Top College Football Rivalries

For the most part, the college football season opens with a couple of weeks of national contenders taking on schools of somewhat lesser pedigree. Soon enough, though, the big boys get down to the more serious business of jockeying for conference titles and throwing elbows to get into the Bowl Championship Series.

Rivalries help make the college game special, and no shortage of them demand our attention each season. Here’s our take on the best of the best, understanding that others deserve consideration, too:

1. Texas vs. Oklahoma: A heated border war played out annually at a neutral site, the Cotton Bowl, during the Texas State Fair. Half the seats are occupied by fans wearing red, the other half orange. The “Red River Rivalry” is arguably the greatest spectacle in college football.

2. Michigan vs. Ohio State: For years, the Big 10 race was a one-game season, with the winner of this game headed to the Rose Bowl. Things have changed a bit, but the hatred lives on.

3. Auburn vs. Alabama: In-state bragging rights are on the line in a state that cares a little about its football. A coach who ends up on the losing end of too many of these won’t be around long.

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