The Best One-Sided Rivalries in Sports
The sports world just wouldn't be the same without passionate rivalries. And in most cases, the teams and fans involve harbor similar feelings of disdain for the other side.
Sometimes, however, even the best rivalries can lack a little balance; while one contingent may consider the other its biggest "enemy," those feelings aren't always mutual.
Take college football, for example, where a thrilling rivalry between Notre Dame and USC seems to matter a whole lot more to one (the Irish) than the other (the Trojans, of course).
The same is true in the world of baseball. Talk rivalries with a Tampa Bay Rays player or fan, and the Boston Red Sox immediately take center stage. In contrast, however, those on the Sox side of things have a singular focus; it's all Yankees all the time.
Of course, college basketball features these types of one-sided rivalries as well, as the Maryland Terps remain completely obsessed with Duke, while Dukies return the favor with demeaning "Not Our Rival" chants.
And with these curious rivalries in mind, we've scoured the sports scene to highlight the eight best one-sided rivalries in sports.
We should note that the very nature of a rivalry requires the competition to be at least somewhat balanced, and as a result, we've eliminated those which are mostly uncompetitive. Also, this is a more modern discussion; some of the rivalries we selected have been historically lopsided but far more compelling as of late, and that is all that really matters.
In recent years, then, our chosen—and competitive—rivalries have entertained the masses in a major way but have mattered far more to one fanbase than the other.
Close, but No Cigar
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We've highlight some of the best one-sided rivalries in sports, but there are plenty of others worth acknowledging, too. This, then, is our list of honorable-mention rivalries:
- Los Angeles Kings vs. San Jose Sharks
- Kentucky basketball vs. Louisville
- Atlanta Braves vs. Washington Nationals
- Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco 49ers
- Miami Heat vs. Indiana Pacers
- Miami Heat vs. Orlando Magic
- New England Patriots vs. New York Jets
Texas Football vs. Baylor
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All-Time Record: Texas leads, 74-26-4.
Although Texas has a clear edge over Baylor in lifetime wins, the Bears have managed to turn the tide as of late, winning four of the last five contests and the past two showdowns by a combined score of 58-17.
To Baylor fans and most other college football enthusiasts, the yearly showdown—which pits one of college football's most storied programs against an up-and-coming one with a highlight-reel offense—is worth circling.
However, we're not sure the Texas contingent feels the same way.
Despite losing to Baylor more often than not in recent years, the Longhorns still view the Bears through a mostly condescending little-brother lens, rarely giving the smaller school the credit it deserves.
More importantly, Texas is altogether consumed by other, more heated rivalries and just doesn't seem to have the time to bother with the Bears.
Ask a Longhorn who he "hates" the most—in the world of college football, hatred is really the ultimate compliment—and he'll mention Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Texas A&M and possibly Arkansas before a "B" even begins to slip off his tongue.
Duke Basketball vs. Maryland
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All-Time Record: Duke leads, 110-63.
This is another historically lopsided rivalry that, in recent years, reached a new level of competitive balance and compelling play.
In fact, in the 1990s and early 2000s, the competition between the two teams became so heated and nationally relevant that The Washington Post's Michael Wilbon was inspired to call it "one of the best rivalries in one of the best basketball leagues in the country."
Though many trace the rivalry all the way back to 1980, the contentious relationship between the two schools was really shaped over the last 20 years or so.
In 2001 alone, the two teams met in four classic showdowns—including the Miracle Minute—while 2002 saw No. 1 Duke win the ACC championship before Maryland went on to capture the national title. Between 2001 and 2007, the Terps took it to the Blue Devils in seven of 15 matchups.
Yet, despite all the great the memories the two teams have created together, the Duke side has forever refused to acknowledge the other.
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USC Football vs. Notre Dame
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All-Time Record: Notre Dame leads, 45-35-5.
The football rivalry between Notre Dame and USC is yet another exhilarating one that demands national attention every year.
The storied rivalry began in 1926, and over the years, both programs have achieved tremendous levels of success—believe it or not, both have won 11 nationals championships and seven Heisman trophies.
And though they've both experienced a few rough patches along the way, in recent years the rivalry has become objectively captivating all over again.
In fact, in the last six meetings between the cross-country rivals, the results have been perfectly split, with each team winning on three occasions.
Due, then, to all the competitive intrigue—and, more importantly, to the fact that the Irish are without a conference—one could easily argue that USC is Notre Dame's biggest rival.
It's far harder, however, to suggest the Trojans feel the same way.
As a member of the Pac-12, USC tends to focus more on conference play and—most specifically—places in-state competitors like UCLA and Stanford atop its list of revered rivals.
Dallas Cowboys vs. San Francisco 49ers
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All-Time Record: San Francisco leads, 17-16-1.
To most objective football fans, the rivalry between the Niners and Cowboys is one the NFL's most classic.
For starters, both franchises pride themselves on being elite—each can boast of five Super Bowl titles.
Of course, the two powers have also met on many a meaningful field.
More precisely, San Francisco and Dallas have collided in postseason play on seven separate occasions, including six times in the all-important NFC Championship Game.
And the rivalry has remained every bit as competitive in recent years, with the two teams splitting their last eight matchups.
As a result, even though they meet just once every three years, most Niners would call the Cowboys their biggest rival of all.
With that said, it takes just a quick glance at the NFC East—the division to which Dallas belongs—to understand why the Niners aren't quite as important to the Cowboys.
In fact, if you leave it up to Cowboys fans, Washington, New York (Giants) and Philadelphia all rank ahead of San Francisco in their reasonably well-established rival rankings.
Georgia Football vs. South Carolina
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All-Time Record: Georgia leads, 47-18-2.
Historically, South Carolina has struggled against just about everyone in the SEC, Georgia included.
That all in changed in 2005, however, when Steve Spurrier took over the program and turned up the heat. Thanks to the Old Ball Coach's skill on the sideline and history at Florida—where he won six SEC titles from 1991 to 2000—it wasn't long before South Carolina transitioned from hunted to hunter.
Naturally, Spurrier and the Gamecocks almost immediately caught Georgia's attention, and even more so after they began to control the series the same way the former Gator did during his years in Gainesville.
To be exact, South Carolina has won four of its last five matchups with Georgia, outscoring the Bulldogs 165-131 in an exhilarating collection of high-level, hard-fought battles.
Of course, from South Carolina's perspective, defeating a nationally recognized program like Georgia—both teams are in the SEC East—has played a major role in its ascent to relevance. Not to mention, Spurrier has forever been famously infatuated with the 'Dogs, dating all the way back to his beginnings at Florida.
Combine all that with their close proximity and frequent battles along the recruiting trail—the Gamecocks get more recruits from Georgia than any other state—and it's rather easy to see why this rivalry has grown so consistently intense in recent years.
At this point, outside of maybe Clemson, Georgia ranks atop South Carolina's list of fearsome foes.
In contrast, however, the Gamecocks don't represent nearly as much in Athens.
Rank them however you want, but at the end of the day, Florida, Tennessee, Auburn and Georgia Tech—at the very least—boil Bulldog blood more readily than South Carolina does.
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Los Angeles Clippers
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All-Time Record: Lakers lead, 98-38.
If you're looking for a rivalry that's been historically competitive, then this simply isn't the one for you.
In recent years, however, everything has changed. For starters, the Clippers finally found a way to start winning.
To be exact, things really started to get interesting during the 2005-06 season, the first in which the Clippers finished ahead of the Lakers. The Clippers sported a better record and advanced all the way to the conference semifinals, while their rival was eliminated in the first round.
And, once both teams managed to be simultaneously competitive, the fact that they are forced to share an arena began cultivating more and more tension. In fact, the rivalry is frequently referred to as the "Hallway Series," inspired by the 70-foot hallway that separates the two teams' locker rooms at the Staples Center.
But the relationship really turned contentious in 2011.
It was early December and the Lakers had just pulled off a true blockbuster trade, acquiring All-Star point guard Chris Paul via a three-team swap. Then, in an unprecedented move, David Stern and the NBA rejected the deal, which everyone else considered already done. And, to make matters worse, the Clippers, of all teams, landed Paul exactly one week later.
Fast forward to today and the Clips are stepping all over Lakers toes, transforming L.A.'s basketball climate into "Lob City" while sporting one of the NBA's most exciting tandems in Paul and the even-more-dynamic Blake Griffin. And we all know Kobe Bryant doesn't like it when others steal his headlines.
Still, there's obvious envy swirling around the Staples Center rafters. While the Clippers have made the postseason on just seven occasions, the Lakers can claim more than twice as many (16) NBA championships.
And so while one team aspires to be just like the other—and no doubt considers it to be its biggest rival—the more accomplished Lakers have bigger fish to fry.
In fact, depending on who you ask, you may hear a Lakers fan mention rivalries with the Celtics, Blazers, Spurs and Kings before the Clippers even come to mind.
Boston Red Sox vs. Tampa Bay Rays
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All-Time Record: Boston leads, 171-126.
Over the last 15 years or so, the rivalry between the Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox has grown increasingly bitter and now ranks among the absolute best in baseball.
The relationship between the two teams first started to get rocky all the way back in August 2000, when—after getting hit by a pitch—Tampa's Gerald Williams decided to charge the great Pedro Martinez, which of course provoked both teams to clear their benches. And things really heated up one month later, as Tampa prevented the Red Sox from reaching the postseason with a single monumental win.
Since then, it's been nothing but drama between the two sides.
In 2002, Trot Nixon was suspended for four games after throwing his bat at Rays pitcher Ryan Rupe. On April 24, 2005, both benches were again cleared when Lance Carter threw at the head of David Ortiz. In 2008, Coco Crisp and James Shields exchanged blows, while, not surprisingly, players again left the bench in June 2013 and twice in May 2014.
And, most recent of all, David Ortiz and Tampa's Chris Archer entered into an intense war of words, as the latter was angered by the former's perceived showboating.
Of course, the two have a storied postseason dynamic, too.
En route to a 2008 World Series appearance, Tampa Bay faced Boston in the American League Championship Series and won it in seven heart-wrenching games.
Then, late in the 2011 season, Tampa Bay miraculously managed to overcome a nine-game deficit to steal a wild-card berth from Boston, and it all culminated in a 12-inning game between the two, which Tampa eventually won, 8-7.
Finally, Boston battled back and returned the favor in 2013, sweeping the Rays in the American League Division Series before going on to defeat St. Louis in the World Series.
To reach the type of prominence it can now boast, Tampa Bay had to go through Boston—its biggest rival—on many an occasion, and their meetings were rarely pretty.
Yet, on the flip side—even though the Rays are wholly obsessed with the Sox—I think we all know who really grinds Boston's gears...
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cincinnati Bengals
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All-Time Record: Pittsburgh leads, 56-34.
In the win-loss column, this is yet another rivalry that has been a bit one-sided historically. In recent years, however, the Bengals have given the Steelers all they can handle.
The rivalry reached a new level when the two teams met in the 2005 postseason—a 31-17 Steelers victory—and soared to even greater heights in 2009, when the rejuvenated Bengals won the AFC North and defeated Pittsburgh both times the two teams met.
More recently—since 2012, to be exact—Cincinnati has gone 2-3 against its biggest and most bitter rival.
We aren't sure, however, if the Steelers feel quite the same way about the Bengals.
Sure, Pittsburgh considers Cincinnati its rival; they share a division, after all.
But, while the Steelers rank atop Cincy's hit list, the same can't be said in the opposite direction.
To be exact, Pittsburgh has a longer, more storied and contentious rivalry with the Browns, and—if we're approaching this with a more modern frame of mind—the Steelers care far more about the NFL-elite, two-time champion Baltimore Ravens.
No matter how each side feels, though, this one remains among the most exciting rivalries in sports today, with the divisional foes both competing for playoff spots on an almost yearly basis. Cincinnati has made the postseason in five of the last six seasons (four in a row), while Pittsburgh has been there five times in the last eight years.
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