Consistency Is Key: Five College Football Games That Need to Be Played Every Year

College football is a near perfect sport—let's just forget about that thing called the BCS.

Let's start over.

The college football regular season is a near perfect thing. Every week you have student athletes battling it out on the gridiron for 60 minutes to be called the victor and maybe move closer to a bowl game, conference title, or even a national championship.

However, from what I have observed, college football is missing something—something that it should have without asking.

Five more annual rivalry games.

Arkansas vs. Texas

In 1969, the whole nation and President Richard Nixon watched as these two hated rivals (ranked No. 1 and No. 2 respectively) battled it out on the gridiron to come to a controversial 15-14 Texas win and the (mythical) national title.

Last year, in 2008, some viewers watched as Texas pummeled a lowly Arkansas team.

So what has happened to this game? We have definitely come a long way from the days of Nixon and trophies handed out before bowl games.

What once was a very heated rivalry has now been played only five times in the past 20 years (one in the 2000 Cotton Bowl). I think just for the sake of history this game ought to be played annually, or at least every other year...

Last Meeting

Sept. 27, 2008

52-10 Texas win

Auburn vs. Florida

Before the days of divisions and conference championships and all that good stuff in the SEC, there was the annual Auburn-Florida rivalry game.

This game was an annual affair up until 2001, when the SEC decided to stick its nose where it didn't belong, and this game is now rotated in and out of each team's schedule.

Before the modified scheduling and fixed inter-division opponents, this was probably Florida's marquee SEC rival and the second for Auburn behind Alabama.

It's a shame this game isn't a yearly affair, as it never fails to produce a classic every time.

West Virginia vs. Virginia Tech

You want hate? Here it is. These schools hate, and I mean HATE, each other.

The baffling thing to me is this: Why would two schools who are blood rivals not play since 2005?

This makes no sense to me.

Now, from what I gathered VPI was the school that backed out of this deal and ended this rivalry (on a good note, nonetheless—a 34-17 victory in Morgantown).

I think both schools need to man up and just start playing already. I mean, a schedule without your hated rival is like USC refusing to play Notre Dame or Texas not playing Oklahoma in years. It's shameful.

Last Meeting

Oct. 1, 2005

34-17 Va Tech win

Miami vs. Florida

This is probably the fault of the Gators, who are afraid of scheduling real opponents.

Miami hates Florida, more than Florida State in fact, and Florida is afraid of Miami, because Miami has consistently smacked them in the mouth pretty much every time they have played since the '80s (minus last year).

The thing is, both of these schools don't like each other, so why don't they just follow everyone else's lead and play it out?

I'll tell you why: Florida is scared of scheduling real opponents (leave Florida for once), so they don't schedule Miami because they could possibly lose.

Thanks, Gators, for ruining what could be a great yearly rivalry.

Last meeting

Sept. 6, 2008

26-3 Florida win

Oklahoma vs. Nebraska

There is no good reason this game isn't played. I mean really, this is a rivalry between the two best programs in Big XII history (sorry, Texas), and it's not on a yearly basis??

There was a time back in 1971 when these two teams played and it was hailed as "The Game of the Century." It actually is probably the greatest football game ever played, so please, for the sake of history, let these two schools play every year.

Last Meeting

Nov. 1, 2008

62-28 Oklahoma win