The 10 Best College Rivalries

Passionate college football fans everywhere always think their rivalry is the most important. They get absolutely up-in-arms if you dare to disagree.

No matter where you go to school, it's likely your football team has some kind of rival. Every year the big game is discussed for months in advance and drives thousands of loosely affiliated students into a united frenzy.

Some face-offs have been around forever. The Pennsylvania colleges Lafayette and Lehigh have played a game known simply as "The Rivalry" 146 times. Other rivalries are constantly evolving and growing in popularity, like the "Holy War" between Utah and Brigham Young University. While you can make arguments for every match-up, this slide show features 10 of the most popular college rivalries.

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Comments

[Zachary Mosher]

01:07 AM on 09/30/2011

Iowa vs Iowa State.

[smartin27]

03:43 AM on 09/24/2011

Alabama/Auburn War Eagle Baby!!!

[ScorpioRN]

11:54 PM on 09/23/2011

With the birth of super conferences a lot of old rivalries will disappear. Thanks to the hypocrites that run college sports and say it is amateur athletics while collecting six figures salaries and having huge expense accounts.

[BlueCashew]

02:06 PM on 09/23/2011

Next time look at real college towns. Ones where the college IS the town.

[K White]

10:28 PM on 09/20/2011

Go Blue! And you guys should have posted a picture of Denard.

[75thRanger]

04:49 PM on 09/20/2011

Missed one.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clean,_Old-Fashioned_Hate

[ScorpioRN]

11:52 PM on 09/23/2011

Nothing like clean old-fashioned hate to get you going.

[Gary L Hale]

04:21 AM on 09/20/2011

How in the world is Harvard Vs Yale not on here?

[dexterlock]

05:46 PM on 09/19/2011

I think I missed the slide with the Backyard Brawl on it somewhere. Anyone else seen it?

[Tom uws]

01:33 PM on 09/13/2011

Texas vs. Texas A&M is not on this list?? unbelievable

[stunsitfel]

02:02 PM on 09/08/2011

We don't give a damn about the whole state of Michigan. We're from O-H-IO. O.H.

[Gary L Hale]

04:21 AM on 09/20/2011

I.O!!!

[nmeemn]

09:53 PM on 09/05/2011

UCLA/USC >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ND/USC

[profideous man]

02:02 PM on 09/05/2011

Umm... LaFayette vs. Lehigh gets a spot in this article, but KU - Mizzou is completely left out in the cold? It's only the longest-played mutual-hatred (rivalry is simply a mischaracterization) west of the Mississippi. Why is it a great rivalry? Well, to put it simply, it literally started as an athletic extension of the Civil War. That's right, the first games were played by men who had fought as Free Soilers and went to KU, and men who fought as Bushwhackers and went to Mizzou. Former enemies, back on the athletic (battle)field. Often, both teams are not in contention for anything, so it is almost ALWAYS purely a bragging-rights game - it is THE game of the year that everyone gears up for. And this list OUGHT to have been pegged as the greatest college FOOTBALL rivalries.

[raiserSword]

11:01 AM on 09/05/2011

What about Good Old Fashioned Hate? u(sic)ga and Tech have one of the biggest rivalries in collegiate sports.

[75thRanger]

04:48 PM on 09/20/2011

What's the good word?

[Tyrone Luckett]

09:08 PM on 09/04/2011

LSU vs OLE MISS is a good rivalries.

[David8067]

09:24 AM on 09/04/2011

Good job by the author - start with the best, and then throw in the little regional diversions.

O ... H ...

[Urban Gardener]

10:16 PM on 09/07/2011

I O!

[stunsitfel]

02:00 PM on 09/08/2011

#10!!!