Bragging Rights on the Line This Month
There’s a maxim that gets bandied about when it comes to college football. Though it’s been paraphrased and modified time and again, it goes something like this:
“On the East Coast, college football is a cultural exercise. On the West Coast, it’s a tourist attraction. In the Midwest, it is cannibalism. But in the South, college football is a religion, and every Saturday is a holy day.”
Most pundits agree that Marino Casem, former football coach and professor at Alcorn State University, in Mississippi, coined the phrase. Though Casem, a southerner, may have known about the passion for pigskin in the South, he was wrong about the zeal with which fans and players across the country root for their favorite college football teams. There are rivalries in every part of the country that pit friend against friend and brother against brother. Here are some of the most contentious gridiron battles that will be fought later this month.
The Iron Bowl
In Alabama, when you meet someone for the first time, there’s a good chance that one of the questions you’ll be asked is “Alabama or Auburn?” The Saturday after Thanksgiving is set aside every year for this all-out war. The two schools have met 89 times, with Alabama claiming victory in 51 games, Auburn 37 and one game ending in a tie. Alabama has dominated in recent years, taking 8 of the last 10 matchups.
“The Game”
In the Midwest, there’s no matchup that comes close to the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry, which players and fans from both schools simply refer to as “the Game.” The teams have met 119 times, with the Wolverines winning 62 of those contests, including the last four. On three occasions, when the two teams met, both were in the top four teams in the nation. The 2006 matchup between the two, where No. 1 Ohio State beat No. 2 Michigan 42-39, is considered by many to be the “Game of the Century” in college football.
The Battle of LA
On the West Coast, there’s no rivalry to match that of the Trojans and the Bruins, who have met 92 times to determine who will take home the Victory Bell. This battle has featured many future NFL hall-of-famers, including O.J. Simpson, Ronnie Lott, Charles White and Troy Aikman. The Victory Bell goes to the winning team, which repaints its carriage to the school’s colors and sits on the sidelines during the game, ringing out to celebrate every time a touchdown is scored.
Army-Navy
That’s all you need to say. While this contest doesn’t feature the star power of the other top rivalries, it’s the only one that has its own week during the college football season. The two squads have battled it out 125 times, with the Midshipmen winning 63, the Cadets 55 and seven games ending in a tie.
