Totally agree. For a stretch of years(the Nineties & early 2000's, I believe), the underdog would win this game. IMO, it is THE best rivalry game in college football.
In my lowly opinion, the Iron Bowl is just another in-state rivalry, much like the Egg Bowl (Ole' Miss vs Mississippi State), or USC vs UCLA, or Oregon vs Oregon State. If you want a genuine all-out rivalry, nothing compares to the Border War - Missouri vs Kansas. This rivalry has its origins in the Civil War, when a Missouri Confederate guerrilla group known as Quantrill's Raiders burned Lawrence, Kansas - stronghold of the anti-slavery forces known as "Jayhawkers", and home of the University of Kansas. And... what makes the "Border War" so special, is that it isn't confined to football - the basketball team, and the baseball team all contribute to the rivalry! The football teams have been battling since 1891, the baseball teams since 1899, and the basketball teams have been goin' at it since 1907. These two schools have been going at it for over 100 years, and I guarantee you that if Missouri leaves the Big-12 for the SEC, they'll still schedule a yearly game against Kansas - the rivalry between these two is that intense!
are you serious? In football I have ZERO respect for the Big 10 but nothing compares with Ohio State/Michigan. either team could go undefeated all season but lose that game, and the fans hate the coach. Shoot, look up on youtube some videos about the rivalry. I have a good friend who moved from Ohio and is an OSU alumni and he told me stories..........wow.
This is Stanford's year and they just beat the 2nd best team in the nation. And the 2nd best team in the nation will be watching the bowl games on TV.
No doubt "The Game" is an intense rivalry, but two things... "The Game" began play in 1897 - six years after MU and KU. Also, "The Game" doesn't have it's roots in the Civil War, when Confederate forces from Ohio burned down Ann Arbor and murdered 200 citizens. Plus, "The Game" is only about football. The MU/KU rivalry goes beyond football into basketball and baseball. While "The Game" is played in either Ann Arbor or Columbus, the "Border War" isn't - it's played at a neutral site, Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. The college football tradition known as "homecoming" got its start when alumni from Mizzou were asked to return to Columbia to support the football team in the 1911 game against Kansas. Lastly, the football "Border War" is either tied at 55-55-9, or else Mizzouri leads 56-54-9 if you count the forfeit on the 1960 game due to cheating by Kansas. Trust me on this brother, the "Border War" between Kansas and Missouri is like tailgating at "The Grove" at Ole' Miss - there may be others, but there ain't nuthin' like this one!
Army vs. Navy, nothing compares in my opinon in terms of tradition. Harvard vs. Yale is also huge... These football rivalries go back well over a century...and developed shortly after the sport of football was played by colleges and universities. Long standing history behind those games. Of course college football is full of traditional rivalries, and each has it's own aura about them. Certainly Ohio State vs. Michigan also has a rich tradition behind it.
Comparing Army/Navy or Harvard/Yale to The Game - you nuts? It's like comparing two kids that don't get along fighting on recess to Ali vs Frazier. Does the Harvard/Yale game even get televised? There is no rivalry like OSU/Michigan - period. http://espn.go.com/endofcentury/s/other/bestrivalries.html
When Michigan burns down the campus in Columbus and murders 200 citizens, get back to me about rivals. BTW - Has anybody mentioned the "Red River Rivalry" - Texas versus Oklahoma?
So your basis is popularity? I can't agree with that... ask any sport's historian and they'll arrive at a consensus that Army vs. Navy is one of the most storied traditions in all of college sports. Where did I say OSU vs. Michigan wasn't great either. Sports is full of them, it's difficult to say which one's best, but the basis shouldn't be how many people watch, each rivalry matters for different reasons. Harvard vs. Yale - 1875 Army vs. Navy - 1890 OSU vs. Michigan - 1897 All solid rivalries for sure, never said otherwise, but you dismiss the other two merely because the teams are never in contention for championships...that doesn't negate the value of the rivalry... Certainly this year neither OSU or Michigan is vying for the top spot, it's kind of a meaningless game in terms of the NCAA Bowl championship...but it's still an important rivalry.
It's only considered a rivalry because people care - and the number of people who care about OSU/Michigan dwarfs Army/Navy 20 to 1. There are dozens of football rivalries - the vast majority of them irrelevant to anyone outside of the game itself. Hell, I was in the Army and could care less about that rivalry - two below par programs engaging in bad football is hardly anything to write home about. National titles, Heisman trophies, and Big Ten titles are won and lost in The Game.
That is absolutely ridiculous... No one on the East or West coast cares about Ohio State vs. Michigan unless their transplants..and the East and West coasts are 75% of the population... You care because you're from Ohio...someone from New York or California doesn't care... to them it's the Yankees vs. Red Sox for NewYork, and California, well they're too busy surfing to care much about anything else... Trust me, folks outside of the Mid-West don't care about OSU vs. Michigan, they may watch but there's no dog in the hunt. Do you think folks from Alabama care? They have Alabama vs. Auburn to care about... You're stuck in your little Ohio world thinking the planet revolves around Michigan and OSU and it doesn't. Only in those States do folks really care...but it's still a great rivalry I never said otherwise...
A. It has and will always be voted as the greatest rivalry game in college football by all major sports outlets. B. No school in the country has a fan base as large as Ohio State C. The #1 winningest college football program vs the #5 winningest program. D. You can disagree all you want, the television numbers speak for themselves. The number of viewers OSU/Michigan will attract puts to shame any other rivalry game every single year.
Absolutely! "Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate" is another great rivalry - Georgia vs Georgia Tech. It's a hard-fought game, a great rivalry, but matters little outside of the state of Georgia - much like the "Bedlam Series", Oklahoma vs Oklahoma State. In my lowly opinion, the best rivalrys go beyond the traditional "in-state school versus in-state school", or the regional battles. The best rivalrys have some true difference or mutual dislike at their core - the Irish Catholics of Notre Dame versus the Irish Protestants of Syracuse, the Jesuits of Georgetown versus the Augustinians of Villanova. That's why Army versus Navy is such a great rivalry - it's the soldiers against the sailors! BTW - Missouri versus Kansas is #2 on the list for number of games played at 119, the #1 leader being Minnesota versus Wisconsin at 120. Army versus Navy is eleventh at 111 games played, Michigan versus Ohio State is 16th with 107.
I disagree. I care about OSU vs Michigan and Texas vs OU and I have no ties to any of those schools. They are usually just good football games and that atmosphere surrounding them is great. Granted OSU/Michigan has lost some appeal to me over the last five seasons or so, but it is still awesome. Navy vs Army matters to us because it has to deal with the C-i-C trophy, but no one outside of the military other than veterans and families really care. Harvard vs Yale? Please. That rivalry only matters to three schools. Not even the other Ivy League schools care. It was huge in the early 20th century, but now it does not matter in the slightest. There is plenty of better football elsewhere.
Nice try... By Revenue Generated by sports team: Fan base.... 1: Notre Dame 2: Texas 3: Michigan 4: USC 5: Pittsburgh
Puhhlease. You pee standing up...there could be a tiddly winks championship on TV and you'd watch it... Ergo.. Your opinion is rendered moot.
Only in public stalls or when I am proving a point to my fiance. I will never be that bored, but I will not completely rule it out. I just like football and hockey and I will watch all the good rivalry games. It is the same in the NFL for me. I do not give a crap about Packers/Bears, but I will watch it. You must put your socks on before your pants, so therefore your opinion is misguided and not to be taken seriously.
Try again, this time without putting Pittsburgh in there - I nearly choked laughing at that one. You shouldn't trust nonsense from the "just ask" type of web sites BTW, they will lead you down a path of sillyness everytime. If you are looking at strictly revenue, OSU was either 1 or 2 for most of the past decade (close with Texas).
Off topic -- I remember back in the early 80's when ESPN was first on, we'd watch some pretty oddball sports - cricket games from India, mud bog racing in Louisiana, badmitton tournaments, world croquet championships... Weird sports on ESPN, and Bob Ross' The Joy of Painting on PBS - life in the dorm!
Try Forbes. Fan base generates these revenues by the way. #1 is still Notre Dame, not OSU University of Notre Dame, Fighting Irish Value: $101 million Profit: $45.8 million Conference: Independent Head Coach: Charlie Weiss http://www.forbes.com/2007/11/20/no..._1120collegeball_slide_2.html?thisSpeed=15000 Not even in the top 10...but they did make the top 20. granted this data is from 2007, they still list Tressel as head coach. Ohio State University, Buckeyes Value: $71 million Profit: $26.6 million Conference: BigTen Head Coach: Jim Tressel At $59.1 million, the Buckeyes were first among BigTen teams in revenue last season, but, dubiously, also led all of college football in expenses. The Ohio State Athletic Department spent $32.5 million on football, 71% of which happened on game days I noticed the Buckeyes were #1 in expenses. Cost money to payoff those players.
You don't even understand what you just posted. The value of a team, and fan based revenue, are two totally different matters. ND has a multi million dollar television contract for god sakes. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/2007-01-04-ohiostate-finances-cover_x.htm
Type in top 10 best college football rivalries, and you'll get 10 different answers...I did say.. in my "opinion" Army vs. Navy is the best...and you jump out of your shorts because I don't swoon when Michigan and Ohio State play? Why would I care? I didn't go to a Big 10 college, I'm not from Ohio or Michigan, I have no family in Ohio or Michigan... I have no dog in the hunt. Will I watch the game? Probably, but in my opinion, not having a dog in the hunt in the rivalry it's not that important to me... Army vs. Navy is important to me and Harvard vs. Yale only because it's the oldest rivalry. Sheesh, only someone bows down to Ohio State you get all upset, not everyone has a vested interest between Michigan and Ohio State. Many may watch the game, but that doesn't mean they care who wins.
