envious of, Cooper was fired at the end of the 2000 season and many believe it was because of a 2-10-1 record against "that school from the north."
Ohio State made a great hire after Cooper getting in-state coach Jim Tressel. The tide of the series has definitely turned and Tressel holds a 5-1 record vs. Michigan and coach Lloyd Carr. Despite Carr's national championship in 1997 (something Bo was not able to accomplish in 25 years) Carr is now under fire. Why? He cannot beat Ohio State now that Tressel is at the helm and the alumni are sick of it. In no other series is it more true than this one. If you coach one of these two schools, and you can beat your rival consistently, all other offenses are forgiven. Fail to win that last game of the year and all of your other accomplishments are meaningless.
Honorable Mentions:
Notre Dame vs. Anyone
Even the biggest Golden Dome haters have to admit that no other team gets its opponents best like Notre Dame does. Everyone wants to beat Notre Dame (some years it's easier than others) and the school has long standing rivalries with a number of opponents. Notre Dame is a hated rival of Michigan fans and USC fans alike. Navy finally broke through and beat the Irish in 2007 after more than 40 years of futility. Other rivalries with schools like Boston College (battle of the Catholics) and Stanford (battle of the elite private schools) and several Big Ten teams make Notre Dame's schedule one of the toughest year in and year out. Few teams in college football have a more storied history and also have so many intense rivalries each year as the Fighting Irish.
Florida State vs. Miami
Though it lacks some of the long history that other rivalries have, few other rivalries have had such an impact on the National Championship race in recent memory. Of course, Florida State fans still wake up in the middle of the night screaming "wide right" because of heart breaking losses on the last play of the game. The dominance that these two programs had over college football in the 1980s and 1990s makes this rivalry one of the most significant. Unfortunately, neither team has had much success the last few years, reducing this to mostly just an event for the state of Florida. But, it requires a mention nonetheless.
Michigan vs. Minnesota
What makes this rivalry great is the story of the trophy: The Little Brown Jug. Fielding H. Yost had ordered the purchase of a water jug before Michigan's game vs. Minnesota in 1903. Yost's Michigan team was considered the best in the country and had won 28 games in a row coming into their game with the Gophers. Minnesota managed a 6-6 tie and, in the ensuing pandemonium, the jug was left in Minneapolis. Yost later asked for it back and received the reply that if he wanted it back, he would have to come and win it. Michigan did exactly that and leads the all time series 65-22-3 which doesn't make the match-up that big of a rivalry. However, the history behind the game and, of course, that Little Brown Jug, make it one of the great rivalries in college football.
The PAC 10 Conference
The Pac 10 is unique in that its 10 teams each have a rival with which they battle for dominance in their own state. No, that wasn't a typo. I realize that Stanford vs. Cal and USC vs. UCLA take place in California. However, anyone who has lived in the golden state realizes that there are really two Californias: Northern Cal and Southern Cal and the schools battle for each respective state's dominance. Each school ends its season (usually) by playing their hated in-state rival and measures their season's success on the outcome of the game. Arizona and Arizona State have been playing the "Duel in the Dessert" since 1899, Oregon and Oregon State's "Civil War" originated in 1894 and the "Apple Cup" between Washington and Washington State dates back to 1900. I cannot think of any other conference that can claim such an incredible group of rivalries for every team in the conference.
So, what's your best rivalries. Which ones top the ones above--or just add your story concerning your college rival. . .
Send Message
Add Friend
Block User