Posted on 11/25/2009 6:11:57 PM PST by bobjam
Ten Rivalries to Witness
College football passion covers the width and breadth of the many social, economic, racial, regional and religious subcultures in America. From Boston Brahmins (Harvard) to Hollywood fashion (USC), from Southern tradition (Alabama) to California progressives (Stanford), from Catholics (Notre Dame) to Mormons (BYU) to hippies (Cal), everyone has a team to cheer for. Below are 10 games that highlight that spectrum of passion, pageantry and pride (listed in approximate order of occurance during the season):
Texas vs Oklahoma: The Longhorns, the Sooners and the Texas State Fair recall how so much of our culture is derived from agricultural society.
Florida vs Georgia: Football should be celebrated, and nowhere is it celebrated more than at the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party in Jacksonville.
Michigan vs Ohio State: two industrial belt universities fight it out- just like their state militias once did.
Notre Dame vs BYU: this game is not played every year, but it is not infrequent. No universities mix religion and football more than these two.
Harvard vs Yale: Tailgating with wine, cheese, gin, caviar and all of the trappings of northeastern high society.
California vs Stanford: Tree huggers, hippies, techno geeks, peaceniks- even they love football. And who can forget Cal’s famous kickoff return against both Stanford and its band?
USC vs UCLA: The home of a famous film school and the alma mater of George Lucas vs everyone else in southern California.
Southern vs Grambling: The football teams work just as hard as any other; the marching bands work harder. Bands are as much a part of college football as cheerleaders and boosters, and these two universities have two of the best.
Alabama vs Auburn: beneath the polite society, manners, hospitality and accents lurks a hatred that divides a state more than any Jim Crow law ever could.
Army vs Navy: Not just Cadets vs Midshipmen, but anyone even remotely associated with the Army vs anyone even remotely associated with the Navy- officers, enlisted, civil service, relative in the service, or even people who simply live near a base.
These games are not necessarily the ten biggest, oldest, most passionate or most important rivalries in America. They are, however, an attempt to cover the grandeur and glory of an institution that brings so many different groups together in one passion.
Itawamba Community College versus Mississippi Delta Community College
Well, they do have Toledo, so I suppose yes, they did lose. We got the U.P. in exchange for the Toledo Strip and Ohio withdrawing their objection to Michigan Statehood.
But now I want to cede Detroit to Ohio, so the war ain't over yet!
Yeah. You notice which state it is in.
Speaking of Tulsa, very rarely have I seen a team collapse (except for my Minnesota Golden Gophers) like Tulsa has.
I realize that they lost both their starting QB and offensive coordinator from last year - but I expected them to play much better than they have this year.
Texas: Mexicans on their way to Oklahoma."
I guess I don’t really understand. I spent a good part of my life in Alabama and like both Auburn and Alabama. So many people just can’t understand that. Since I went to Troy I have no allegiance to either of them.
I have been to Auburn several times, have dressed out at Alabama’s field house. I really did feel the atmosphere seeing all the portraits of old players going back to the 1920’s.
I have a picture somewhere I took of Shug Jordan when he was speaking in Dothan, Alabama.
Like I say, I like them both, for that matter I like both Florida and FSU.
Kyle Field is an incredible home field advantage. The stands are stacked three high and they put 85,000 people in there for Baylor. The Aggie band sits behind the opposing team bench and the visiting band is ten yards past the end zone. The wall for the stands are only waist high at field level, so the crowd is only about ten feet from the bench.
This year was my first trip there. I had never paid much attention before, but when those lists of the top ten home field advantages list Kyle Field, they aren't kidding.
Hands down the top rivalry is Alabama/Auburn!! Oh and Roll Tide Roll!!
Not on the list, but a rivalry no matter the sport.....
NC State vs. UNC
What do NC State fans and UNC fans have in common?
Chances are neither of them graduated from UNC.
You guys can have Toledo ;-)
I think Obama's pay czar needs to look at Charlie Weis's salary. If anyone wanted to complain about excessive pay for poor performance, this is it.
Also, please watch Stanford hang a 50 on ND this Saturday. Stanford has possibly the best running game in the nation while ND has possibly the worst run defense. Stanford put 51 on Oregon and 55 on USC.
The hell you will.
Nebraska Oklahoma used to be a great rivalry too.
“Texas vs Oklahoma: The Longhorns, the Sooners and the Texas State
Fair recall how so much of our culture is derived from agricultural society.”
As an Okie that has visited the Texas State Fair once during OU-Texas
weekend (didn’t have ticket...went for the fair and to visit a
lady friend)...
even though those derned Texans won AND I got my driver’s side door
caved in by some yahoo...
...It is a GREAT Party. Regardless of who wins.
“Notre Dame vs BYU: this game is not played every year, but it is
not infrequent.
No universities mix religion and football more than these two.”
If neurologists were looking for a place to find A BUNCH of subjects to
wire up to see the neurophysiological effects of FERVENT PRAYER...
a Notre Dame-BYU football game would be the place!
(for full disclosure: as an Okie, I did grow up hearing unkind remarks
about Notre Dame ending a long winning streak by The University
of Oklahoma...I think it was in 1956 or some other year before I
was even born!!!!)
“Nebraska Oklahoma used to be a great rivalry too.”
Besides seeing (in real time) Jack Mildren crying on the sidelines
as Nebraska won “The Game of The Century”...
I remember (IIRC) 1987 when some of the Cornhuskers (abnormally!)
were “talking trash” before the OU-Nebraska game.
As best I recall OU won convincingly over the Cornhuskers.
And, The Sunday Oklahoman newspaper, on the front page had
a BOLD HEADLINE
from Coach Switzer:
“IT WASN’T EVEN CLOSE”
Army vs. Navy
Go Navy beat Army
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.