11 College Football Rivalries in Desperate Need of a Boost

Rivalries are supposed to be about intensity, hatred and competitiveness.

These rivalries are not.

The 11 rivalries on this list have gotten out of hand, lost in the shadows and need some help.

Most of them are on this list because one team has dominated the supposed rivalry for the past few seasons, but there are a few that need some juice simply because the participants don't compete at a high level.

No, Michigan vs. Ohio State is not on this list.

Wisconsin vs. Minnesota

Usually, in a rivalry, there is a little bit of give and take.

Not so much in the last decade for this one.

Paul Bunyan's Axe has resided with the Badgers for nine out of the past 10 seasons, with the most recent meeting encapsulating the imbalance between the teams, as Wisconsin pounded the Gophers, 42-13.

The rivalry is still fierce, as Tim Brewster demonstrated when he took exception to a two-point conversion attempt by the Badgers when well ahead, but it's gotten a little one-sided in recent seasons.

The fact that the Gophers are in the middle of a horrible stretch does not help matters.

Ole Miss vs. Mississippi State

The "Egg Bowl" had had mixed results for the past 10 seasons.

Each team has won five times in that span, but State has taken the past three meetings.

This game has had no national attention for some time, and while the rivalry is fierce in state, it has nowhere near the cachet of other fierce rivalries in the SEC.

USC vs. UCLA

At this point, it's questionable whether this is even a rivalry anymore.

USC has been absolutely dominant in this one, winning every meeting except the 2006 edition since 1999.

Of course, UCLA had an eight-year winning streak before this recent stretch, so maybe that's just the nature of this beast.

2011's game featured a stomping by USC, 50-0.

Stanford vs. Cal

The "Big Game" is a great rivalry, and the games are usually pretty competitive.

However, the rivalry just does not move the needle much on a national scale.

Sure, northern California is heavily invested in this rivalry, but the average fan does not even take a second glance unless there is some significance on a national level.

The 2011 game drew some interest, mainly because it was almost a huge upset, but Stanford pulled it out, 31-28.

Miami vs. Notre Dame

Just in time for a revival of a rivalry that was once bitter, these two will meet again in 2012.

The fact is, neither of these programs is anywhere near as prominent as they were in the 80's when they were both competing for national titles on a regular basis.

The two met in the 2012 Sun Bowl, which the Golden Domers won, and will look to renew the bitterness at Soldier Field in Chicago this season.

Washington vs. Washington State

Washington has taken the past three meetings of these two, and has an overall 67-31 lead in the "Apple Cup."

Neither of these teams have been a contender at a national level in quite some time, leaving this rivalry somewhat out of the limelight, especially given the domination by UW.

Keith Price's emergence as a viable Heisman contender, coupled with the arrival of Mike Leach to Washington State leads one to believe that this rivalry will pick up steam in the next few seasons.

Tennessee vs. Forida

This rivalry really took on a life of its own during the 90's, as Phillip Fulmer and Steve Spurrier led their respective programs to great national success.

The intensity of this rivalry has waned over the past decade, mainly because one program or the other has been down.

However, Tennessee has some exciting young stars emerging, and the Gators have an extremely talented defense to field in 2012.

Both programs need to raise the level of their game in order for the "third Saturday in September" to matter again.

LSU vs. Ole Miss

Every rivalry in SEC country seems to be magnified by the avidity of the fanbases of those involved.

However, there is nothing about this one that keeps people entertained on a more than regional level.

The Rebels have not been relevant in the SEC since Eli Manning left the program, and LSU has dominated the recent history of the series, going 8-2 over the last decade.

There is potential for this to be an extremely fierce rivalry with far-reaching national implications, but until Ole Miss reaches the next level, this rivalry is not worth watching.

Iowa vs. Iowa State

The winner of this game receives the Cy-Hawk Trophy.

While last season's game was a thrilling 44-41 win for the Cyclones, the fact that both of these teams are middle of the pack in their conference seems to lessen the impact this rivalry game has.

Not many people tune in for this one outside of the state of Iowa, and the game almost never features a team that is in the thick of the race for a BCS game.

Territorial Cup

This game, while huge on a regional level, does not carry much weight outside of the Southwest.

Especially when you consider that there is only one Pac-12 title between them in the past 15 years.

The new hires at both programs, Todd Graham at State and Rich Rodriguez at AU, add some interest to a rivalry that has been waning in recent seasons.

Florida State vs. Miami

Florida State has taken five of the last seven in this one, and the rivalry seems to be waning, mainly due to the fact that neither team has been particularly competitive for some time.

At least, not to the level we became used to seeing in the two previous decades.

Both programs are struggling to get back into a place atop the college football universe, Miami even more than FSU, and both have the potential to pull in some major recruits.

Al Golden and Miami have further to go to get back to a place of respectability, and their emergence as a contender in the ACC would help bring the fire back to this rivalry.