A while back, a friend and I had a conversation about the biggest rivalries in college sports, he said Carolina-Duke, I said Michigan-Ohio State. Now I have put together a list of the top 35 rivalries in college sports. This list is compiled from other lists on the internet, plus my own extensive personal knowledge of college sports. This list is primarily college football and basketball influenced, with some attention paid to baseball and hockey (although I don’t specifically mention hockey). The list takes in to account the history and record of the rivalries along with the games’ impact on conference championships and national championships. Without further adieu, I present Part One of the best rivalries in college sports:
35) Michigan vs. Minnesota- This battle between two Big Ten foes is known for it’s trophy, The Little Brown Jug and is the oldest rivalry trophy in American sports (including professional sports). Michigan leads the series 66-22-3
34) Central Michigan vs. Western Michigan- Considered one of the biggest mid-major rivalries (if not the biggest). The winner is awarded the Victory Cannon (also known as the CMU-WMU Rivalry Trophy). Western Michigan leads the series 43-36-2
33) Indiana vs. Purdue- The two Indian schools compete every year on the Gridiron for the Old Oaken Bucket with Purdue leading the series 56-27-3. The teams are also intense basketball rivals, with Purdue leading the series 112-84
32) Michigan vs. Michigan State- The Paul Bunyan Trophy goes to the winner of battle of the top two schools in Michigan. Michigan leads the series 34-22-2.
31) North Carolina vs. Virginia (The South’s Oldest Rivalry)- The two oldest member of the ACC are also the oldest rivalry in the FBS. North Carolina leads the all-time series, 57–54–4, but Virginia is 20–7–1 in the rivalry since 1983.
30) Minnesota vs. Wisconsin- The two frozen schools battle every year for Paul Bunyan’s Axe (which used to be the Slab of Bacon Trophy). The rivalry is also the most played rivalry in college football history. Minnesota leads the series 59-53-8
29) Arizona vs. Arizona State (The Duel in the Desert)- This rivalry is most intense in baseball, where both teams are perennial Pac-12 title contenders along with national title contenders. The Territorial Cup is given to the winner of the football game. Arizona leads the series 46-37-1
28) Connecticut vs. Syracuse- Games between steady Big East heavyweights the Huskies and the Orange usually have an impact on league title hopes for one or the other. Oh yeah, and there was that one game in the Big East tourney a couple of years back, aptly remembered as "The Game."
27) Washington vs. Washington State- The “Apple Cup” is awarded to the winner of this in-state rivalry. Before 1962, It was known as the “Governor’s Cup.” Washington leads the series 66-31-6.
26) Mississippi vs. Mississippi State-The “Egg Bowl” is the 10th longest uninterrupted rivalry game in college football. The rivalry began in 1901 and now Ole Miss leads the all-time series 60–41–6. The baseball rivalry may be even bigger than the football rivalry. The series began in 1893 in a game that ended with a 6-3 MSU victory. The win set the stage for many Bulldog victories. State holds a 231-186-5 series lead.
25) Kentucky vs. Louisville (Battle for the Bluegrass)- The in-state rivalry, known as the "Battle for the Bluegrass," became more intense, if possible, when "Traitor” Rick Pitino took over at Louisville. Though they first played in 1913, the two met only five times between 1916 and 1983. They have also met four times in the NCAA Tournament but not since 1984. Kentucky leads series 28-14. The yearly football game is played for the Governor’s Cup Trophy. Kentucky leads the series 14-9 all time, while Louisville leads the series since 1994 9-8 (wasn’t played between 1925 and 94)
24) Pittsbugh vs. West Virginia (The Backyard Brawl)- The oldest, most notable, and most bitter football rivalry within the Big East, the Backyard Brawl was first played in football 1895 and typically receives major media coverage. The basketball rivalry, first played in 1905, is equally as intense. The schools, separated by only 70 miles, have met over 100 times on the gridiron and 180 times on the hardwood. The rivalry spills across all mutually sponsored sports, with exceptionally intense fan involvement, including several incidents that received national attention. Pittsburgh leads the Football series 61-39-3 while West Virginia leads the basketball series 95-87.
On Saturday, December 1, 2007 the 100th edition of the Backyard Brawl took place at Mountaineer Field in Morgantown, West Virginia. The 4–7 Panthers upset the second-ranked Mountaineers 13–9, knocking West Virginia out of the BCS National Championship Game. The game was one of the most important Backyard Brawls, one of the biggest upsets for the Pittsburgh Panthers, and one of the biggest upsets of the season, voted as the "Game of the Year" by ESPNU. The Mountaineers would get a measure of revenge when the series returned to Morgantown in 2009, upsetting the #8 Panthers 19–16 on a game-ending field goal. The 2009 Backyard Brawl was the most watched game in the history of ESPN2.
23) Pennsylvania vs. Princeton- - No national star-power here, but for the Ivy League, it is all that. No conference has seen the type of dominance that these schools have shown in the past 50 (yes, 50) years.
Until the emergence of Cornell in the past two years, Penn and Princeton had won or shared the title in all but four seasons dating back to 1960. And they don't really like each other.
22) Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State (The Bedlam Series)
The first Bedlam football game was held at Island Park in Guthrie, Oklahoma. It was a cold, and very windy day with the temperatures well below the freezing mark. At one moment in the game when the Oklahoma A&M Aggies were punting, the wind carried the ball backwards behind the kicker. If the Oklahoma A&M squad recovered the ball it would be a touchback and if the University of Oklahoma squad recovered it, it would be a touchdown. The ball kept going backwards and rolled down a hill into the half-frozen creek. Since a touchdown was at stake, members of both teams dove into the icy waters to recover the ball. A member of the OU team came out with the ball and downed it for a touchdown, eventually winning the game 75-0. The game was described as being "like bedlam." Thus was the beginning of the Bedlam series. Oklahoma currently leads the series 81-17-7.
The baseball series usually starts with a single game in Tulsa, Okla. It then moves to AT&T Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City for games two and three. In 2007, the Cowboys swept the Sooners in the regular season series before dropping a single game to OU in the Big 12 Tournament. Though OSU experienced a wealth of success last season, they lead the overall series just 143-137, which equates to a winning percentage over 51%. In basketball, the Sooners have owned the series, 126-90
21) Clemson vs. South Carolina (Battle of the Palmetto State, Palmetto Bowl)
The annual South Carolina-Clemson football game is the longest uninterrupted series in the South and the third longest uninterrupted series overall, having been played every year since 1909. South Carolina won the first meeting in 1896 (12-6) and the last meeting in 2010 (29-7). In between, there have been 106 meetings for this in-state rivalry that is led by Clemson with a mark of 65-39-4. The two sides play for Hardee's Trophy.
South Carolina leads the basketball series 87-74 while Clemson leads the baseball series 168-125-2. The rivalry has taken a deeper hold in the 2000's, as twice in the decade the two teams battled, ironically in the semifinals both times, with the Tigers being 2-0 and needing only one win to advance to the championship, and the Gamecocks losing the first game and having to win twice to reach the finals out of the double elimination repechage round in both situations.
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