ESPN Poll: What's the biggest college football rivalry?

by **jessexy** on Thu Nov 16, 2006 12:38 pm

Saw this on ESPN.com yesterday and, of course, Michigan-OSU won the poll. but i was curious if they won because there is some kind of football game this weekend that is skewing the votes (kinda like that good ole Bush ineptitude).

the other schools they were asking about were Army-Navy, Texas-OU, Auburn-Alabama, Notre Dame-USC. My guess is that if they asked this poll question the week prior to Texas-OU and they were #1 and #2, we might have a different answer. The same with Auburn-Alabama or FSU-Miami, USC-UCLA, Nebraska-OU, etc.

what do you guys think?

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by **StrykerFSU** on Thu Nov 16, 2006 12:44 pm

Lehigh-Lafayette of course! The 142nd meeting is coming up this Saturday with a trip to the I-AA playoffs on the line. (And the players even graduate)

by **laxative** on Thu Nov 16, 2006 12:47 pm

I don't think there can be just one. It is a regional choice. Army-Navy is huge, but never with any national championship implications, my second favorite. Michigan-OSU is huge because of the size of the alumni bases, both are really good teams. My personal favorite...see if you can guess...USC-ND. Between the two are 22 national chapionships and 14 heismans, boatloads of All-Americans.

by **TexOle** on Thu Nov 16, 2006 1:55 pm

Army-Navy has to be the biggest. I think the rivalry is being diminished. Another great rivalry is the Harvard-Yale game. I think the bigger D1 rivalries are not on my list since they seem to lack something. We have too many rivalries and not the great rivalry where the football game is a tiny bit of the rivalry.

by **Danny Hogan** on Thu Nov 16, 2006 2:02 pm

army navy has a great rivalry in general, but their football rivalry leaves something to be desired.

UF-FSU defined big time rivalry in the 90s. The winner usually played for a national title and in a rare case (96), they re-matched in the national title game.

by **bste_lax** on Thu Nov 16, 2006 2:30 pm

I have lived in Texas and have seen Texas-OU.

I went to a Big Ten school and have seen OSU-Michigan.

I had some family members go to Notre Dame so I know about ND-USC.

Call me a Big Ten homer but I have to take OSU-Michigan.

by **OAKS** on Sat Nov 18, 2006 12:50 pm

trick question. It's Duke-Carolina basketball.

by **DanGenck** on Sat Nov 18, 2006 1:56 pm

Williams vs. Amherst is pretty good for small college football. I wouldn't mess with that rivalry at all. Lafayette and Lehigh is pretty sharp too for 1-aa, right up with Harvard/Yale.

If we're only talking 1-A, Michigan/Ohio State is one of the last true rivalries at that level. A game where team records and championship thoughts go out the window and the primary focus is on defeating the rival (only Navy and Army can match this sentiment).

As Woody Hayes illustrated by his refusal to purchase gas in the state of Michigan for fear that some of the tax money might end up at the U of Michigan. That's one intense rivalry.

by **KnoxVegas** on Sat Nov 18, 2006 2:01 pm

To defend the honor of the SEC: Auburn-Alabama.

My diluted fellow alumni believe that Tennessee-Alabama/Florida would qualify. Thus proving my point that Tennessee fans are the Boston Red Sox fans of college football.

by **John Paul** on Sat Nov 18, 2006 4:13 pm

Seriously. There's only one. I've been around this athletic department for 20 years now, and I've been on the field (as an administrator) for a fair share of these games in both Ann Arbor and Columbus. I have some pretty incredible stories that I've seen and heard. You're talking about a rivalry of two of the most storied programs in the nation, and it's a rivalry that has been going on for 100 years. I know there are others that are huge, but none that are this old, important almost every year in the national perspective, and involve this many fans both in the stadiums (over 100,000) and around the world (millions).

To be honest, it's even bigger when it's in Columbus. They take it to a whole different level. The Michigan administration sent out an email this week to Michigan fans and students warning them, among other things - to avoid driving cars with Michigan license plates in Ohio, stay in groups, do not talk back to harassment, etc. Crazy.

I'm on vacation in France right now, sitting in front of my computer, listening to a web radio broadcast, watching live stats and trading emails with a buddy of mine watching from the OSU press box. Wish I was there (or even in Paris, where there is a bar full of Michigan fans watching the game right now - but I'm a good 8 hours from there).

Go Blue

by **LAXDawg14** on Sun Nov 19, 2006 12:24 am

Worlds Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party: UGA vs UF