Apologies if this has been brought up before but can someone try to explain why M[COLOR=“Yellow”]ichigan[/COLOR] vs. THE Ohio State University is considered to be “the” biggest rivalry in college football (if not in ALL of college sports)? I know about “Woody vs. Bo” but that was a one-decade rivalry that ended over 40 years ago, now. There are other college football rivalries that started earlier and that have lasted longer and that seem to have a bigger impact on the national championship scene on a yearly basis than that one does. I mean, Michigan hasn’t won a national championship in football since the BCS came into being in 1998. Yes, they split a national title in football with Nebraska the year before, but the University of Michigan hasn’t been awarded a solo national football title in over 7 decades (1948). So why is a game involving THAT school’s team considered to be the biggest rivalry game in college football? I feel like it’s not REALLY the biggest rivalry game in college football; more that the powers-that-be try to Jedi mind trick everybody into believing that it’s the biggest rivalry in college football when it’s really not. Thoughts?
Oxford vs Cambridge.The Varsity Match began in 1872.
It’s the Chisholm Trail Rivalry.
The fact that Michigan hasn’t been great since the early 2000s is immaterial; they’re both huge schools with huge alumni associations that have an irrational obsession with football.
Honorable mention goes to Auburn-Alabama and OU-Texas
What about Army Navy. I suspect more people care about that most other rivalries, even it bears no importance on who’s #1.
Yale-Harvard is supposedly a big deal.
But then, those guys think everything they do is a big deal.
This is my pick. I mean, Army ends their Alma Mater with “Beat Navy!”. And I have never been able to say “Go Navy!” without immediately adding “Beat Army!”.
Michigan vs. Ohio State is big because for decades the Big 10 was college football. The Big 10 champion had an automatic berth to the Rose Bowl, and whether the game was in Lansing or Columbus, the TV cameras could pan out over 100,000 rabid fans.
These days, SEC football is bigger and Auburn-Alabama is usually a more important game. But the SEC still has a ways to go to capture the hearts and minds of football fandom.
As for Harvard-Yale and Army-Navy, archaic but still respected traditions.
You know what’s really pleasant? How emptied out Columbus is at Thanksgiving when the game is at Michigan.
*Ann Arbor
“Biggest” in what way?
In terms of how it affects people outside of the game itself? Probably Auburn-Alabama. Supposedly, there are three kinds of people in Alabama:
- Those who say “Roll Tide” in every sentence.
- Those who say “War Eagle” in every sentence.
- Outsiders.
The only one that might rival it at that level is Army-Navy.
There are other rivalries that seem to be ongoing; for example, if you want to buy tickets to a Stanford sporting event over the phone, dial 800-BEAT-CAL.
:smack:
It sure ain’t Alabama-Tennessee anymore.
P-man, MSLS University of Tennessee
USC beat-down on UCLA is pretty big, 'cause its kinda contained in one big toilet bowl. And for a while, there was no Pro teams to root for.
Exactly. When I was growing up I always considered Nebraska - Oklahoma to be the biggest college football rivalry game. UM vs. tOSU wasn’t even on my radar. Nowadays I don’t know which college football rivalry game I consider to be the “biggest” but I certainly don’t feel like that Midwest one is any bigger than any other “big ones” out there like Texas - Oklahoma or Florida - Georgia.
I grew up in Big Ten land and went to a Big Ten school, and, yeah, that’s the first rivalry that came to mind. But that’s clearly because of my geography. I would have to think Auburn-Alabama is as big or bigger a rivalry, as well as Army-Navy and Oklahoma-Texas.
The Iron Bowl is the biggest rivalry, and it’s not even close.
Alabama per capita has more college football fans than any state in the country. There are no pro sports in Alabama. There is only Auburn and Alabama. They are smack dab in the middle of the SEC, which is the most college-football-crazed area of the country by far. Alabama and Auburn share a small state, population wise, and compete with nothing.
Those two schools hate each other with a white-hot passion that can not be described. Their fanbases are rabid, regularly selling out large stadiums.
And the two programs are perennial powers, especially Alabama. These games often have something big riding on them, as the programs are usually in contention for big bowls, championships, positioning either for the SEC Championship game or the College football playoff. Both teams have won SEC titles, and national titles. Both teams have played in and won big bowl games.
The rivalry is competitive, as neither side has completely dominated it. Bama has the upper hand, but Auburn has won their share. The record is 46-36-1, in favor of Bama. There was a roughly 40 year sabbatical in the early part of the 20th century, due to the hate between these schools. They have now play something like 71 to 72 years in a row.
So, the Iron Bowl is the biggest college football rivalry. Huge fanbases. Championships on the line. Sharing a state. No Pro sports to compete with. In the most rabid football conference. History of hate. The Iron Bowl is the top rivalry.
Pitt-Penn State. My daughter’s degree in nursing is from Penn State. My undergrad degree is from Pitt. We joke around about the rivalry.
“The Border War”, Missouri vs Kansas, used to be the longest continuous rivalry west of the Mississippi, until Missouri decided to try to break up the Big 12 by jumping to another conference. I think they’ve played each other maybe once or twice since then, but it’s not nearly such a big deal now.
Plus KU has an astoundingly bad football program and Mizzou has never won anything of note in football.