<p>I think the best rivalries are those in which it's not only sports that matter, but academics too. Subsequently, people can argue not only which has better athletics, but which is ranked higher, which has more top 10 programs, etc. This of course throws out rivalries like UMich/OSU. The best in this regard are:</p>
<p>UCLA/USC:
One has the most NCAA titles of any university and the richest basketball tradition. The other has the most NCAA men's titles, the most Olympians, the most Olympic medalists, and one of the richest football traditions of any university. They overlap academically.</p>
<p>Stanford/Berkeley:
Less prestigious athletic histories than the above schools but more prestigious academically. They also certainly overlap.</p>
<p>Harvard/Yale:
To some, the Harvard/Yale game still matters.</p>
<p>1) Alabama vs. Auburn- - No question this is the biggest rivalry. I don't know who thought Harvard and Yale could even compare to this. The state stops on the day of the Iron Bowl, and it is talked about year round. And despite popular belief, it's not just football. I want Alabama to beat Auburn in everything, including the US News rankings (which we did)</p>
<p>2) Army vs. Navy-- When I went to the Naval Academy last summer we chanted "Go Navy Sir! Beat Army Sir!" after every pushup and situp and every night before bed. We sang songs against Army as we ran. If this isnt more intense than say, Harvard and Yale, then I dont know what intensity is.</p>
<p>I forgot to mention and no one else has either...</p>
<p>As I'm in the South, I'm most familiar with the big Southern school rivalries... including a very heated one between Clemson and the other USC, Uni. of South Carolina. I heard that one's pretty good.</p>
<p>"The other has the most NCAA men's titles, the most Olympians, the most Olympic medalists, "</p>
<p>i know this is supposed to be a reference for usc, but just a fun fact: if UCLA were its own country in the 2004 Olympics, it would've ranked 14th overall in the medal count!!!!!!!!!!</p>
<p>what wcasey said speaks volumes about the rivalry. At West Point, there's a building, and on the roof in huge letters, is painted "Beat Navy".</p>
<p>I also like the Army / Navy rivalry because both teams know, in the end, they're really on the same team. While many rivalries are driven from hatred, I think the foundation of Army / Navy is respect.</p>
<p>Indeed, UCLA actually beat out USC this year as USC would've only placed 16th as a nation. Though we DID tie in the number of gold medals at 17.</p>
<p>The BEST college rivalry is by far.....Maryland vs. Duke, and I'm not just saying that because I like in Maryland. But at our school, students even payed a teacher to wear Duke gear, because she, and everyone else are such die hard Maryland fans.</p>
<p>Come to think about it, Stanford/Berkeley rivalry is pretty good. It is a two-way massacre. Stanford utterly annihilates Berkeley in academics and Berkeley utterly annihilates Stanford in football.</p>
<p>"Stanford utterly annihilates Berkeley in academics and Berkeley utterly annihilates Stanford in football."</p>
<p>Not true. Berkeley might have "annihilated" Stanford in football last year, but you have to remember that four or so years ago Stanford routinely annihilated Berkeley in football.</p>