Top 10 College Football Rivalries

by Ryan Dragoon, Nyjer Please

What makes a good rivalry? A long history of balanced, competitive games? Sure, but really, what makes a rivalry? Good ol' hate. For a rivalry to work, both teams must hate each other to the bitter end. It's not just about winning a football game. It's about much more than that. Every play until that final whistle blows, you are worried about just one thing. Putting the guy across from you on the ground and win what's rightfully yours. And that's what makes college football great.

10. University of Oregon vs Oregon State:
The "Civil War" as they call it, isn't so civil. This game has been played every year since 1894 and is the longest rivalry on the west coast. Oregon holds a series lead of 55-45-10. One of the greatest games ever played in this rivalry, was the "Toilet Bowl". In 1983, the game was played to a scoreless tie. No game since has ever ended in a scoreless tie. Oregon State won in 2006 and no team has won consecutive games since 1997.

9. University of Florida vs University of Georgia:
The game is called "The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party". The rivalry started in 1912 and is always held in Jacksonville, Florida. Georgia has a 45-37-2 lead in the series but Florida has dominated the game recently.

8. University of Georgia vs Georgia Tech:
"Clean Old Fashioned Hate" have been heated rivals for over a hundred years. They not only fight on the field but off of it too, for students, athletes, government funding and academic recognition. They can't even agree on the amount of games that have been played. According to tech, the game has been played 101 times, but to Georgia, the game has been 99 times. UGA leads the series regardless. The first game ever played between these two teams was filled with anguish. Per Wikipedia:

At one time early in the last half of the game, a stone was hurled at one of the Tech players, striking him a cruel blow in the head... At another time, one of the Athenians drew a knife and threatened one of the Techs' better players... The Techs were also poked and gouged with canes on plays toward the boundary lines... Some of the crowd had the privilege of the gridiron equally with the players.

That, is the definition of hatred between two programs.

7. Stanford University vs University of California:
This game is played for the "Stanford Axe", and is called "Big Game". Remember "The Play"? In 1982, in a game between these two teams, the Stanford band came onto the field thinking they had the game won. Not so fast my friends (Always need a Lee Corso reference in a college football article). After a crap load of laterals, Cal won the game 25-20. To this day, there is still controversy surrounding the play

6. University of Texas vs Texas A&M:
This game started in 1894, and Texas holds a 67-34-5 advantage in the series. In Texas, this game triumphs all. The entire state just stops when these two teams face off in college football. Fans have even died due to this game. One of the greatest college football traditions, the bonfire built by students on the Texas A&M campus each year during the week of the Texas game, collapsed in 2000, killing 12 people.

5. University of Southern California vs UCLA:
The Winner of the USC-UCLA rivalry each years win the "Victory Bell". What makes this rivalry a little different is that both campuses are located in the same city. This game means so much that both schools even have to hide their mascot a week before the game to stop from vandalizing. These teams have played 35 times in which a Rose Bowl berth is on the line.

4. University of Texas vs University of Oklahoma:
They call it the "Red River Shootout" and it is played every year. Texas leads the series with a 57-39-5 record. The game is played in Dallas, which is approximately halfway in between the two schools. More often than not, both schools are ranked and National title berths are on the line. Texas has won the past two games.

3. Army vs Navy:
It's just the "Army-Navy game", a tradition in college football and America. Neither team is highly competitive on the field, but they fight for our country and bragging rights are on the line. This may be the only rivalry in which the two teams don't hate each other. They fight as one and show show the utmost respect for one another. Navy leads the series by just two wins. Navy has 51 wins and Army has 49 wins. For seniors, the Army-Navy game is usually the last competitive football game they will ever played before being deployed. During wartime, the game is very emotional because once the seniors leave, they may never come back. In the 2004 game, Navy remembered J.P. Blecksmith. Navy placed his pads and jerseys on chairs on the sidelines and it was a quick reminder what this game means for a lot of these kids.

2. Auburn University vs University of Alabama:
The "Iron Bowl" is played the last game of the year, every year. Both colleges are located in Alabama. Alabama leads the all-time series 38-32-1, but Auburn has been the team to beat lately. Auburn has won the past five meetings. In a recent done by Sports Illustrated, it was ranked as the second best rivalry in all of sports, behind Yankees-Red Sox.

1. University of Michigan vs The Ohio State University:

"The Game", which it is commonly referred to as, is literally the game to both of these universities. Michigan can go 11-1 and lose to Ohio State, and the year will be a failure. Ohio State can go 7-6 but beat Michigan and they forget all about losing 6 games. It is always held on the last weekend and will always have Big-10 and National title implications. Last year, they were ranked #1 and #2, and the winner would go on to the BCS Championship. Ohio State won the game 42-39, but lost to Florida in the title game. Michigan leads the series all time 57-40-6. In an ESPN survey, "The Game" was ranked as the top rivalry in all of sports.

This game means so much to people that in 2003, an inmate charged with forgery, wanted to stay in a local jail so that he could watch the game. He told the judge that he would plead guilty as long as he could stay in jail for the weekend and watch the game before he was relocated to a prison. This game is what a rivalry is all about.