This article is short, sweet, simple, and to the point. Listed below, after counting up the votes, is the top ten to this point, but I'm not satisfied with these results.
Top Ten List (as of 04/21/2008)
#10: Denver Broncos-Oakland Raiders
#9: USC Trojans-Notre Dame Fightin' Irish
#8: Green Bay Packers-Chicago Bears
#7: USC Trojans-UCLA Bruins
#6: Duke Blue Devils-North Carolina Tar Heels
#5: Florida Gators-Florida State Seminoles
#4: Boston Red Sox-New York Yankees
#3: Ohio State Buckeyes-Michigan Wolverines
#2: Iron Bowl (Alabama Crimson Tide-Auburn Tigers)
#1: SEC Fans-Big Ten Fans
With that being said, there are five questions that I have to ask the entire Bleacher community (and to anyone who buzzes this to Yahoo!):
1) What happened to the barrage of die-hard fans that would lay claim to their team's rivalry?
2) Where are all the hockey fans dishing out their take on the greatest rivalry of all time?
3) How is it that the SEC and Big Ten fans are more vocal than the other conferences?
4) Does the NBA not count as a rivalry league or what?
5) If this is the list, enlighten me why I don't feel satisfied with it?
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2 months ago
I went to school in north carolina and grew up in florida. Duke/UNC is much bigger than UF/FSU. UF/FSU is big, but both schools treat playing Miami almost the same as playing each other. And Army/Navy has got to be on there somewhere. I know both teams suck (most of the time anyway), but that is a huge rivalry. So is East Carolina/Southern Miss. Oh wait, that's not true.
2 months ago
I'm a Bears fan, and I think Packers/Bears is overhyped. I don't really hate Packers fans. Yes, I enjoy beating the Packers every time we play them, but honestly, I'm not going to hold the fact that the Bears went 2-0 against Green Bay over the heads of Packers fans.
Chicago's most intense rivalry has got to be Cubs/White Sox. For two weekends a year, the entire city stops, families are divided, shouts of "Cubs suck" or "White Sox suck" can be heard from Evergreen Park to Waukegan to Aurora, and anybody who has a mild rooting interest in either team will strut around wearing silver & black or blue & red. Cubs/Sox games have a playoff atmosphere to them, as the crowd is always incredibly amped up and it's common to see a lot of ribbing between the fans going on across Wrigely or U.S. Cellular. And, of course, the team that takes the season series can hold that over the other team's head until the next year.
I can't say I've ever experienced a Mets/Yankees game, but in terms of crosstown rivalries, this one takes the cake. Both teams are over a century old and most of each fan base hates the other one.
This is just my opinion, but I'd put Cubs/Sox over Bears/Packers. Good list, though. I'm very partial to the Iron Bowl, because in Alabama, there are 365 days a year. 364 analyze and preview the Iron Bowl, and one is for playing it.
2 months ago
Here are my thoughts on how the top ten came out:
#10: Denver Broncos-Oakland Raiders: way too high.
#9: USC Trojans-Notre Dame Fightin' Irish: slightly low.
#8: Green Bay Packers-Chicago Bears: a tad high.
#7: USC Trojans-UCLA Bruins
#6: Duke Blue Devils-North Carolina Tar Heels
#5: Florida Gators-Florida State Seminoles: too high for 2008. Maybe ten years ago.
#4: Boston Red Sox-New York Yankees
#3: Ohio State Buckeyes-Michigan Wolverines: in my opinion, too high. Here because we have been told it should be this high.
#2: Iron Bowl (Alabama Crimson Tide-Auburn Tigers): also too high in my opinion. I think it's also just here because we have been told it should be here.
#1: SEC Fans-Big Ten Fans: Okay. This has to be a bit, schtick.
-------------------
Rivalries left out:
Dallas Cowboys - Washington Redskins/NFC East
Pittsburgh Steelers - Cleveland Browns
Top Ten in no order:
Red Sox - Yankees
Michigan - Ohio State
Notre Dame - USC
UCLA - USC
Alabama - Auburn
Duke - UNC
Cowboys - Redskins
Steelers - Browns
Spurs - Mavericks
Red Wings - Avalanche
from 2 months ago
Well, the Oakland-Denver Rivalry, has only had, oh, less than 50 years to simmer, and it didn't really get wind until the 1977 championship game. But granted, division rivals are not the best of friends.
For the ND USC duels, I didn't realize this was a rivalry...I just figured it was tossed in, due to the last couple seasons...and so far, only one close game to consider in the bunch.
Packers and Bears? Well, they've both been around forever....can imagine there was some grudge matches, but i'd have vikings and packers first before the Bears and Packers.
USC and UCLA Bruins....gotta love a battle for california.
Same thing goes for the Tobacco Road contests.
I'll agree on this one, the Florida contests are nice, but I still like Miami Hurricanes vs the Seminoles.
Red Sox vs Yankees. Good healthy kicking match, no lost love, and it's been around for oh, a long time.
Buckeyes and Wolverines....I'm sorry, but i've never been heavily into College sports, with few exceptions....what do you expect from a guy who follows St Joseph's in the NCAA?
Iron Bowl- See above.
Yadda yadda
For a top ten rivalry, I'd go, best to worst:
Colorado Avalanche- Detroit Redwings: Nothing like watching guys try to kill each other on skates.
Red Sox- Yankees: Been a long time for the Red Sox, but seems they know own the Yankee's number
Green Bay vs Vikings: Seems like late in the year, if Green Bay needed a win, they'd get stuck going to Minnesota or Chicago....and lose.
Browns vs Bengals: This bad blood went on for a while...some still say, it never left.
Raiders Vs AFC West: No bias, but everyone in the division loves this matchup, simple...Trophy envy.
Oakland Athletics- Minnesota Twins: Worked better in the late 80s, early 90s, when the two clubs had to challenge for the top spot in the division. Now with three divisions, a wild card, and them being seperated....not as much fun.
Raiders vs Steelers: anyone from the 70's loved seeing these two lock horns. Lost a lot of panache, when the Steelers bandwagon fell apart in 1979.
Nebraska Cornhuskers vs Kansas: Long running fued, but lost a lot of luster, since the Husker's fall.
Raiders vs Organized Football: Al Davis, against everything the NFL stands for....heck, even NFL Network agrees on this one!
from 2 months ago
Yeah.
Notre Dame and USC have been playing every year since 1926, and with the history of their programs and the national implications of their match-ups over the decades, I'd say it has some value to it.
2 months ago
Now this is what I wanted to see! Thank you for inputting! Now keep it coming!
2 months ago
As a former FLorida State student, and witness to two FSU/UF and FSU/Miami games, it is nothing compared to Ohio State/Michigan. Rivalries need a few things, history (Michigan and Ohio State are two of the oldest schools in the nation), competition, Michigan holds a slight overall edge, and players/coaches to fuel the rivalry along. Ummm....Woody Hayes, bo schembechler, Charles Woodson, Desmond Howard, David Boston, Troy Smith...need I say more? It's the best rivalry in all of sports. Period.
from 2 months ago
And you wonder why Miami and Florida have had no problems dispatching Florida State. As far as Ohio State goes, it's self explanatory where Florida stands compared to Ohio State football. Rivalry and History are two different things. Players come and go, but it's up to the next generation to keep the war going. Unfortunately, both Florida-FSU and OSU-Michigan have lost some luster.
2 months ago
Also, I need to get my obligatory Mizzou/Kansas mention in here. It gets nowhere near the national attention of other rivalries, but both schools hate each other just about as much as any of the college rivalries mentioned.
Texas/Oklahoma and Texas/Texas A&M are also pretty good Big 12 rivalries.
from 2 months ago
Texas - OU is considered a rivalry by both schools.
Texas - Texas A&M has seen better days and is primarily considered a rivalry by Aggies.
I'd give the edge to Texas - OU
from 2 months ago
Valid point. Nobody's nearly been castrated over Texas/Texas A&M.
2 months ago
Ohio State-Michigan is the best rivalry in sports. The Iron Bowl is an amazing rivalry, but it's not Ohio State-Michigan. To give an example, I was at an Ohio State autograph signing/meet and greet and Jim Tressel and some players from Ohio State summed up this rivalry. This is a quote from one of the players, " We could go 0-11 before we get to Michigan, but if we beat Michigan, it's a successful season." This just shows how much these players want to win this game. This makes the rivalry so special.
from 2 months ago
I'm not sure how much your quote supports the argument that OSU-UM is the best rivalry in sports, but it's reassuring to know the OSU players really want to win the Michigan game.
2 months ago
yankees red sox is by far the greatest rivalry in ALLLLLLL sports ... i dont even care what you other people have to say cuz you know im right ... no one ... n i mean NO ONE plays with more heart then when these two teams get together.
they get my vote rj.
from 2 months ago
Yankees-Red Sox? How about Cardinals-Cubs? Phillies-Mets? Mizzou-Kansas? These three have more pop than the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry this round.
from 2 months ago
There's no denying that Red Sox/Yankees is a HUGE rivalry, but thanks to ESPN, I'm completely uninterested in what happens when those two teams meet. When rivalries like that (including Michigan/Ohio State) are shoved down your throat, you get sick of them, even if they are great, historic rivalries.
2 months ago
for hockey, how about the Michigan Tech vs Northern Michigan D-I hockey rivalry. Those yoopers go crazy at those games.
as for the NHL, i would have said avs vs red wings a couple of years ago, but with the player turnover the hatred has left.
2 months ago
I'm a little late but I just read some guy listing "big games" that OSU has won in the past 3 years. Here's his list as a recap:
OSU over #2 Texas on the road
OSU over #2 Michigan at home
OSU over Penn State at night on the road on national television
OSU over Purdue at night on the road on national television
OSU over Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl
I have some questions.
1. Does playing on "national television" automatically make it a big game? Seriously, b/c I see Penn State and Purdue on that list and the only relevance those games had are that they were conference games. Not big games, but conference games. I think both of these teams had at least 4 losses the year’s you are referring to.
2. Notre Dame hasn't been relevant in years. Even the Fiesta Bowl year was a fluke, and they lost the only games against rank opponents that year (USC and OSU) by more than a couple of points. So how does that qualify as a "big game"? Is it b/c of the history of the school?
3. As for the Michigan game, let's try and remember what happened after that highly anticipated match up. Michigan went on to get blown out in their bowl game. The only thing that game proved was just how week the Big Ten was/is. The 2 best teams in the conference got blown out by competition from the rest of the country. No question here really just worth reliving.
I would actually say a bigger game for OSU than the ones listed was last years game against Illinois. If they win that game they’re guaranteed a shot at a National Championship game. They played at home and lost, and had to back into the game. Talk about a choke job.
And I would also define choking as getting beat by a team you should destroy. Michigan “choked” against Appy State. OSU “choked” against Florida, and USC “choked” Stanford.
The bottom line is the Big Ten is overrated and has been for a while. They manage to prove this every time they play competition from other conferences in ACTUAL big games.
Oh, and good luck verse USC in those upcoming games. Those should work out well for THE Ohio State University.
2 months ago
Good points are raised about U of M/OSU. They have a tremendous history between the two. So much storied history. The Red Sox/Yankees is another great one. Red Wings/Avalanche is an amazing one, and living in Michigan, I've seen all of that. YouTube "Red Wings Avalanche" and tell me that isn't some of the most intense hockey you've ever watched.
What about Eagles/Cowboys? With the Eagles fans cheering when Michael Irvin injured his knee in Philly.
Not teams, but Ovechkin vs. Crosby? Those Pens Caps games are always good. And it also helps that Malkin and Ovechkin seem to strongly dislike each other.
2 months ago
Where did the Cowboys-Redskins go? That has so much more history than most of the top. I think there needs to be a re-vote.
2 months ago
So re-vote. and make sure it counts this time.
2 months ago
I think that the Duke-UNC rivalry is way too low. You must not live in an area where it is as severe. (Which cannot be most places...)
Also, is that last rivalry a joke?
2 months ago
You should write an article of who you like the best of each rival.
PS: RAIDERS ROCK, GOOOOOOO UCLA
2 months ago
Top Three Has to Be:
1) Red Sox - Yankees
2) Duke - UNC
3) Michigan - Ohio State
Seems like general sports knowledge, but I guess everyone has an opinion
2 months ago
Also, Celtics-Lakers is at least top-7 material, if not top-5. Maybe the NBA was excluded though, I wasn't sure if that was the case or not.
I like the discussion you started here though, good work!
from 2 months ago
I like the concept. I wasn't thinking greatest of all time, but I like the thought. I think this will include greatest of all time, if I get enough people throwing down votes for them. I'm thinking greatest in each mainstream sport. So if you have anymore rivalries from the NBA, I would love to hear them. Thanks always for the input, Andrew.
from 2 months ago
Ahh, I see Rob, my mistake didn't realize you meant contemporary. If that's the case I'd say Spurs-Suns might just crack your top ten (although there could be argument that it comes just shy)... especially since they're putting on one of the most intense first rounds in NBA Playoff history. Not to mention the rivalry has been so strong that it forced the Suns, a team known for small and fast ball, to trade for an aging superstar (Shaq) mid-season, who slowed down their entire style but may give them the chance to shut down Tim Duncan. Too bad they didn't trade for somebody who could shut down Ginobili and his ridiculous off-kilter shots. Looks like this discussion is even strong than the last time I checked, great job Ron!
2 months ago
The sad thing about this "article" is that it mixes light humor with real rivalries worth mentioning in a top ten. I'd say you have to scratch FSU-UF, USC-ND, and the Big10 vs SEC fan stuff... Don't know where that came from... Also, you have to consider that in Professional Sports -- esp now that there is Free Agency -- most rivalries don't have the same luster because team performance is almost cyclic. You have to consider the following (in terms of longevity):
Army-Navy
Oklahoma-Texas
USC-UCLA
FSU-Miami
Celtics-Lakers
Washington Redskins vs Dallas Cowboys
Red Wings vs Maple Leafs
NY Rangers vs NY Islanders
SF Giants vs LA Dodgers
A five way tie between (soccer): Argentina vs England, Argentina vs. Italy, Argentina vs. Germany, Brazil vs Germany, Brazil vs Italy.
McEnroe vs Lendl
Evert vs Navratilova
There are others -- but I'm too tired to think of them...
from 2 months ago
The reason that the Big Ten-SEC fans rivalry is in there is quite simple. This is one rivalry that has been brewing ever since Florida beat Ohio State in last year's BCS Championship Game. The trash talking between the fans is the reason that it's there. If you need proof, take a look at some of the comments that were left above.
from 2 months ago
Thanks for adding Dodgers-Giants, John. This is a huge rivalry, even thought Giants suck they will still make it their mission to make sure the Dodgers don't make the playoffs. Two people have been killed in post-game parking lot skirmishes between Dodgers and Giants fans recently, including one at a game I attended.
from 2 months ago
In support of Ron's point about rivalries being all about disrespecting the other team. The Giants-Dodgers has got to be one of the worst. Of course, both teams originating from NY -- the hatred runs alot deeper than most people realize. ;)
2 months ago
How can you scratch FSU-UF but add FSU-Miami?
Same thing with scratching USC-ND but adding USC-UCLA. Huh?
2 months ago
If I was asked to pick which of the two was the more storied rivalry -- it would be definitely FSU-Miami. Having been raised in Tallahassee... I can say that the FSU-UF rivalry is a strong one -- and alot of passion is around that -- but its generally considered a regional rivalry. Miami-FSU is a regional rivalry too of course -- but had alot more national implications than a FSU-UF rivalry ever had. Usually UF or FSU were really good when they played each other -- rarely was it that both were vying for the MNC. Perhaps the one other thing different about the two rivalries is that one has developed into a rivalry of mutual respect (FSU-Miami) -- and the other is more about disrespecting (UF-FSU).
UCLA-USC is a storied rivalry -- like Michigan/OSU and Texas/Oklahoma... The USC/ND is a great rivalryu -- beginning back in 1929 (I might be off on the date). But the UCLA-USC rivalry has been around since 1916... I guess you could argue that both have a place... but (like the FSU-UF, FSU-Miami rivalries) if I had to pick one -- it would be the USC-UCLA one. Of course just my $.02.
from 2 months ago
Rivalries are not about respect. They are all about the disrespect. That's what makes them good and not to mention rivalries in the first place. You will never see a Yankee and Red Sox fan getting drunk and singing "Ebony and Ivory" together in a bar, so why would we expect the teams to be like that?
from 2 months ago
I can vouch for the Raider-Bronco Rivalry.
Simply put, I know a lot of bronco fans who get riled up, in the name of hatred....some raider fans too.
That, and I can't see a Bronco fan and a Raider fan in the same booth, during a game.
My dad is a bronco fan, and during the season, we wouldn't eat at the same table, or watch the game on the same TV...mom didn't want to hear it.
Although, my dad's stance must be softening....he called Shanahan a dirty rat for that late timeout call...and felt that game was fixed....but at least the Raiders made them pay for it, in spades later.
from 2 months ago
Hmmm... Suit yourself. I do agree many rivalries can be about disrespect and as much of that going on today as it was when they were first conceived... But, I think you are wrong to presume that the best rivalries can't start off or can't evolve into something higher. In fact, I would say that if a rivalry cannot go above and beyond the "bad blood" -- it probably will just devolve into something violent and something totally out of the spirit of sports. For a rivalry to thrive (in sports), there has to be a sense of competition and improvement. Disrespect can certainly catalyze that -- but there is no depth and the participants are usually self-interested with no drive for the betterment of themselves or even the "rivalry".
Navy vs Army is a classic example of a rivalry that was built around competition and respect -- it was never about disrespect. What about Harvard Yale or what about the Little Brown Jug (Minn/Michigan)? These are storied rivalries -- going back in some cases the late 1800s. One last thing, I hope you aren't equating rivalry with friendliness. I mean, you can still be hostile and still have a respect for the opponent.
2 months ago
Well Ron,
You know my vote will be for The Ohio State vs. the team up north. Rivalries are always going to be ranked on their importance to the individual involved in them. You will rarely get an Auburn fan to say it's OSU vs. ttun. Just as you are not going to get many Buckeyes saying it is the Iron Bowl. It will always be ranked to the importance to you. Let me tell you all my story and if their are any doubts to the truth of these statements just ask the author of the article. He has witnessed many of them.
When it comes to The Ohio State vs. ttup. I'm 36 years old and I have never missed watching this game with my father. We may live on opposite sides of the country but we always make the arrangements to watch this game together. I normally fly home to Ohio but one year because of work I had to cancel the trip. My father then took a red eye flight on 2 days notice and came to Colorado so we could watch the game together. I paid a bar to open 1 hour early just so we would not miss a single play. He then had to leave 1 hour after the game to get home because he had tickets to the Browns game the next day.
I have not spoken that teams name in 20 years. It might have slipped out 2 or 3 times but I will not even give them the respect of saying their name. They will always be the team up north.
I was invited to a cousins wedding and reception that we later figured out was on the day of "The Game". My father and I then went to Rent a Center 2 days before the wedding and ordered 20 TV's to be delivered to the reception hall the morning of the game(To this day the Bride will not even speak to me).
When I was growing up and wrestling we had practice every day of the season but one. We had practice 7 days a week. Even if the school was closed for a snow day we had to be at practice by noon. We even practiced on Christmas and New Years Day. We only got one day off all season and that was for "The Game".
I grew up on stories of Woody and Bo. Ohio State being way up and the game basically over and Woody still going for the 2 point conversion. When a reporter asked Woody why did he go for 2 in that situation. His reply was "Because they would not let me go for three". Stories of busses and cars running out of gas and being pushed over state lines rather then spending money in the other teams state.
I guess my point is I also just love College Football. People use to come to the bar just to watch me, watch football. All of us have these kinds of stories and these stories are what make different games the most important to us. It is also these stories that will never get us to change our minds. They are all great for different reasons.
Now onto this SEC vs. Big Ten. I don't see the point of this debate. Every point I see being Debated is just stupid.
1. Has the SEC proven to be the best conference the last 2 years. Yes they have, They have played great and won the national championship. Nobody can top that.
2. The Ohio State is 0-9 vs. the SEC. Well if we use past performance to determine future games. Does that mean since LSU lost to Kentucky and Arkansas last year. That they will never be able to beat them again. Of course not. Past results have nothing to do with games that have yet to be played. If you want to throw that number out to rub a little salt in the wound go ahead. Just don't sound like an idiot and say because of this stat that The Ohio State will never beat a SEC team.
3. That The Ohio State choked the last 2 years. Once again don't see it. 2 years ago they choked vs. Florida. Right or wrong going into that game I thought they where the better team. They did not perform anywhere close to what they where capable of. Last year I believe that LSU had the better team and the proved it on the field. Congratulations to them for a great game and a good season. I only say good because I thought that they where talented enough to not have those 2 loses.
4. Team Speed. I will probably take the most heat for this one. "The SEC just has more team speed" I just do not agree with this statement. I will once again use The Ohio State as my example. I only do this because it is the team I'm most familiar with. I just don't understand how they can have top 10 recruiting classes almost every year. Just like teams in the SEC. They then also have been one of the top 5 teams to send talent to the NFL. Just like schools from the SEC. So how can these kids be fast enough in high school and fast enough in the NFL, but they play slow in college. I do think that weather has some to do with it. Teams from the north need to develop schemes that work in all weather. I also feel that if they want to win a National Title they are going to have to be able to win games in the south. So not preparing for that or at least taking it into consideration is just poor coaching.
This post has gotten long enough. So take this all with a grain of salt. These are just my beliefs you are allowed to have your and I'm allowed to have mine. So good luck to each of our teams next year. May they make for some great games and some good times with friends and family.
"Ohio Mike"
PS. Ron I will be giving you a call soon so we can catch up.
from 2 months ago
Look forward to that call, big brother. And I'm with you on this one. The SEC-Big Ten thing was originally just a joke for the two guys arguing about the Iron Bowl and the Ohio State-Michigan game. It turned into a fiasco after they picked up where they left off. I have all the respect in the world for this rivalry in the Big Ten, because everyone knows that the conference champ comes out of this game 9 out of the ten times they play each other. Not to mention that at least one of these two teams usually plays in the Bowl Championship Series if not the BCS Championship. All in all, I could see this one being the #1 rivalry of all time mainly because of the history and animosity. Be looking for a quick note on Ohio State in the future, and yes, it does involve Michigan. Let's see what kind of fire this lights under the Wolverines.
2 months ago
Best historic rivalry in my mind has got to be Sox-Yanks, no not the ESPN/Hank Steinbrenner commercially driven crap we see today, but the real rivalry that people here on the east coast saw in the '50s, '60s and '70s.
The pure hatred there was palpable and the games were always extremely entertaining, the one-sidedness of the rivalry at the time may not have helped but it was still damn fun to watch, in most part due to the fact that the players/managers hated each other as much as the fans did (see Piersall-Martin Brawl, 1952 or Nettles-Lee, there are plenty more but listing them would be redundant and time-consuming)
It was a rivalry in every sense of the word until free agency became so active that oftentimes roster overhauls became a once per season ritual in big market cities like NY and Boston.
Then again i'm pretty biased since i'm a Boston fan so i really have no problem with the list (I know this isn't your order) other than the fact that Ohio-Michigan is a horribly overrated and ESPN driven rivalry and that Duke-UNC deserves more love. Yanks-Sox is a divisive one though, the east coast loves it and the rest of the country is sick of it... hell I can't blame anyone for that.
2 months ago
The picture doesn't make sense, that rivalry isn't even there.
2 months ago
The reason that most people do not think that Yanks/Sox is the best rivalry is because they play each other 25+ times a year. it's hard to have all the intensity in all 25 games then to have intensity in lets say one game that happens every year like OSU/Michigan. i'm no saying I do not like the Sox/Yanks rivalry, I think it's great, I'm just saying when you see each other so much it kind of diminishes.
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