Top College Rivalries (Part 4 of 4)

   10)   Southern Cal vs. Notre Dame

Talk about loading the field with talent, no rivalry has done that more than USC and Notre Dame which have combined for 22 national championships, 14 Heisman Trophy winners, and 21 NFL Hall of Famers.

For decades, the rivalry pitted a clash of styles and worlds with the Midwestern Irish taking on the Southern Cal Trojans.

The teams have traded decades of dominance since 1960 with the Irish winning through 1966 before the Trojans ran the show through 1982. Notre Dame then dominated the series through 2001 before USC's current eight-game winning streak.

9)      Harvard vs. Yale (The Game)

Harvard and Yale. They are two names that undoubtedly pop up when one thinks about the origins of college football. "The Game" is the second-longest continuing rivalry (behind Lehigh-Lafayette) and the third most played all-time (behind Princeton-Yale).

The lack of bowl games for these Ivy League institutions and the fact the game is held as the regular season finale only ups the stakes. As of 2010, the Harvard Crimson and Yale Bulldogs have met 127 times beginning in 1875, when American football was evolving from rugby. The Harvard-Yale game is played in November at the end of the football season, and the venue alternates between Harvard Stadium and the Yale Bowl. As of 2010, Yale leads the series 65-54-8.

The Game is the second oldest continuing rivalry and also the third most-played rivalry game in college football history, after the Lehigh-Lafayette Rivalry (1884) and the Princeton-Yale game (1873). Sports Illustrated On Campus rated the Harvard-Yale rivalry the sixth-best in college athletics in 2003, though, more recently, others have claimed that the rivalry has lost its intensity.

8)      Oklahoma vs. Nebraska

This rivalry was once one of the most storied rivalries in the history of college football, highlighted by the 1971 "Game of the Century" between #1 Nebraska and #2 Oklahoma. However, the rivalry may have ended in 2010 due to Nebraska joining the Big Ten. No future games are scheduled at least until 2020 where the two may meet but nothing has been confirmed.

Oklahoma has offered to schedule Nebraska for a home-and-home series for 2020 and 2021, but Nebraska has not been able to commit to the games. Nebraska Athletic Director Tom Osborne cited the unknown status of future Big Ten Conference future schedules as the cause, explaining that Nebraska could not commit to an away game in a year where there may not be enough conference home games. Although a two-game Nebraska-Oklahoma series in 2020-2021 cannot yet be confirmed, both schools have indicated that it remains a possibility.

The game's former placement on Thanksgiving brought it national recognition for many years.

Oklahoma and Nebraska first met in 1912 with Oklahoma now leading the series 44-38-3.

7)      Florida State at Miami (FL)

For over a decade, the feud between the Hurricanes and Seminoles exemplified a shift in college football powers. Out from the northern states and the traditional southern powers, this Florida-based rivalry possessed some of the most tightly contested games, determined national championships and featured countless All-Americans and future NFL stars.

One could break down each edition for a good 15-year span from the mid-1980s through the early 2000s, but if you don't know about the rivalry you must have been living under a rock.

The Hurricanes currently lead the football series 31–24, with Florida State having won the most recent matchup.  Since the late 1980s, one or both squads have often been highly ranked coming into the game, adding national championship implications to an already heated rivalry. Kicks have played an important role in the series with many wide right, wide left, blocks and other mistakes that would have won the game for the fallen.

The series has consistently drawn very high television ratings with the 2006 Miami – Florida State game being the most-watched college football game—regular-season or postseason—in ESPN history, and the 2009 and 1994 meetings being the second- and fifth-most watched regular season games, respectively.

The series is also known for its history of important missed kicks. In 1991, FSU Kicker Gerry Thomas missed a kick wide to the right which led to a 17-16 Miami win and a split National title for Miami with Washington (becoming know, thanks to Keith Jackson, as Wide Right I). In 1992, FSU Kicker Dan Mowrey missed a field goal to the right, and the Seminoles lost to the Hurricanes in Miami, 19-16 (Wide Right II). Miami took an undefeated record to the Sugar Bowl and lost the national championship to Alabama. Florida State did not lose again, and finished the season ranked second. In 2000, Miami took a 27-24 lead after a Ken Dorsey touchdown pass to Jeremy Shockey, but Seminole quarterback and 2000 Heisman Trophy winner Chris Weinke moved the Seminoles into field goal range during a last minute drive in Miami's Orange Bowl stadium. Florida State kicker Matt Munyon missed a field goal attempt again to the right to seal the Hurricanes' victory (Wide Right III). Controversy erupted later in the season when the Seminoles were ranked higher by the BCS and picked to play in the Orange Bowl against Oklahoma for the national championship despite Miami being ranked higher in both the AP Poll and Coaches Poll. The Seminoles lost to the Sooners 13-2, while the Hurricanes defeated Florida 37-20 in the Sugar Bowl. Miami would finish #2 in the polls that year. In 2002, the defending champion Hurricanes staged a comeback against the underdog Seminoles to take a 28-27 lead with only minutes remaining in the game in Miami. The Seminoles drove down the field to give kicker Xavier Beitia a chance to win the game with a last second field goal. Beitia missed the kick to the left, giving Miami the victory (Wide Left I). FSU went on to win the Atlantic Coast Conference title with a 9-5 overall record, but lost in the Sugar Bowl to Georgia. Miami would finish the regular season undefeated and then lose in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl, to Ohio State, in what is considered to be one of the greatest games in college football history.  The 2004 Orange Bowl, a rematch of the regular season game won by Miami. In this contest, Beitia missed a field goal—wide right (IV)—that could have given the Seminoles the lead with about 5 minutes remaining in the game. This game was of lesser importance on a national scale compared to the other Wide Right games, but continued the streak of Florida State losses determined by a single kick. With the win, Miami would finish #5 in the polls that year. It was the first and only bowl meeting between the rivals, as Miami's move to the ACC the next season would make the schools intra-conference rivals and, for all practical purposes, eliminate the possibility of the teams ever meeting in a bowl game again.  In 2005 the Florida State Seminoles finally gained some redemption for the past Wide Right heartbreaks. Trailing 10-7, the Hurricanes drove down the field to set up a game-tying field goal with 2:16 left. When the ball was snapped, it was mishandled by holder Brian Monroe and the ball never reached the kicker's foot. This ultimately led to a Florida State victory.

6)      Lehigh vs. Lafayette (The Rivalry)

Simply dubbed "The Rivalry," Lehigh and Lafayette have duked it on in eastern Pennsylvania a record 146 times since 1884, making it the most-played football rivalry in the nation. It is also the longest uninterrupted rivalry, since the teams have met every year since 1897. "The Rivalry" is also one of the closest geographic rivals as they stand just 17 miles apart. The two sides also own the longest, uninterrupted series having played every year since 1897. Lafayette leads the all-time series by a 76-65-5 margin.

The football game is always sold out months in advance and has inspired books and a PBS television documentary narrated by the late Harry Kalas. In 2006, ESPNU ranked The Rivalry #8 in their Top Ten College Football Rivalries and Sports Illustrated has told its readers that seeing it "is something you have to do once in your life."

During a 17-0 Lehigh victory in 1918, it is rumored that Lehigh halfback Raymond B. "Snooks" Dowd ran 115 yards for a touchdown. As Lehigh Athletic Media Relations relate the story, "Dowd ran the wrong way, circled his own goalposts," and then ran the length of the field for the touchdown. Some reports have been exaggerated to credit the length of the run to as much as 160 yards.

5)      Texas vs. Oklahoma (The Red River Rivalry/Shootout)

Texas and Oklahoma have long been national powers. The schools proximity, battles for recruits and the game's effects in the polls make this one of the country's best rivalries. The name is derived from the Red River that forms part of the boundary between the U.S. states of Texas and Oklahoma. The game originated in 1900, while Oklahoma was still a United States territory and the Oklahoma campus was still in Oklahoma Territory. Until the 2005 meeting, the 100th meeting between the schools, the game was called the Red River Shootout. In 2005 it was sponsored by SBC Communications, and the game was officially renamed the SBC Red River Rivalry, with the word "Rivalry" replacing "Shootout" out of a desire not to convey an attitude of condoning gun violence. Since 2006, with SBC's merger with AT&T, the game is referred to as the AT&T Red River Rivalry. In 2005, the Dallas Morning News asked the 119 Division 1A football coaches to identify the top rivalry game in college football. The Red River Rivalry ranked third, behind Michigan-Ohio State and Army-Navy.

One or both of the teams have been ranked in the Top 25 in 60 of the last 65 meetings. The rivalry raised the bar even further over the last decade as either Texas or Oklahoma have played for the national championship in six of the last ten years. The game typically has conference or even national significance. Since 1945, one or both of the two teams has been ranked among the top 25 teams in the nation coming into 61 out of 66 games. Texas leads the all-time series 59–41–5, with a 47–37–4 edge in Dallas. Since 1945, considered the post-war era, the series is very close with Texas holding a three-win lead, 33-30-3. Six of the last ten showings featured one of the participants in the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game (2000, 2003–2005, and 2008–2009), including national titles won by Oklahoma in 2000 and by Texas in 2005.

The rivalry is also very well alive in basketball where Oklahoma leads the overall series 47-32. Texas leads OU 19-18 in games played since the inception of the Big 12. Texas has held the upper hand in recent years, winning 16 of the last 21 meetings (2003–11) and 11 of the last 13.

4)      Alabama vs. Auburn (The Iron Bowl)

It is undoubtedly one of the game's marquee rivalries. "The Iron Bowl" stretches to 1893 and the teams and their fans have been in-state blood rivals ever since. Once a neutral site game, "The Iron Bowl" became a home-and-home series for good in 1995.

The games are played at Jordan–Hare Stadium in Auburn every odd-numbered year, and in Bryant–Denny Stadium at Tuscaloosa every even-numbered year. For much of the 20th century the game was played every year at Legion Field in Birmingham. Alabama has a 32–15 record in games played at Legion Field, while Auburn has a 7–3 record in games played at Jordan–Hare Stadium and a 7–1 record in games played in Tuscaloosa (5-1 at Bryant-Denny Stadium). In 2007, the game was pushed back to Thanksgiving weekend due to a new Southeastern Conference rule banning any team from scheduling a bye week before the SEC Championship Game.

The game regained prominence in the hunt for a national title the last two years. In 2009 Trailing 21–20 with 8:27 remaining, unbeaten Alabama (#2 AP) marched down the field on a 15-play, 79 yard drive capped by a 3 yard touchdown pass from Greg McElroy to Roy Upchurch. Alabama took the lead 26–21 with 1:27 remaining and held on for the win. Alabama would go on to win both the SEC Championship and the BCS National Championship.

In 2010 Led by quarterback Cam Newton, unbeaten Auburn (#2 AP) came back from a 24–0 second quarter deficit to win 28–27 over 9–2 Alabama (#9 AP) in Tuscaloosa. It was both the largest comeback in the history of Auburn football and the largest comeback ever allowed in Alabama football history. It was also the largest crowd to ever witness the rivalry game with 101,821 spectators in attendance. Auburn went on to win both the SEC Championship and the BCS National Championship.

3)      North Carolina vs. Duke (The Battle of Tobacco Road, The Battle of the Blues)

The biggest rivalry in college is basketball is none other than Duke-Carolina.  It is considered one of the most intense rivalries in all of sports: a poll conducted by ESPN in 2000 ranked the basketball rivalry as the third greatest North American sports rivalry, and Sports Illustrated on Campus named it the #1 "Hottest Rivalry" in college basketball and the #2 rivalry overall in its November 18, 2003 issue. The intensity of the rivalry is augmented by the proximity of the two universities, which are located only eight miles apart roughly along U.S. Highway 15-501.

After Duke took the early lead in the series in 1924 by winning the first game between the two, 19-18, the Tar Heels fought back and currently lead the series 132-101. Since 1955, at least one of the schools has been ranked when they have met. Two surprising facts: Coach Mike Krzyzewski is 34-35 lifetime against the Heels, and the two giants have never met in the NCAA Tournament.

The football rivalry was once as bitter as the basketball rivalry, but has been less intense for much of the last quarter-century. North Carolina has won 20 of the last 21 meetings with Duke. North Carolina claims a 58-35-4 lead, a claim supported by the ESPN Sports Almanac. Duke claims UNC leads 57-36-4. The dispute centers around an early game in the series, in which both teams thought they were supposed to be the home team.

2)      Army vs. Navy

No matter the success in the standings, the Army-Navy rivalry lives on as one of the game's best because of its endearing spirit, message and greater cause of the participants.

There are no scholarships and rarely is there a future in making football a profession for the players. This is about pure effort, guile and bragging rights. The Army-Navy Game drips in Americana.

Unfortunately for Army, once a national powerhouse in the mid-1940s, the Black Knights have watched their series lead slip away as Navy as built a consistent winner this decade. The Midshipmen have won nine of the last 10 meetings and now claim a 55-49-7 lead.

It is one of the most traditional and enduring rivalries in college football.  The game is nationally televised by CBS, having previously aired on ABC from 1992–1995. Instant replay made its college football debut in the 1963 Army-Navy game. The winner of the game is awarded the Thompson Cup, named after its donor, Robert M. Thompson.  The game is now played at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

   1)      Michigan vs. Ohio State (The Game, The Toledo War)

The legend of the Toledo War: Michigan's early dominance and national powerhouse, Ohio State's rise under Woody Hayes, The Ten Years War between Bo Schembechler and Hayes, 18 National Titles, 80 Bowl appearances, 256 All-Americans, 1,696 combined victories, The Horseshoe, The Big House, Gold Pants and Winged Helmet, Buckeye Stickers, Archie, 50-14, Redemption of '69, The "Heisman Pose," Charles Woodson, Tressel Domination, The 2006 Game of the Century, and now enter a scandal and Brady Hoke.  All the ingredients into making the Ohio State v. Michigan the greatest rivalry in the sport and that’s just football.  Michigan leads the football rivalry 57-44-6, but Ohio State has won nine of the last ten.  The two bitter rivals also have played baseball since 1895 along with basketball, hockey and every other sport.

 

The rivalry has attracted particular national interest over the last four decades as most of the games have determined the Big Ten Conference title and the resulting Rose Bowl match ups, and many have influenced the outcome of the national collegiate football championship. The game was ranked by ESPN in 2000 as the greatest North American sports rivalry.

The annual match-up between the two Midwest state schools has been held at the end of the regular season since 1935 (with exceptions in 1942, 1986, and 1998). Since 1918, the game's site has alternated between Columbus, Ohio, and Ann Arbor, Michigan, and has been played in Ohio Stadium since 1922 and Michigan Stadium since 1927. Through 2009, Ohio State and Michigan have decided the Big Ten Conference championship between themselves on 22 different occasions, and have affected the determination of the conference title an additional 26 times.

Developing and Potential Rivalries

Colorado vs. Utah- A rivalry that will be renewed with the new Pac-12.

Nebraska vs. Iowa- A Corn lover’s dream that will take off in the new Big Ten.

Long Beach State vs. California State Fullerton- Baseball-onl- rivalry that has taken off in recent memory.

Nebraska vs. Michigan- After the wild end to the 2005 Alamo Bowl, this will become one of the biggest cross-division rivalries in the new Big Ten.

Ohio State vs. Penn State- These two will battle every year for the Big Ten Leaders Division Champion.

Nevada vs. Boise State- Has had increased importance in the last few years and could determine the Mountain West winner every year.

Notre Dame vs. Penn State- If Notre Dame joins Big Ten, this potential rivalry will become an interesting one.

Penn State vs. Pittsburgh- If Pittsburgh joins Big Ten, this rivalry will be renewed for sure.

BYU vs. Notre Dame- If both schools do end up as independents for the long run, this will turn into a fierce rivalry.  Think about it, the biggest and most prominent Catholic school against the biggest and most prominent Mormon school, should be good.