The GREATEST College Sports Rivalries Of All Time (PHOTOS)

There's nothing quite like a college sports rivalry, whether you're a sports fan or not -- as some of these competitors prove, it can be more about the ambiance than the game itself. Pick your favorite and vote on it, or add your own!

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Greatest College Sports Rivalries Of All Time

 

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USC vs. Notre Dame

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They don't play in the same conference and are separated by hundreds of miles, but sports champions USC and Notre Dame have been athletic enemies since 1931. Together, the Trojans and the Fighting Irish have claimed nine national championships and 11 Heisman trophies.

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They don't play in the same conference and are separated by hundreds of miles, but sports champions USC and Notre Dame have been athletic enemies since 1931. Together, the Trojans and the Fighting Irish have claimed nine national championships and 11 Heisman trophies.

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Comments

[KrugnacTheMagnificent]

02:02 AM on 07/16/2010

Utah going to the Pac-10 will disrupt the HUGE rivalry they've had with BYU for decades. I'm sure they will continue to schedule each other every year, but the game has always been the last of the season, making it that much more meaningful to both teams.

They call the game the HOLY WAR, and fans won't even speak the name of the other school. It's either "the school down south" or "the school up north".

Truly sad. The upside is that they could potentially play each other in a bowl game.

[stonelaw]

01:51 PM on 07/14/2010

Ok, first, I really don't like the SEC. I lived in Alabama for over 20 years, did not attend either Auburn or Alabama (just practiced law there), and I found that both schools have roughly the highest sixth grade alumni in the country (meaning most of their fans didn't get through high school let alone college). Before and since then I've lived all over the country - gone to Big 10 games, Big 12 games, and Pac 10 games, too.

But when it comes to the biggest rivarly in college sports, nothing is bigger than the Alabama - Auburn game. It is crazy and sad, too. It is not a rivalry that is discussed a month or so before the game - or even starting at the beginning of each season. It starts two hours after the last game and doesn't quit.

It's a big deal - the biggest. It's sad that people don't have a whole lot more to keep them busy ore make themselves feel good (other than cheering for a bunch of 18 to 22 year old they probably don't know), but it's a big deal.

[Noel Fischre]

12:08 AM on 07/14/2010

YEA!!! GO WOLVERINES!!!

[Rachel Hoover]

12:07 PM on 07/12/2010

Where is the winningest and one of the longest held rivalries of all-time on here? Hello???! Kentucky- Louisville (basketball)? Kentucky/Duke is a fierce rivalry too, even though they actually haven't played one another since 1998.

[Aubreyautumn]

06:05 PM on 07/11/2010

Seriously? Nothing on Alabama and Auburn?

[ShanniC]

01:52 PM on 07/05/2010

Screw the Gators! Dawgs FTW!!!!

[2smoothe]

11:15 PM on 06/29/2010

Gig Em Aggies!

[blueballs]

08:33 PM on 06/28/2010

Opinions will differ depending upon perspective, of course, but there is ONE rivalry transcending subjectivity that derives from *objective* academic reputation and no it does *not* occur in the comparatively lightweight (athletic) venue of the Ivy League.

The rivalry, of course, is Cal vs Stanford -- (perpetually) the #2 vs. #3 academic institutions *in the world* -- and located a scant 30 miles from one another. The whole public "blue collar" vs private "elite" adds to the mix as well. From "Big Game" (football) to "Big Scrum" (rugby) to "Big Swim" and beyond, each contest is met with a fervor generated from all of these fronts.

Seems like that should find a mention in the rankings, no? Beats the hell out of $C vs. UCLA, anyway.

[Mr Who]

07:05 PM on 06/26/2010

Whoever made this list needs to try again...

[MaeBayB]

12:57 PM on 06/27/2010

You can say that again...what happened to USC v UCLA...what a joke!

[Mr Who]

07:04 PM on 06/26/2010

So, I'm waiting to get to the end because I just know it's the Iron Bowl and then I'm like: What the French Toast!!?!?!? Where is Alabama/Auburn!!?!?

[Angelus2007]

03:45 PM on 06/26/2010

My list no order
USC-ND
OSU-Michigan
Duke-UNC
UF-UGA (also like UF-FSU,but don't think a team can be on the list twice, how can a rivalry be top 10, if it isn't even the biggest for 1 team)
FSU-Miami
Army-Navy
Alabama-Auburn
Texas-Oklahoma
Kentucky-Louisville (basketball)
Boston U-Boston College (hockey)

I think one of two things needs to happen to be a big rivalry. It either needs to have national implications almost every year or needs to be big beyond the sport. 9 of these fit the first bill, with Army-Navy fitting the second. Obviously not every year one or both of these teams are top teams, but most years at least one is. In all of these rivalries except Army-Navy, every rivalry has had a team win or play in a national championship, Final Four, or Frozen Four in the past 10 years.

[thebizzybuddha]

02:52 PM on 06/26/2010

Hello!?! The OLDEST RIVALRY OF ALL TIME?!?!? Lehigh/Lafayette!! They were playing each other before most of these schools were even FOUNDED!!! This huge game is called "the rivalry" for a reason! AND ranked number 8 in the biggest sports rivalries of all time by Sports Illustrated. I love huffpo but I am SO SICK of only reading about Ivy Leagues and Big ten on this page!

[cybolt]

12:43 PM on 06/25/2010

Basically, they got three right…

OSU vs. UM – #1 and reflects the history of college football.
SC vs. ND – a traditional, inter-conference rivalry that has thrived despite ups and downs.
Duke vs. UNC – Less significant in deciding ACC entry to tourney but no denying the heat.

Tempted to dismiss but can’t:
Harvard vs. Yale – embodies intercollegiate athletics. Nobody there playing for the pros.
Army vs. Navy – take attendance then multiply by the number of active duty/retired officers and you get some idea.

The jokes are:
Syracuse – G’town
Indiana – Purdue
KU – K State

The corrections to the list should include:
Auburn vs. ‘Bama. Second biggest. That it’s not on list at all tells you everything about the person who created it.
Texas vs. Oklahoma *not* A&M.
Cal -- Stanford
Louisville -- UK
Miami -- FSU. Wide right. This allows a little something for everyone.

Lurking just below in the second tier:
Florida – FSU and half the SEC
Layfayette – Lehigh. The most frequently played rivalry. Period.
Kansas – Missouri. The second oldest in 1A.
USC – UCLA. Used to be first tier but UCLA's sustained drop in football drops this one down.
Minnesota – Wisconsin
Nebraska – Oklahoma. Nebraska's move to Big-10 ensures this will never re-ignite.
Oregon – OSU. Rising annually with increased caliber of play.

And I suppose you could argue for Pitt v. Penn State or WVU. I'm sure there are others

[Chise67]

02:52 PM on 06/25/2010

Great compilation. Don't know how I overlooked ",The Iron Bowl", "Backyard Brawl", and ORIGINAL Crosstown Shootout, U$C vs. UCLA.

[nfogoddess]

03:18 PM on 06/25/2010

Speaking as a Jayhawk... the KU-MU game (Border War) is waaay more important than KU-KS.

[rbchilds]

12:27 AM on 06/29/2010

Clemson-South Carolina can be added to that list.

[themightylemur]

12:15 PM on 06/25/2010

Iron Bowl maybe?

[JANPACOPETE]

12:05 PM on 06/25/2010

BS! Try Texas vs. Oklahoma!!