Top College Football Rivalry Matchups for Saturday October 23, 2010
Here is a list of the top college football rivalry matchups this Saturday, October 23, 2010. Keep in mind these are not just the best matchups overall, as most college football programs are not competing for the BCS championship, but the games with heated rivals face off to claim this year's title over their respective rivals. Get it?? Good!
1. Notre Dame vs Navy - A classic matchup between two pretty solid teams this year, but I think the Fighting Irish will scrape this one out and take home the victory.
2. Syracuse vs West Virginia - This matchup goes all the way back to the Ernie Davis era at Syracuse back in the 1960s, in which they won their first ever National Championship. If you've seen The Express, you know just how hard it is to play in Morgantown on any given night, especially back in those days. Granted, we're 50 years removed from those tough times, but you can be sure that anything can happen in a Big East matchup when rivals square off. I predict WVU to win by at least 10.
3. Indiana vs Illinois - This would typically be a better matchup on the basketball court, but these neighboring states have no qualms battling it out against each other on the football field. I'm going to side with Indiana to pull this one out.
4. Nebraska vs Oklahoma State - Two ranked teams face off in a game that I feel could go either way.
5. Marshall vs East Carolina - Another game with historic ties. As I'm sure you're already aware, in 1970, the entire Marshall football team perished in a terrible plane crash after returning home from a game at ECU. While these two schools will always have that tragic tie to each other, they remain in-conference rivals that are fiercely competitive. I am taking ECU to win by at least two TDs.
6. Oklahoma vs Missouri - This is the only matchup that has serious national championship ties at stake. Oklahoma is ranked 3rd in the polls and 1st in the BCS polls, but I would not be surprised to see Missouri pull this one out and skyrocket up the polls in order to be considered a serious title contender. I am taking Missouri to win by 3 points at the most.
Best College Football Rivalries 2010 – Greatest College Football Rivals
Here is a list of some of the best college football rivalries:
1. Army vs Navy - Although neither of these teams have been what you might call "good" in recent memory, this rivalry takes the top spot for greatest and longest lasting college football rivalry. The first Army-Navy game was held in 1890 and has been played every year for the past 80 years. Navy currently holds the lead in the series, with a 54-49-7 record against Army.
2. Michigan vs Ohio State - If this list was only about modern college football rivalries, this matchup would probably take first place. Everyone knows that Michigan fans and Ohio State fans hate each other on gameday and simply don't like each other every other day of the year. Both of these programs have been perennial powerhouses the past 20 years and are consistently found at the top of the college football polls. Michigan holds an edge at 57-43-6, but the 2010 game will be one of the best games of the season as Ohio State is currently ranked 2nd in the country and Michigan is not far behind. And that Michigan Quarterback Denard Robinson aka Shoelace is a freak of nature.
3. Auburn vs Alabama - This matchup takes third place. The SEC is constantly one of, if not THE, best college football conferences in the country and Auburn and Alabama are almost always in the thick of it. Alabama is currently ranked number 1 in the country after their undefeated season and national championship in 2009. While Auburn is not as strong of a team as they have been last decade, anything can happen when these two teams meet. Alabama currently holds the lead at 40-33-1.
4. Florida vs Georgia - This rivalry could easily be swapped with Auburn and Alabama in 3rd place. Great football programs in an intense SEC rivalry. Georgia holds the series lead at 46-39-2.
5. West Virginia vs Pittsburgh - I don't have any of the historical information about this matchup but I included it because my cousin told me to. These two schools are literally just minutes from each other and thus a natural rivalry was born.
6. Miami vs Florida State
7. Texas vs Texas A&M
8. Oregon vs Oregon State
9. Notre Dame vs. USC
10. Notre Dame vs Miami
11. Virginia vs Virginia Tech
12. Texas vs Oklahoma
13. Utah vs BYU
14. Clemson vs South Carolina
15. LSU vs Arkansas