When I was in school in Gainesville, there wasn’t a bigger game than when the Gators played Florida State. Except when we played University of Georgia on neutral territory, aptly nicknamed the “World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.” Even in recent years when both the Seminoles and the Bulldogs have been no match for the Gators, those games were still the highlight of the season, if only for the ultimate bragging rights.

I recently came across a poll ranking some of the biggest college football rivalries, and above all others, Michigan and Ohio State were the clear winners. This game attracts national interest because most games have determined the Big Ten Conference title as well as the Rose Bowl match ups, and have also influenced the outcome of the national championship. ESPN ranked this game in 2000 as the greatest North American sports rivalry. Hands down, everyone agrees on the Number 1 spot, but there is a lot of discrepancy on who else should make the list. I did some research, and then asked some sports fan friends their opinions. This is what we came up with.

1. Ohio State vs. Michigan – Ohio State players get a gold charm in the shape of a pair of pants if they win. Since 1913, the two teams have combined for all or part of 70 Big Ten titles and have finished 1-2 in the standings 15 times since 1968. Read the rest of this entry »

The second weekend in October always means one very important thing to the folks in Oklahoma and Texas- the baddest football game of the season. Since the first game in 1900, The OU Sooners and the Texas Longhorns have converged on Dallas’ Cotton Bowl at the Texas State Fair for one of the finest match-ups in college football. It’s a game wrought with tradition, passion, a whole lot of crimson and a whole lot of burnt orange.

This Saturday will only be the eleventh time the Sooners and Longhorns have met whilst being top five ranked teams. The Sooners have held the #1 spot for the past two weeks, and the Longhorns are holding on to the #5 position. Texas leads the match-up, with an all-time record of 57–40–5, Oklahoma trailing with a record of 45–36–4; Oklahoma has won six of the last eight OU/Texas games. Here’s a look at the 10 previous games: Read the rest of this entry »