12/18/24
November 24, 2003
Another rivalry Saturday is in the books. How did your alma mater do? My two schools, the University of Washington and the University of Oregon both won their respective clashes against hated rivals. Shout outs to the Michigan Wolverines, USC Trojans, Cal Golden Bears, Auburn Tigers and Clemson as well. Time for you to brag on your school, yo! And just what is the BEST NCAA rivalry in football? My vote goes to Army-Navy...
Duke beat UNC for the first time in 12 years by a score of 30-22, thus reclaiming the Victory Bell. I've got to vote for Michigan-Ohio State as well.
posted by mbd1 at 09:10 AM on November 24, 2003
Make that 13 years, not 12.
posted by mbd1 at 09:11 AM on November 24, 2003
This will be a thread full of regional bias, so that said: OU/Texas, hands down. Neutral site, tons of people coming from both Austin and Norman, and one or both teams almost always in the top 10. And it makes for sort of a State rivalry too. I know most OSU fans that hate the Sooners will still root for them in one game a year. I'm sure something similar can be said for the Aggies and tu.
posted by Ufez Jones at 10:19 AM on November 24, 2003
Four posts already and not one mention of the Iron Bowl? Sure Auburn and Bama have had disappointing and disastrous seasons, respectively, but for one Saturday in November, the entire state is at war with itself. They recruit the exact same players; until recently they were usually in the running for the SEC wes; and coaches jobs have been saved in this rivalry by winning the big game, even if the rest of their season was in shambles.
posted by trox at 11:01 AM on November 24, 2003
I have to go with Ohio State/Michigan. This game is consistently has the most on the line, displays the best talent and seems to be close just about every year. UT and OU is a freaking war, but there have been rumblings about moving it out of the Cotton Bowl. And USC/UCLA? Well, for one, it's wayyy over there (points left), and two, I can't get excited about rooting for a team named after a condom.
posted by wfrazerjr at 11:23 AM on November 24, 2003
I'm gonna go ahead and vote for OSU/UofM as well...mostly because of bias (UofM class of '95). But, it's also classic, smash-mouth, top 5 football nearly every season. And the two teams are usually 95% Michigan and Ohio products, since both coaching staffs recruit heavily in both states. Hell, some of Michigan's greatest players are from Ohio... And fraz...I never heard of Bruins condoms... =D
posted by MeatSaber at 11:30 AM on November 24, 2003
there have been rumblings about moving it out of the Cotton Bowl. something that only the cities of Houston, Austin, and Norman want. The vast majority of the fans of both schools want to keep it where it is. The City of Dallas is (understandably) freaking out about losing it and is raising all kinds of money to keep it here, much of it coming from Hotels and Tourism companies. I hope they succeed. The location is a major factor in the rivalry, and a very unique aspect of it too, if I'm not mistaken.
posted by Ufez Jones at 11:43 AM on November 24, 2003
You haven't? My God, and your name is MeatSaber! By the way, does Duke/UNC really count as a rivalry in football? That's kinda like Luxembourg and Liechtenstein getting pissy with one another, isn't it?
posted by wfrazerjr at 11:46 AM on November 24, 2003
I like Florida - FSU but that's cause I'm a Gator fan. OSU-Michigan is the best otherwise, I think.
posted by Bernreuther at 12:51 PM on November 24, 2003
Oh please, if you're going to have a rivalry, might as well make it the oldest college football rivalry. Wisconsin vs. Minnesota for Paul Bunyan's Axe. Go Badgers!!
posted by patrickje at 12:55 PM on November 24, 2003
Go Gophers! Better dead than red
posted by emoeby at 01:19 PM on November 24, 2003
Rutger-Princeton? Wouldn't that be the oldest since they played each other in what I believe is recognized as the first every intercollegiate game? LOL As a USC alum, have to go with USC/(F)UCLA and USC/Notre Dame. If I had any interest other than effect on rankings/bowl destinations, I would probably give some props to OSU/Michigan, but those teams never really excite me with their play even though it's usually very high quality. Also as a USC alum, got to say that a matchup with Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl could be ana amazing game given how both teams are scoring machines with stingy defenses.
posted by billsaysthis at 02:27 PM on November 24, 2003
But what of Lehigh-Lafayette? While I might look to Yale-Harvard or Cincinnati-Miami (of Ohio) -- having attended the first school of each pair -- I would give top rivalry honors to Ohio State-Michigan. (Note: I'm not a fan of either team.) I would give a nostalgic tip-o-the-cap to Army-Navy (a classic I remember watching in B&W). There is something compelling about the energy of all these rivalries, although I have to ask: what's up with Oklahoma-Texas? How was I raised under the impression that Oklahoma-Nebraska is the more important rivalry? Since when is Colorado-Nebraska a big deal?
posted by Dick Paris at 03:37 PM on November 24, 2003
Although the game itself is of little-to-no national significance, the Iowa-Minnesota game is surprisingly heated, and its trophy, Floyd of Rosedale, is classic. Whatever Minnesotans feel about it, Iowa fans hate the Gophers almost as much as they hate their cross-state rivals, Iowa State.
posted by Uncle Toby at 04:18 PM on November 24, 2003
Dick Paris: "While I might look to Yale-Harvard or Cincinnati-Miami (of Ohio)" Only those in Cincinnati look to Oxford for a rivalry. We at Miami have since moved on to bigger and better things. And snobbishness is, of course, the raison d'etre of we Redskin, err, RedHawks...
posted by trharlan at 04:45 PM on November 24, 2003
Thanks to Iowa winning a squeaker on Saturday, they get to go to a bowl name after Corporation A, rather than Corporation B. Go Hawks! As for rivalries, OSU-Michigan always seems to be the most important in terms of rankings and bowl games and such, but everyone knows that the most important rivalry is the Case Western Reserve (now just Case) Spartans vs. the Carnegie Mellon Tartans. I see my alma mater got its ass handed to it again this year.
posted by dirigibleman at 12:06 AM on November 25, 2003
You may be right, Trharlan, about the snobbishne... KIDDING! Some of my best friends went to Miami. Anyway, Cinti and Miami have played a total of 108 times. (Miami leads the series -- no surprise here -- 58-43-7.)
posted by 8ighteenAcres at 03:40 PM on November 25, 2003
8ighteen Acres, Since I love derailing threads so much, how old are your friends?
posted by trharlan at 04:25 PM on November 25, 2003
Michigan-OSU is the best rivalry, hands down. Not only are they hated rivals, the game always seems to mean something for one team. Most of the time it's a Rose Bowl birth, or like last year or 1997, a shot at the National Championship. Something like 40 times in the 100 year history, one of these teams had a chance to go to the Rose Bowl, if they wont this game. That to me is amazing. Plus, both schools usually play with such class. I will give Army-Navy a nod as the second best rivalry. Great tradition, always great sights to see during the game and before, when the Cadets and Mid-Shipmen walk into the stadium, etc. But the game never means anything, and it hasnt for years.