With the college football season set to kickoff this Thursday night, it's time to spotlight the sport with this weeks top 5. In this edition, we look at the top 5 rivalries in college sports and while their can only be one number one, each of these are as heated as they come.
1. Ohio State vs. Michigan: Michigan leads series 57-43-6
Known as The Game, the Ohio State Michigan matchup is easily the greatest rivalry in college sports. They have played each other once a season since 1897 and the result of this game has historically gone a long way to determine the Big Ten winner, and more recently, the National Championship. Back in 1937, they moved this game to the spot it's currently in, the last game of the season. The most famed stretch between these two teams came between 1969 and 1979 when each team was coached by future Hall of Fame coaches. For Ohio State, it was Woody Hayes, and for Michigan, it was Bo Schembechler. This time was called the Ten Year War and went a long way in cementing this storied rivalry.
2. Oklahoma vs. Texas: Texas leads series 59-40-5
Commonly known as the Red River Shootout, the rivalry between Oklahoma and Texas has been going on since 1900. The rivalry gets its name from the Red River that forms part of the boundary between the states of Texas and Oklahoma. The winner of this matchup traditionally wins three trophy's; the Golden Hat, the Red River Rivalry trophy and the Governors' trophy.
3. Auburn vs. Alabama: Alabama leads series 40-33-1
The Iron Bowl, which gets its name from the historic role of the region in the Iron and steel industry, is a heated rivalry that pits Auburn against Alabama. The two teams have been playing each other once a year since 1893, with the winner receiving the Foy-ODK Sportmanship award.
4. Army vs. Navy: Navy leads the series 54-49-7
Easily one of the more nationally known games, the Army-Navy game pits the nations top two armed forces services against each other for bragging rights galore. Not only is this a game for these two squads but it's usually the last competitive football game for the seniors on each team as they head on to fulfill service requirements. But no matter how heated the rivalry, both squads get together at the end of every game to sing the winning and losing team’s Alma-maters to the academy students.
5. USC vs. Notre Dame: Notre Dame leads 42-33-5
While not the longest rivalry on this list, having started in 1926, this may be the most heated as these are two teams that have a history of greatness. Both USC and Notre Dame have 11 National Championships and 7 Heismann Trophy winners apiece and when they meet, the sparks fly. The winner of the matchup traditionally takes home the Jeweled Shillelagh. The shillelagh is a Gaelic war club that was given by the Norte Dame Alumni chapter in Los Angeles to commemorate the beginning of the rivalry. After each game, a ruby Trojan or an emerald shamrock is added to the club.
