College Rivalries: Which ones are the best?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Many people define rivalries in terms of athletics (USC-UCLA, Duke-U North Carolina, U Texas-Oklahoma), others will define them within a city or a local community (Northwestern-U Chicago, Stanford-UC Berkeley) and still others will define them in academic terms (Harvard-Yale or maybe pick your department and state your case).</p>

<p>What are the best rivalries that you see and how does that affect the school's campus and the overall undergraduate experience? If you've got some fun stories to tell that reveal the passion of the rivalry, then please share them.</p>

2

<p>The Harvard-Yale thing is athletic and academic to be sure, but even broader than that. The week leading up to the Harvard-Yale game is the trigger for a trash-talking showdown between the editorial staffs of the two campus papers, who seem to vie to be the most creative and erudite in their putdowns. For instance, see <a href="http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=515803%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=515803&lt;/a>. The irony is that the whole thing is tongue-in-cheek. It'd be hard to find two more similar schools or student bodies that are joined at the hip as these are.</p>

3

<p>Cornell vs. Harvard in ice hockey:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.ivygateblog.com/blog/2006/11/the_real_real_game.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.ivygateblog.com/blog/2006/11/the_real_real_game.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p><a href="http://www.ivygateblog.com/blog/2006/11/cornell_hockey_fans_winners_all.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.ivygateblog.com/blog/2006/11/cornell_hockey_fans_winners_all.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

4

<p>Ohio State-University of Michigan is a big rivalry, though lots of people on CC will say they don't compare academically. This extends throughout both states, and it creates a lot of hype the week before the annual football game in November. There is all kinds of trash talking and decorating of offices and people wearing team colors.</p>

5

<p>The biggest rivalry is ohio state-Michigan. It isn't even close. Sure Harvard-Yale has been around a while, but there are simply not as many hardcore alum or students. Almost everyone in michigan and ohio gets into to. Does MA go against CT?</p>

6

<p>Yea, there is no bigger rivalry than OSU - Michigan.</p>

7

<p>Lehigh and Lafayette (football especially)</p>

8

<p>I don't care about either team but I've got to agree that if OSU-Michigan isn't #1 its top 3. If either one had a football team I'd put UNC-Duke at #1.</p>

9

<p>Duke UNC is hardcore, kids stay in tents for a couple of months.
Ohio State PSU, as is Michigan, also hardcore. Big 10 is good for rivalries.
Texas-Oklahoma, even in bball.</p>

<p>Comparing Lehigh-Lafayette to any of those is a joke.</p>

10

<p>penn state vs pitt</p>

11

<p>I think the difference is that while UNC/Duke is a huge rivalry, I'm pretty sure that most OSU fans would gladly hit the demolition button on the Michigan stadium during a Michigan game (not involving OSU) and vice versa.</p>

12

<p>While the Lehigh-Lafayette rivalry isn't as big as the Big 10 schools, it still is a GREAT rivalry... so no, it's not a joke... The Big 10 schools have great rivalries & a much larger sized student body than Lehigh and Lafayette... so, when you take size of school into consideration, I second that Lehigh & Lafayette DO have a great rivalry.</p>

13

<p>As someone who knows nothing about this (always a great way to preface a statement...)</p>

<p>I'd say the best rivalries must be the ones I know of as a know-nothing--which would be</p>

<p>Harvard vs Yale
Ohio State vs Michigan
Duke vs UNC</p>

14

<p>agree with Johnny</p>

<p>Btw, I don't want to sound like I dislike Lehigh, I love Lehigh and go there almost every school break I have, and every couple of weekends in the summer. However, I was at Lehigh hanging out the few days before the Lehigh-Laf game last year and it was a two day thing. People pregamed, made fun of Laf for being a safety school, then Lehigh got dominated, no one was really sad and no one really cared...business as usual. </p>

<p>In contrast, its suicide watch after PSU-Ohio State or Michigan-OSU, or Duke-UNC.</p>

15

<p>Florida-Georgia
Florida-FSU
Florida-Tennessee
USC-UCLA
Auburn-Alabama
Stanford-UCB (sports, academics)
MIT-Caltech (academics)</p>

16

<p>in womens sports, its gotta be uconn vs tennessee. it just gets ugly.</p>

17

<p>For men's ice hockey--Wisconsin v Minnesota and Wisconsin v North Dakota are huge. Dead badgers have been thrown on the ice at away games at UM and UND.</p>

18

<p>If you've ever been to U Texas-Oklahoma or U Texas-Texas A&M or U Alabama-Auburn or U Florida-U Georgia, you've seen real passion in the stands (and MAJOR LEAGUE tailgating in the parking lots :) ). And the parties…. oh, the parties….truly sheer unadulterated fun. </p>

<p>USC-UCLA is an absolutely wonderful scene where the games often have national championship implications and the intensity and emotion in a large stadium is positively electric.</p>

19

<p>Indiana and Purdue. If you live in Indiana you know what I'm talking about. It literally divides the state, and it doesn't help that they are both big ten schools in the same state.</p>

20

<p>whoever said penn state and pitt must not live in the state of pennsylvania or watch sports. it's a very very weak rivalry because they aren't in the same confrence and haven't played eachother in years. All of these other rivalries are great, but as many before have said, Michigan vs. Ohio State is above and beyond the best rivalry in sports.</p>