My wife and I are also Berkeley alumni. We discussed this important issue over dinner. We always heard the Cal vs. Stanford game referred to as “the big game” not “big game”.
Texas alum. I’ve been to many Texas/OU and Texas/A&M games. Hard to say which one is bigger, because they are different. Traditionally, my vote goes with Texas/OU. Just take the stories about Darrell K. Royal vomiting after a big game with Barry Switzer. The accusations of Switzer cheating during recruiting Texan players. It has a long storied history and both of these teams have had some share of national prominence both historically and currently. The burnt orange/crimson Cotton Bowl and the noise level of that weekend, from the Friday night in Downtown Dallas to the State Fair before and after the game are really quite an experience.
But Texas/A&M is a bizarre game. The Aggies hate us. The ire seen both at Memorial Stadium and at Kyle Field is always incredible. I’ve stood in with hecklers at yell practice on the steps of the capitol in Austin. Cops were literally beating people back on both sides. This game has one of largest amount of traditions (bonfire, hex rally, each team is in the other’s fight song) associated with it. The game itself is always slightly bizarre, with the Aggies and their monolithic mind all chanting in perfect unison due with queueing from the yell leaders. Very odd. And going into Kyle Field is just about the most difficult task for a Texas coach, as there are really no guarantees no matter how bad the Aggies suck.
For other games, my votes go to Ohio State/Michigan, Army/Navy, and Florida/Florida State. All great games.
Yeah, I think technically I’m suppose to, like, hate you or something. But quite frankly, I don’t care.
[all my State classmates spontaneously combust in shock and horror]
Nah. It’s fun to play like that, but a group of Ole Miss people were in Western Oklahoma when y’all made the Final 4 a few years back-- we were watching the game and cheering y’all on and the OK people couldn’t understand the difference between us when “we would root for the other team”.
I live in East TN now, and the UT people think I’m very amusing listening to the games over the internet and waving my flag and everything. After all --“it’s not like you’re a Florida fan or anything”, they say.
Y’all wanted it more than we did this year. Y’all deserved to win (sob).
Well, their shock comes more from the “I don’t care” than the not wanting to play at rivals. “My high school didn’t have football. I have no idea where you people are coming from,” I tell them. Their jaws drop so far I consider playing tiddlywinks.
[end hijack]
But all I can say is:
[list][list][list][list][list]WAR EAGLE!
…
…:eek:…
[list][list][list][list][list][list][sup]Roll Tide[/sup]
…:mad:…
[Moderator Hat ON]
Moving to IMHO.
[Moderator Hat OFF]
IMHO? NO!! This is a fabulous debate. Well, I wanted it to be. I guess it did turn into just what people prefer rather than their reasons to prefer it. Kniz, I love you and WAR EAGLE!!!
Edwino…quite honestly I think if you have to choose between rivalries then it just goes to show that both Texas games are inferior to some of the Southeastern greats.
Kaje, thanks for confirming my theory on the California games (and is Texas the big rival for Arkansas?..I never knew that).
I heard mention of the Egg Bowl also, which I must say is another fantastic rivalry. Typically I pull for Ole Miss in that one, but whatever helps Auburn goes.
All the Army/Navy talk…please, you’re holding on to nothing.
Ultimately I arrive at my original conclusion which is that the Iron Bowl (Auburn/Alabama) is the GREATEST RIVALRY in the nation. You’re all wrong if you disagree (hey, it’s IMHO, I can say that now).
I would respectfully add that it’s just “Big Game”.
You can check the following press releases from the Cal Athletic department.
http://calbears.fansonly.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/111201aab.html
http://calbears.fansonly.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/111101aaa.html
“The” only seems to be used when the number of the game is used.
I dated a woman who was very insistent on this point. She was insistent on a lot of things.
Ohio State .vs Michigan is the ultimate rivalry.
I live in California, and don’t even care about college football. But I still hope OSU beats Michigan!!!
Go Buckeyes!!!
Hold this!
The history and tradition of the Army - Navy game is really special. I love the rivalry, and love watching the game, but frankly the teams have been so bad for so long that it really can’t be the “greatest rivalry”.
As has been mentioned, teams outside the Big Ten, SEC and Big 12 really don’t count. The Big Game, Civil War, and Harvard - Yale are terrific games and rivalries, but the fans simply don’t understand what rivalry is. The Midwest, Plains and South eat, drink and breath football. For most of the country the rivalry is hot between alums and students of the respective rivalries, but thats where the greater portion of it stops.
My top canidates are Texas - Oklahoma, The Iron Bowl, Florida - Florida State, and Michigan - Ohio State
All feature teams that figure into the National Title or Conference championships every year. Which is better?
The first knock on a game, is the Florida - FSU game. I don’t know from experience, but I get the impression that its more heated on the field than it is in the stands. I have no question that the teams want to beat each other at least as bad as any other game, but I don’t think the casual Florida football fan is truly passionate about it. An additional factor is the strength of Miami, all their fans are likely to pull for whoever is the greater threat to their title hopes. This dilutes the polarizing aspect of the game. Finally, they aren’t in the same conference. The outcome of the game has little impact on the Conference standings, and if both teams are ever a little off the implications of the game are really diminished. In the last decade, this really hasn’t been a concern, but all the other games mentioned will effect both national and conference titles nearly every single year.
The remaining 3 match-ups aren’t as easy to diminish. I love the Iron Bowl, its probably my second favorite game to watch every year. And I agree that every Alabama resident roots one way or another. I see two problems with this game in comparison to the others. First, in contrast to your arguement, I think the fact that they share a state is a detriment. Granted the two factions of fans are more intermixed and in close proximity, but while Alabama isn’t a big state in the first place, it really limits the numbers of truly passionate fans for each side. My second problem with this game is that in the last 20 years or so these two teams have been less consistently great than the other 4 left. Both are great programs, and probably average finishing around 13th in the AP each year, but Michigan, Ohio State, Texas and Oklahoma probably average in the top ten. Its a very slight difference, but in any given year they might face off with the other 4, Auburn and Alabama would be underdogs. Auburn and Alabama factor in the Natonal Title picture less frequently than those above since Bear Bryant’s departure.
The last two games are really tough to contrast. Both have comparable histories of success, and both have a “secondary” rivalry which some might consider a detraction (Texas - Texas A&M, Michigan - Michigan State). Both feature states that are really passionate about football, and both are geographically close. One is played at a neutral site, one flip-flops between 2 of the 5 largest staduims in the nation. I’m not sure which is better frankly, but I don’t know that very few experinces compare to games in the Horseshoe and the Big House during a typical Big Ten matchup, let alone this one.
I’m biased being a Big Ten guy, but I’m trying to be unbiased and I’m helped by the fact that I hate Michigan and Ohio State (though I hate Michigan more and pull for OSU in this game no matter what). But I think there are a couple of reasons the Big Ten match up is better. First, I think that in the last 20 years the Big Ten powers stay more consistently strong. The Big Ten is in a down year, and OSU and Michigan are both still in the top 25. When Texas and Oklahoma were down, they were virtually invisible to most of the nation. This leads to my second point, Oklahoma and Texas have been prone to corruption, which directly lead to those down years. While it may not directly effect the passion of the internal rivalry, most of the nation just say “fuck them both”. My last arguement is that Oklahoma simply isn’t a very big state. They are passionate, but Michigan and Ohio State probably have 2 of the largest alumni groups in the nation. Texas is no doubt up there, but OU isn’t nearly in the same league from a University standpoint. This also isn’t a football specific issue, but I think it plays a role in how “great” the fan aspect of the rivalry is.
Thats my case, I vote for OSU - Michgan as the big dog.
I may be more than a little foolish about this, but I am tired of watching college football games between overfed, over pampered, steroid stuffed, behemoth NFL wana-bes. Whether it’s Texas v. Texas A&M or Ohio State v. Michigan, or Alabama v. Auburn or any one of 50 other media contrived big games, you are not watching collegiate athletics, you are watching a never ending pro-football try-out. These young men are not playing for the honor of the school or for their own love of the game. Big time college football is all about money and has been ever since TV corrupted the whole thing.
If you want to see real football played for love of the game and without a view to becoming a millionaire in the NFL draft, go watch small college ball or Division II ball. Above all, watch Army-Navy where there no scholarships, all the players carry a full and honest academic load and the best any of them can hope for next year is a single gold bar on their collar. Now that’s football.
I might feel different if my Alma Matter could do better.
For sheer hatred in peacetime, nothing can compare to Florida-Florida State. Racism would be involved if both thought they could get away with it. However, there is a rivalry which has not been mentioned and that is the Colorado State-Wyoming tussle for the Bronze Boot.
These two teams regularly veer the team bus to catch joggers when they’re in the opponents’ town. Fast-food restaurants in their wake learn to hide or bolt down their landscaping. For the past seven years, the winner has not even bothered to claim the trophy. They are just happy to get out of town without a rap sheet.
It is the most storied, the most respected and perhaps one of the few collegiate football contests where the competitors are not paid and where the athletes are really students. Few, if any, of the rivalries mentioned here can claim one team possesses those two things. At the Army-Navy game both can.
No, phil you’re wrong. Anytime you’re holding on to quality, you’re holding on to something.
Well, it won’t be recognized as the best rivalry, but it deserves to be mentioned in this thread:
Minnesota-Wisconsin.
The most played rivalry in D1 at 111 meetings, the two teams play for Paul Bunyon’s Axe, and it’s really a fantastic game.
It’s been a long time since both teams were good simultaneously but this is one of those “throw-out-the-records” games. (See esp. 1993, where the Gophers cost the Badgers an unbeaten season and a chance at the mythical national championship.)
I haven’t seen a matchup yet that didn’t feature some controversy, and that wasn’t a winnable game for both teams in the fourth quarter.
This one is arguably even bigger come hockey season. Betcha can’t say that about the Iron Bowl…
What, no votes for Oklahoma-Nebraska?!?!
And I’ll put in a vote for Lehigh-Lafayette. So what if it’s not Division I? It’s a passionate rivalry, and it’s been going on a long long long long time.