Since it is that time of year, I thought I would gage the PB world for their vote for top college football rivalry.

Criteria for selection:

1. It has to be a 60-40 percent win-loss ratio or closer.
2. Has to have played continuously for 30 years or more.
3. If it has a catchy name to the game. Not a requirement but it helps
4. Must traditionally have impact on conference/national championship standings.

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Chris Bryant
Attending Redeemer Presbyterian Church (PCA), McKinney, TX
Member of Christ Presbyterian Church (PCA), Tulsa, OK
M.A.R., WTS/Redeemer Seminary, Dallas, TX (in progress)

Georgia/Florida has to rank up there as a top rivalry; it can make the difference of who goes on to the Sugar. Georgia/Georgia Tech has gone on forever -- however they are in different conferences so it won't meet your 4th criterion.

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JWithnell
Member Bethel OPC
Virginia
http://learningyesican.blogspot.com/

Michigan-Ohio State is #1. End of story.

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Benjamin P. Glaser, M. Div, Licentiate, Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church
Member Fairmount ARP Church
Pittsburgh, PA

Deo Vindice

Wow! These are pretty strict requirements. I think if you remove criteria #4 you may get more rivalries that fit the bill.

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Ben
Chaplain, US Army
Ft. Riley, KS
TE Ohio Valley Presbytery, PCA

I would normally say Georgia v. Florida, because that fits all the criteria. But it hasn't been a close win percentage for the past 15 years or more, since Florida has Georgia's number. Actually, all the games since around 2000 were close for most of the decade (7 points or less I think), until two years ago when Georgia won by double digits, and last year when Florida annihilated Georgia.

But, actually, I don't know why Georgia v. Auburn isn't considered more of a rivalry game. I believe it's one of the longest series in the SEC. Not only is it nearly 50-50 in wins, the number of points scored over the course of the series is nearly equal. Because it always occurs near the end of the season, it usually impacts conference standings. Unfortunately, it doesn't have a cool name for the game. Part of the reason it gets overshadowed is because the Iron Bowl follows in one or two weeks.

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Tim Phillips
Pastor, Midlane Park Presbyterian Church (ARP)
Louisville, KY
Husband of Scottish Lass
My Blog: Gairney Bridge
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"Wherever the gospel is preached, it is as if God Himself came into the midst of us." ~ John Calvin

Some good possibilities:

1. Ohio State vs Michigan
2. Florida vs LSU
3. Texas vs Oklahoma

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Joshua F
Layman
Mountain View Community Church (Missionary Church Denomination)
Johnstown, CO

The Deep South's Oldest Rivalry (Auburn vs. Georgia) was considered, probably should be on the list but I already have Auburn in a rivalry game (with Alabama) and I didn't want too many SEC games on the list.

SEC is such a tough conference that the rivalries run long and deep. And a southerner doesn't forget much. Clemson endeared itself to Georgia one time -- something to do with painting all these tiger paw prints on highways connecting the schools (most are in Georgia).

Absolutely. I don't think there is any that has been so close for so long with so much implication. You cant judge bythe last couple of years.

The only one that I think is close is Notre Dame and USC.

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Fred Greco
Senior Pastor, Christ Church PCA (Katy, TX)
Christ Church Blog

"The heart is the main thing in true religion...It is the hinge and turning-point in the condition of man's soul. If the heart is alive to God and quickened by the Spirit, the man is a living Christian. If the heart is dead and has not the Spirit, the man is dead before God." (J.C. Ryle)

You're absolutely wrong Fred. College football isn't a religion up north as it is down south, therefore it cannot even begin to qualify.

DTK

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Sola Scriptura est norma normans non normata
D. T. King, pastor
Christ Presbyterian Church (OPC)
Elkton, Maryland
Augustine (354-430): Therefore what He [i.e., Christ] has deigned to speak to us, we ought to believe that He meant us to understand. But if we do not understand He, being asked, gives understanding, who gave His Word unasked. NPNF1: Vol. VII, Tractates on John, Tractate XXII, §1.

I voted Michigan-Ohio State, but I may be skewed by my Midwest location. A 35-point difference last year is not indicative of the intensity with which that game is played. I think if you were to judge it by the enormity of the game in relation to National Championship implications, you would have to rate Oklahoma-Texas right at the top, kind of how Miami-FSU was in the early '90s, and this year should be no exception.

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Kipp Soncek
Pastoral Ministry Apprentice--Grace Church of Dupage
Student--Midwest Center for Theological Studies
Illinois; 1689 LBCF
But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.
Acts 20:24

There are plenty of Notre Dame, Michigan, Ohio State, and Penn State fans that would beg to differ - 4 biggest fan bases in the country.

The Game is definitely the best rivalry for historical implications, size of the program, fan following, and annual importance...

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Mason
Member, Redeemer Presbyterian Church (PCA)
New York, NY

"Come now, and let us reason together," says the Lord, "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool." - Isaiah 1:18

You must have never lived in Ohio, then.

Where I'm from (Canton, OH) there are only three things of true importance in life:

1. God
2. McKinley v. Massillon (oldest surviving football rivalry)
3. THE Ohio State v. Michigan game

Not necessarily in that order for everyone.

Family, friends, jobs, the Cleveland Browns, etc... all come in a distant fourth or so.

But, seriously, THE Ohio State v. Michigan game as the greatest rivalry should be without dissent. What other rivalry has ever had nationally aired commercials that made sense to everyone?
THE Ohio State v. Michigan is the greatest rivalry! All arguments for other rivalries are based on the logical fallacy that other teams matter.

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Ray Nearhood
Layman
Rockdale Community Church (a Reformed Baptist Fellowship)
Conyers, GA
LBC 1689
Husband of Evelyn , Father of Oren and Elijah
"To suppose that whatever God requireth of us that we have power of ourselves to do, is to make the cross and grace of Jesus Christ of none effect." -

Ray,

What's with the picture of the tiny Stadium? Couldn't find one of the Big House?

Though I am pretty sure my buddies in Boone have one taped to their wall...



-----Added 8/13/2009 at 11:45:48 EST-----

Of course my favorite rivalry is the Backyard Brawl

The University of Pittsburgh v. West Virginia University

PITT IS IT!!!

It's not that, Fred, it's just that I didn't want to embarrass anyone.


Just sayin'... that's all.

I am partial to the Civil War between Oregon State and University of Oregon. This is one of the oldest rivalries...I think.
But because it was not an option I went with USC vs ND so that I can give the West Coast a little bit of love.
I really do enjoy watching Ohio State vs. Michigan, and I gained a lot more respect for the Auburn vs. Alabama rivalry when I found out Alabama does not have a pro football team.

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Brian Vandenburg
Member of Westminster Presbyterian Church (PCA)
Vancouver, WA
"The authority of the Holy Scripture, for which it ought to be believed, and obeyed, depends not upon the testimony of any man, or Church; but wholly upon God (who is truth itself) the author thereof: and therefore it is to be received, because it is the Word of God."-Westminster Confession of Faith

Taking criteria #4 into consideration, there is no other rivalry that is even close. Notre Dame has 13 National Championships and USC 11.

But if stadium size is the deciding factor, then I guess you could tip your hat to Michigan vs. Ohio State.

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"When a man discovers the sickness of sin, he is cast down and afflicted; nay, he despairs. The law does not help him; much less can he heal himself. Another light is needed to reveal a remedy. This is the voice of the gospel, which displays Christ as the Deliverer from all these evil things." -Martin Luther

Jeff Scott
Covenant Presbyterian Church- Chicago (PCA)

Fellows, when it comes to rivalries and rabid fans there is no place like the South. I have lived all over this nation and been in the middle of football my whole life. The way some fans are in the South is almost enough to make me want to disown them. And the worst of it is right here in my home state. You have not seen rabid fans until you see Bammers. Stadium size does not equate fanaticism.

BTW, as far as what is the best rivalry? Too many variables over too long a span of time. Another way of looking at it would be:

What is the best nostalgic rivalry?
What is the most consistent rivalry?
What rivalry has the most rabid adherents?

I don't believe there is any single rivalry that meets the OP criteria.

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We shall not adjust our Bible to the age; but before we have done with it, by God's grace, we shall adjust the age to the Bible. - Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Lawrence Underwood, Jr.
Pastor - Providence Family Fellowship / Mobile, Alabama
1644/46 LBC
My Blog - Imprimis

I like your criteria. Putting aside all of my love for THE Ohio State for a moment, I still vote that THE Ohio State v. Michigan game meets the criteria above all others.

It is the most viewed game of the year, isn't it?

I agree OSU vs. "That state up north" and Notre Dame vs USC are the best rivalries in college hands down. I like OSU and Dame (even though they are Catholic). Interesting story: My old youth pastor (Baptist) was invited to teach theology at Notre Dame.

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Joseph F Scibbe
Chaplain Assistant
Chapel of Wings Ft Rucker Al
Ephesians 1:4-7, 1 Thessalonians 2:8, Romans 12:1-2
Titus 2:2 - But you, teach what accords with sound doctrine.

http://twitter.com/just_joe_scibbe

Absolutely. It's not even close.

-----Added 8/14/2009 at 09:40:12 EST-----

You mean Michigan vs. that state down south.

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Daniel
PCA
Memphis, TN

Look at this year: Florida is going in ranked #1 and Georgia #13. Both schools have to get past each other and Alabama (#5), Mississippi (10) and LSU (#9). And Georgia has to get past its old nemesis Georgia Tech (#15) which isn't a conference game, but a notch in the loss column doesn't do you much good. I don't think any other conference offers that kind of intensity. BTW, I was looking at the Coaches Poll.

I'll give it to you, the SEC is tops. Currently. Not many can deny that, given their recent success on the field and present dominance in recruiting.

But it won't always be that way. Someone else will be at the top before long. The strength of rivalries is formed over decades.

I don't know why anything would change. The SEC has always been the toughest conference in college football. I once heard one of the greatest football coaches ever, who has coached in more than one conference say the same thing. His name? Lou Holtz. His opinion was that one reason that the conference does not have more national champions than it does is that the interconference play is so tough that the records don't show how good the teams really are.

I disagree.

Ah, I get it. So when the SEC wins a lot of NCs (like Florida and LSU recently) it shows they're the best. When they are NOT winning a lot of NCs, it shows they are the best.

I've lived in SEC land my whole life, and I've heard the argument time and time again: "The SEC doesn't have to schedule difficult non-conference games because their conference games are already so hard." It's a cop-out.. Again, I think the SEC is currently the strongest, but they should be scheduling more difficult games.

It also helps they play all their bowl games in home stadiums. I'd like to see Florida or LSU play in Ann Arbor or State College in January.

HAHAHA.

I'm pretty sure all of my southern friends would agree whole heartedly with that statement. I finally had to stop discussing football with them, because they couldn't over the fact that they went to school in the SEC. This, obviously, meant that they knew everything about good football and I knew nothing.

And I vote for the Ohio/Michigan rivalry. You can have the SEC. There is nothing like football in the midwest.

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Kathleen M
nondenominational
Montana

Give me a break with the ESPN/SEC East coast bias. How can USC vs UCLA not even be on the poll?

USC has won 55% of the games, but UCLA owns the longest winning streak (8 games). It has huge PAC-10 implications. And give me a break! 30 years or more? Try 78!

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Although the last few years have not been much fun for me I have to say UM vs OSU. I guess I'm biased though.

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Nate
Protestant Reformed Churches in America
Ann Arbor, MI

The Big Game: Cal v. Stanford. End of debate.

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Jon Peters
Member, Reformation Fellowship (OPC) (Roseville, CA)
Folsom, CA

You dare deride the SEC? I'm shocked.

Football is a lot like the mode of baptism, there will be no agreement until we reach heaven. Then we will know.

Frankly, I don't even watch much football any longer. I don't have the time and the older I get the less it matters. I enjoy a good game as much as anyone, probably more than most. But, in the fall if I have spare time after spending time with my family I'd rather be walking the fields behind a good bird dog, be hunkered down in a duck blind, be stalking with my long bow in hand, or trying to catch one of those wily winter trout on a midge.

OK, I have no problem giving credit to OSU v. Mich for such a great historical rivalry. But let's put a few things into perspective. Michigan is WAY DOWN right now (though that should change in the next couple of years, once Rodriguez gets his personnel into the school). And the conference is generally WEAK. In recent years, it wasn't much of a problem for the schools to zip through the schedule and wind up facing each other the last game of the season with hardly a blemish on their records. And to boot, neither school has to come back the following week and play in a title game to decide who gets a BCS birth (and come back with this "oh, that IS the Big Ten title game" nonsense -- any conference worth its salt would put those two schools in the same division, forcing them to play each other each year and then having to play another school like Penn State the following week).

One stat worth noting -- OSU has NEVER beaten a SEC school in a bowl game.

I'll have a whole lot more respect for the Little Ten once they accomplish two things:

1) Actually have a conference championship game (how long did it take for them to do that in basketball?). Yes, I know the NCAA mandates that there be 12 teams in a conference before they can have such a game. So why not get rid of this "major independent" nonsense and force Notre Dame to be a Big Ten school (if it wants to be able to be a part of the BCS picture), which it practically is anyway?
2) Actually be able to tell the difference between ten and eleven.

Ken, it seems as though a rivalry loses its luster if it is not competitive for a number of years. That, coupled with the geographical bias we all have, has led to a devaluing of the USC-UCLA rivalry. A shame really. If Michigan does not turn their program around, that rivalry will be in the same danger.

Due to the Big 10's Academic requirements for admission the only two options for inclusion is Notre Dame or my alma mater, Pitt.

Yes, and I believe the Big "10" has raised the possibility to Notre Dame in the past -- but why would they join a conference when they have such a sweet deal as an Independent (special status to be a part of the BCS, and not having to share the money with the rest of a conference if they do). Notre Dame is a blight on modern day college football; if they were a part of the Big "10" then the conference would be having a championship game and we wouldn't be having this conversation.

Pitt will not join the Big 10 because Pitt is a Basketball school first and plays in a Basketball conference (Big East).

Really? I did not know that. I know Pitt has won at least one FB national title (by beating my beloved Bulldogs back in 1976/77 -- thanks, Tony Dorsett ). Have they ever won a basketball championship?

Pitt has won 9 National Football Titles. Pitt has 2 National Basketball Titles.