Previously I talked about the greatest college football rivalries going
today. Every rivalry cannot be great and there are those that have
fallen by the wayside. Rivalries have faded from the national spotlight
for things such as one team leaving a conference to the records of one
or both teams not being great anymore. These are rivalries that now take
a backseat.
Florida State vs. Miami
During the 80’s and 90’s this
game had all the makings of a heavyweight fight. Both teams were
consistently ranked in the top 10 and both had a pipeline sending talent
to The National Football League. It was a competition for both schools
to see which team would have more players picked in the first round of
The NFL Draft. The 2000 Baltimore Ravens won The Super Bowl with
arguably one of the greatest defenses in history. Three defensive
starters from that unit linebacker Ray Lewis (Miami), cornerback Duane
Starks (Miami), and linebacker Peter Boulware (Florida State) emerged
from this rivalry.
Whether it was The Orange Bowl in Miami or Doak-Campbell Stadium in
Tallahassee, the place was rocking. During that time The Florida State
Seminoles were a successful field goal away from defeating The Miami
Hurricanes on three different occasions only to see all three attempts
sail wide right. The rivalry was supposed to intensify once The ‘Canes
joined The Atlantic Coast Conference in 2005. Both teams were placed in
separate divisions of the conference allowing them to meet in The ACC
Championship Game. So far it hasn’t panned out as The ‘Noles have made
it twice while The Hurricanes have yet to qualify.
Both schools dominated the state of Florida in recruiting with the likes
of Warren Sapp (Miami) and Deion Sanders (Florida State). Recently
these two schools have been passed by the likes of The Florida Gators
who have won two BCS Championships since 2006. The Seminoles appear to
be on the way back under head coach Jimbo Fisher who is trying to
replace a legend in Bobby Bowden. Fisher won 10 games during his first
season in Tallahassee which included a road win over Miami last season.
The Hurricanes are countering with Al Golden. Golden is entering his
first year at Miami and is looking to bring some magic with him. Golden
did the unthinkable as he was able to lead The Temple Owls to two
consecutive winning seasons and a bowl berth in 2009. Both teams seem
poised to start the season in the top 25 and this one may not be far
from once again garnering the national spotlight.
Nebraska vs. Oklahoma
These two titans of college
football would clash on Thanksgiving weekend every year with The Big 8
Championship at stake. If The Oklahoma Sooners won they generally were
Fiesta Bowl bound while The Nebraska Cornhuskers were headed to Miami
for The Orange Bowl. In 1971 this rivalry produced what many observers
deemed “The Game of The Century” where The ‘Huskers and Sooners entered
the game ranked #1 and #2 respectively. The combination of Johnny
Rodgers and Jeff Kinney torched Oklahoma combining for five touchdowns
leading Nebraska to a 35-31 win. When The Big 12 Conference was formed
in 1996 both teams joined and they were placed in separate divisions.
They now had different dance partners at the end of the season. Oklahoma
clashed with in-state rival Oklahoma State while Nebraska and Colorado
faced off. These two only met once in The Big 12 Championship Game in
2006 which was won by Oklahoma. This rivalry has all but faded away as
Nebraska has taken their talents to The Big Ten Conference.
Tennessee vs. Florida
While Steve Spurrier was the
head coach of The Florida Gators he said “The loser of this game would
play in The Citrus Bowl”, he was usually correct. From 1992 to 2001 The
Tennessee Volunteers and The Florida Gators were the only two teams to
represent The Eastern Division in The SEC Championship Game. Both had
deadly big play receivers in Ike Hilliard (Florida) and Peerless Price
(Tennessee) who both helped their teams to defeat The Florida State
Seminoles en route to national titles. Volunteer quarterback Peyton
Manning was America’s sweetheart but he couldn’t beat the boys from
Gainesville. For the 90’s and the early 2000’s both teams were ranked in
the top ten, but recently The Vols have fallen on tough times and have
not been able to keep up with The Gators. The rivalry appeared to be
coming back into the national spotlight when Lane Kiffin took over as
head coach at Tennessee in 2009, but after one season that included
recruiting violations and trash talking toward Gator head coach Urban
Meyer, Kiffin bolted for The University of Southern California.
Currently, The Gators have won six straight and turned the game into
their own scrimmage.
UCLA vs. USC
For years both The UCLA Bruins and USC Trojans
called The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum home. In 1982 The Bruins moved
to The Rose Bowl in nearby Pasadena, but prior to that when these two
played they both wore their home jerseys as both teams claimed The
Coliseum as home. When these two clashed a berth in The Rose Bowl was on
the line whether it was The Pac-8 or Pac-10 Conference. The Trojans had
“student body right” and the gorgeous cheerleaders while The Bruins
countered with pure hatred for “The Men of Troy”. These two have
combined for 45 Rose Bowl appearances and a who’s who in The College
Football Hall of Fame ranging from Troy Aikman (UCLA) to O.J. Simpson
(USC).
This rivalry has lost some luster due to The Trojans dominance. Since
1999 The Trojans are 11-1 versus the crosstown Bruins. The Trojans have
recently been slammed by The NCAA for violations which included a
two-year postseason ban. With that The Bruins are still lagging in
recruiting in Southern California which gives you an idea of how one
sided this rivalry has become.
Alabama vs. Tennessee
Roll Tide versus Rocky was once the buzz of the south as The Alabama
Crimson Tide and Tennessee Volunteers meet in what is called “The Third
Saturday in October”. Like the rivalry with The Florida Gators, this
rivalry has taken a step back due to The Volunteers mediocrity. It
hasn’t helped the folks in Knoxville that both The Tide and Gators have
won BCS titles recently. Great such as Derrick Thomas (Alabama) and
Jamal Lewis (Tennessee) went at it for southern supremacy. Although The
Tide leads the all-time series 48-38-7, this rivalry can once again
emerge if Tennessee can make themselves a national presence.
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