It’s rivalry week! We’re forgoing predictions this week, because–as you know–rivalry week is when we throw out all the record books! Which is a pretty wasteful tradition, since we then have to buy all new record books next week.
Thursday
7:30pm
The Egg Bowl: Ole Miss @ Mississippi State. In 1907, the two teams played a muddy and scoreless first half. Ole Miss coach Frank Mason gave his team coffee at halftime to try to warm them up. Oh, and the coffee had whiskey in it because 1907. The second half didn’t go so well for Ole Miss, and they lost 15-0. Mason lost his job after telling a reporter he hoped he never saw the team again. (ESPN)
Texas Tech @ Texas. This game doesn’t have a cool name or a rich history, but the winner does take home gold and silver spurs, a tradition that has been around since 1996. Also around since 1996: The Backstreet Boys. (FS1)
Friday
Noon
Iowa @ Nebraska. As a fan blog for a Big Ten member school, we are obligated under Big Ten Digital Media Guideline 192.02.13.05(c) to remind you that the University of Iowa Hawkeyes and the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers are rivals in the sport of Men’s Football. Please consume this game accordingly. (ABC)
3:00pm
The Shula Bowl: Florida International @ Florida Atlantic. Yes, that is the actual nickname for this game, a reference to each school’s tangential ties to ex-Dolphins coach Don Shula, whose name also appears on the trophy awarded to the winner. Shula. (FS1)
3:30pm
The Apple Cup: Washington State @ Washington. This series is so old that the first game was a 5-5 tie witnessed by 1500 people, and the original Governor’s Trophy awarded to the winner went missing for 50 years. In 2008, the teams had one win between them heading into the game, which then prolonged the agony into double overtime. (Fox)
7:00pm
The Civil War: Oregon State at Oregon. After a 1937 victory, Beaver fans understandably partied well into the night. Upon waking up the next morning, they were still in a celebratory mood, so they proceeded to caravan to Eugene, where things got really out of hand: water balloons, tomatoes, attempted drowning, public humiliation–you know, COLLEGE. Read all about these lunatics here. (FS1)
Saturday
Noon
Florida State @ Florida. What better way to crush a rival than to ruin their national championship run the week after losing to Georgia Southern? You scoff, but maybe that was the Gators’ plan all along.
Maybe?
Of note: Florida State has lost to an unranked team each of the past 12 seasons. This is their last chance to do so this year. (ESPN)
The Game: Ohio State, away. There was a time not so long ago when everyone was talking about the possibility of an instant rematch in the Big Ten Championship Game. Now, even with an unlikely win here, Michigan can finish no better than fourth in the Legends division. (ABC)
2:30pm
The Bayou Classic: Grambling @ Southern. The only regularly-televised FCS game, this is the most even rivalry here, currently sitting at 30-30 overall (20-19 in Grambling’s favor since adopting the Bayou Classic name). (NBC)
3:30 pm
The Iron Bowl: Alabama @ Auburn. It’s probably the biggest edition of the long-running rivalry ever, and definitely the most important game of the weekend. Despite being a double-digit underdog, Auburn has a decent shot of dethroning Alabama. With the Buckeyes and Seminoles wrapping up as this game kicks off, all eyes will be on the Tigers and the Tide. (CBS)
Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate: Georgia @ Georgia Tech. Tech’s fight song features the line “To Hell with Georgia,” so you know this is a legit rivalry. The Yellow Jackets have only beaten the Bulldogs once in the past twelve years, but UGA is a battered, struggling team this year. (ABC)
7:00pm
The Palmetto Bowl: Clemson @ South Carolina. Much like our own beloved rivalry with that school up north, this one has its roots outside of sports. It’s much too complex to cover here, but suffice it to say: Do. Not. Agitate. Farmers. (ESPN2)
8:00pm
UCLA @ USC. You drive further to work than these two teams travel when they play each other. Separated by only 12 miles, the Bruins and Trojans are not really separated at all, the only major college football rivals who share a city. Imagine if you were surrounded by Wal-Mart Wolverines everywhere you went, every day. These two fan bases deserve our respect for the very fact that any of them are still alive. (ABC)
9:30pm
The Duel in the Desert: Arizona @ Arizona State. The Territorial Cup is the oldest trophy in college football, and the gridiron battle for it led to Arizona State becoming an official university (their 47-0 thrashing of Arizona helped persuade voters) and inspired the creation of the Fiesta Bowl (after Arizona coach Darrell Mudra essentially forced the Sun Bowl to select his team regardless of whether they beat Arizona that year, which they did not). Starting in 2009, the Territorial Cup became an all-sport trophy, which is an awesome idea that every major rivalry should steal. (Pac-12 Network)
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