College Football’s Biggest Rivalries – Our Top 10
College football is upon us and, as a new season begins, new goals are made, new star players emerge, and the thrill of chasing after the National Championship begins. Every team will have at least one game in particular circled on their schedules as a team they must stomp at all costs. In some cases, those games mean so much to a team, that, even if they have a horrible season, if they beat their bitter rivalry, it's a smaller pill to swallow. Let's look at some of those rivalries with College Football's Biggest Rivalries - Our Top 10.
- 10
BYU Vs. Utah
This rivalry is called "The Holy War" because BYU is owned by the Church of Latter-day Saints and Utah is owned by the state. Church Vs. State. Get it? Anyway, Utah leads this series 54-34-4.
- 9
West Virginia Vs. Pittsburgh
Known as "The Backyard Brawl", this rivalry started in 1895. The two schools not only get after on the field or court, but they also compete for recruits because only 70 miles separate the two schools. Pittsburgh owns this series 61-39-3.
- 8
Oregon Vs. Oregon State
This rivalry is called the "Civil War" for obvious reasons. This in-state rivalry began in 1894 and the winner gets the Platypus Trophy. Oregon leads the series 58-46-10.
- 7
UCLA Vs. USC
This crosstown rivalry began in 1929. USC leads the series 43-28-7 but did have to give up wins from 2004 and 2005 because of NCAA violations. The winner takes home the Victory Bell.
- 6
Florida Vs. Florida State
Not to be confused with the George Foreman and Joe Frazier fight, the Sunshine Showdown has only been around since about 1958. The Gators lead the series 33-20-2.
- 5
USC Vs. Notre Dame
Here's another storied rivalry that started back in 1926. The winner gets to take home a jeweled shillelagh with either a ruby trojan or an emerald shamrock depending on who wins. Surprisingly, Notre Dame leads the series 43-33-5.
- 4
Army Vs. Navy
The Army and Navy game has been around since 1890, making it one of the longest rivalries in college football. This game is usually the last game of the regular season for these two teams, who battle viciously for the win but band together at the end no matter who wins. In fact, both teams will get together after the game and sing each others alma-maters to the academy students, which I think shows some pretty cool sportsmanship. Navy leads this series 55-49-7.
- 3
Texas Vs. Oklahoma
Personally, this is my favorite rivalry out of the top 10 simply because I'm a huge Longhorn fan. The Red River Rivalry has been around since 1900. It gets its name from the fact that the Red River runs between our two states. However, it wasn't always known as the "Red River Rivalry". In 2005, the name was changed from "Red River Shootout" to "Red River Rivalry" to show that gun violence was not condoned. Since 1932, the game has been played at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas and the Longhorns hold the edge in the series 59-41-5. Hook 'Em Horns!
- 2
Auburn Vs. Alabama
You have to love inter-state rivalries and this one is one of the best, in not only college football, but, one of the best in any sport. Dubbed "The Iron Bowl" because of the history of the steel and iron industry, this rivalry has been around since 1893. Alabama leads this series 40-34-1.
- 1
Ohio State Vs. Michigan
This game is the biggest rivalry in college football, and probably the biggest rivalry in any sport in any country. Simply called "The Game", this series has around since 1897. Even if you can't stand either team, people across the country will tune in to watch this fierce rivalry. Michigan leads the series 57-44-6.