Top 10 College Football Rivalries That Have Lost Their Luster

Rivalries are what makes the game of college football great. It’s what pumps us up and gets us ready every Saturday. But these rivalries of late haven’t been living up to the hype either because one team has dominated the other or because both teams stink. Here are a list of the top 10 college football rivalries that have lost some of its luster over the yea

10. Cal and Stanford

Besides the 1982 game, has this game produced any more memorable moments the last 20-something years? Ironically, since both teams have gotten better over the years, you would think that the games would be more exciting.

9. Army and Navy

I know a lot of college football experts say this is the best rivalry in college football because of the pageantry, but the football game itself doesn’t live up to all the pageantry and hype.

8. USC and Notre Dame

Can we even call this game a rivalry any more since USC has dominated the last few years? Every once and awhile the Irish put up a good fight, but it seems like USC always finds away to pull it out in the end. I got a feeling though that starting with this year, the Trojans hold on the Irish is about to end.

7. Florida and Tennessee

This match-up in the beginning of the season use to determine who would win the SEC Eastern Division Title, now it just determines how far the Vols will drop behind the Gators in the East standings.

6. Texas and Nebraska

Until last year’s game, the Longhorns and Cornhusker’s game use to be just as big as the the Red River Shootout (sorry but I’m being political incorrect). But Texas emergence as THE power house in the Big 12  has made this game pretty much boring to watch.

5. Oklahoma and Nebraska

This game use to be the granddaddy of ALL rivalries in college football because it seems like every year, both teams would be undefeated coming into this match-up. But OU’s dominance the past few years and with Nebraska moving to the Big 10, the importance of this game will never be the same. 

4. Tennessee and Alabama

When you heard the third Saturday in October; you knew what that meant; Tennessee and Alabama. This rivalry use to be BIG and it still is to a certain extent, but the dominance first by the by the Vols for awhile in the late 1990's and early 2000's, and now by the Tide, has relegated this rivalry to just another game on the schedule

3. Florida State and Miami

This game use to be the game we’d all be looking forward to Labor Day night to end the first weekend of college football but of late, this game has really gone down, probably because both teams have gone down too. Last year, was the first time in awhile that this game lived up to the hype it use to deserve.

2. Alabama and Auburn

This game is still filled with a lot of hate and disdain for the other school, but the games (like Florida State and Miami) haven’t been as exciting as they use to be probably because of the up and down nature of both schools. Auburn won six games in a row, but since Nick Saban arrived in Tuscaloosa, the Tide has won two of the last three including a 36-0 blow out back in 2008. But if last year’s game is any indication, maybe the tide is about to turn so to speak, for this rivalry.

1. Ohio State and Michigan

Ok, let’s just go ahead and say it; this game has SUCKED the last few years. Where is the hate? Besides a close game a few years ago, the Buckeyes and Wolverines have given us NOTHING. Michigan has sunk to damn near the bottom of the Big 10, while the game to look forward to in the Big 10 these days is now Ohio State and Iowa.

To read more of Stacey's work, catch her on College Football Confidential

www.collegefootballconfidential.com