Thursday, November 16, 2006
Iron Bowls, Cocktail Parties and Wide Rights
Having grown up in Connecticut and Maryland, and having attended Bucknell and Columbia, I've never been part of a big-time football rivalry. Maryland people hate Virginia, but not vehemently, and no one would party in the streets when Maryland hoops beat UVA. Same goes for Bucknell-Colgate, UConn-Syracuse or Columbia-Cornell.
I've always been a little jealous of these rivalry games, which makes this week's tilt between Michigan and Ohio State that much more compelling -- and led me to consider the best college football rivalries going.
1. Auburn-Alabama. Nothing beats an in-state rivalry, and this is played in the cradle of college football. My stepfather's family, all Alabamians, divide along the Auburn-Alabama side and do not speak for weeks before the game (and often it's still tense at Thanksgiving).
2. Michigan-Ohio State. This past week has helped me appreciate the enormity of this rivalry, and it's helped by its history. Woody Hayes and Bo Schembechler, Heisman winners in Archie Griffin, Eddie George, Desmond Howard and Charles Woodson. Plus you have the Big House and The Shoe. Solid stadium nicknames.
3. Army-Navy. These two no longer contend for national titles, but no rivalry engenders more respect between the two opponents or among the fans watching. Great tradition, great kids and a tradition everyone can root for.
4. USC-Notre Dame. It's likely that more great players have come through this rivalry than any other, and it's one of the few rivalries that transcends geography.
5. Texas-Oklahoma. Oklahoma-Nebraska were the big rivals in the 1980s but this rivalry came to the forefront with the inception of the Big 12 (from the Big 8). And hey, it's even got a carnival and is played every year on neutral turf. You gotta like that.
The next tier:
6. Harvard-Yale
7. Grambling-Southern
8. Miami-Florida State
9. Lehigh-Lafayette
10. Williams-Amherst
Also in consideration:
Stanford-Cal; Florida-Tennessee; USC-UCLA; Clemson-South Carolina; Pittsburgh-West Virginia; Texas-Texas A&M; Florida-Georgia (if just for the game's nickname)
I've always been a little jealous of these rivalry games, which makes this week's tilt between Michigan and Ohio State that much more compelling -- and led me to consider the best college football rivalries going.
1. Auburn-Alabama. Nothing beats an in-state rivalry, and this is played in the cradle of college football. My stepfather's family, all Alabamians, divide along the Auburn-Alabama side and do not speak for weeks before the game (and often it's still tense at Thanksgiving).
2. Michigan-Ohio State. This past week has helped me appreciate the enormity of this rivalry, and it's helped by its history. Woody Hayes and Bo Schembechler, Heisman winners in Archie Griffin, Eddie George, Desmond Howard and Charles Woodson. Plus you have the Big House and The Shoe. Solid stadium nicknames.
3. Army-Navy. These two no longer contend for national titles, but no rivalry engenders more respect between the two opponents or among the fans watching. Great tradition, great kids and a tradition everyone can root for.
4. USC-Notre Dame. It's likely that more great players have come through this rivalry than any other, and it's one of the few rivalries that transcends geography.
5. Texas-Oklahoma. Oklahoma-Nebraska were the big rivals in the 1980s but this rivalry came to the forefront with the inception of the Big 12 (from the Big 8). And hey, it's even got a carnival and is played every year on neutral turf. You gotta like that.
The next tier:
6. Harvard-Yale
7. Grambling-Southern
8. Miami-Florida State
9. Lehigh-Lafayette
10. Williams-Amherst
Also in consideration:
Stanford-Cal; Florida-Tennessee; USC-UCLA; Clemson-South Carolina; Pittsburgh-West Virginia; Texas-Texas A&M; Florida-Georgia (if just for the game's nickname)
# posted by EJ @ 10:38 AM 
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My list, with three caveats:
a. I'm inclined to put stock in natural rivalries (i.e., they should be in the same geographic area or the same conference, preferably both). This takes USC-ND off my list.
b. A school can only have one entry on this list. Otherwise, the rivalry can't possibly be that big a deal. Again, this removes USC-ND. If you walk onto the USC campus and ask who their rival is, 100% of the responses will be UCLA.
c. I'm not really paying attention to tiny schools. I frankly have no idea what the Amherst-Williams rivalry is like, and don't very much care (sorry).
1. Army/Navy
2. OSU/Michigan
3. Auburn/Alabama
4. Stanford/Cal
5. Pitt/WV
6. Tx/A&M
7. Clemson/South Carolina
8. USC/UCLA
9. Fla/Tennessee
10. Me/Donuts
a. I'm inclined to put stock in natural rivalries (i.e., they should be in the same geographic area or the same conference, preferably both). This takes USC-ND off my list.
b. A school can only have one entry on this list. Otherwise, the rivalry can't possibly be that big a deal. Again, this removes USC-ND. If you walk onto the USC campus and ask who their rival is, 100% of the responses will be UCLA.
c. I'm not really paying attention to tiny schools. I frankly have no idea what the Amherst-Williams rivalry is like, and don't very much care (sorry).
1. Army/Navy
2. OSU/Michigan
3. Auburn/Alabama
4. Stanford/Cal
5. Pitt/WV
6. Tx/A&M
7. Clemson/South Carolina
8. USC/UCLA
9. Fla/Tennessee
10. Me/Donuts
Now that OSU has won The Game, the next question is whether Michigan deserves a rematch given that they only lost by 3 points. I'd agree that Michigan is the 2nd best team in the country, but don't think they should get a rematch in the Fiesta Bowl, primarily because it makes today's game a non-issue. If Michigan were to beat OSU in the fiesta bowl, they would win the national championship, despite splitting the 2 games.
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