All over the country, college football teams are preparing to meet their archrivals this weekend in emotionally charged matchups that breed temporary but heated civil wars between enormous fa%ctions of football fans. For one weekend, states and regions are divided along the rigid lines of team affiliations and no bond is exempt from breach at the hands of these sacred allegiances.
This is certainly the case in Utah, where many families have both crimson and blue blood coursing thick in their veins, causing vacant seats at dinner tables and husbands to sleep on couches, if only for a night.
The Utah vs. BYU rivalry is certainly the most fierce in the Beehive State, but where does it fit in among the other great college football rivalries from around the country?
“It’s hard to compare this one to any other rivalries I’ve been a part of because I haven’t played it yet,” U head coach Urban Meyer said. “But coach [Bill] Busch coached in Oklahoma vs. Nebraska, and he said this is even more intense.”
That information aside, to answer this question properly, a number of different attributes of distinction must be considered. It’s difficult to distinguish the discerning characteristics from just plain bias, but for one reason or another, many rivalries boast national supremacy. The ones that make the strongest cases base their reasoning on duration, equity, historical eminence and consequence.
One of the most telling stats about a rivalry is how old it is. Yale vs. Harvard has the distinction of being the oldest major rivalry at 120 years old. Although it has a slightly smaller significance these days, the Yale-Harvard game carried national title implications from 1883 until the 1920s. Now it’s the Ivy League championship that’s often on the line, but the game is just as intense as it used to be. In fact, it might be more intense now because years have done nothing to soften the rivalry between the two prestigious schools.
In comparison, the Utes and BYU have been playing since 1896, and although only once was the national title on the line (BYU ’84), the yearly meeting has still had its moments to remember.
In 1998, the Utes made an astounding comeback and were a 31-yard field goal away from victory. With head coach Ron McBride visibly in prayer on the sideline, the kick sailed right at the last moment, giving BYU the win. Cougar fans claimed divine intervention on the missed kick, adding new dimension to the name ‘Holy War.’
One year later, the Utes marched down to Provo with hopes of a share in the MWC title. The Utes won the game by a field goal, but the moment that lives in infamy for the Cougars and notoriety for the Utes occurred just off the field. After the Utes scored a touchdown, a male Ute cheerleader was running the Ute flag around the field in customary fashion when a Cougar fan jumped out of the stands and attempted to take down the flag bearer. However, he failed miserably, as the cheerleader dropped the flag and pummeled the fan before a crowd of 66,000.
Similarly, other heated rivalries have gained national attention for reasons other than the quality of the matchup. Cal-Stanford is now considered one of the best rivalries in football because of the infamous “battle of the bands” game that saw Cal score the winning touchdown as time expired by returning a Stanford kickoff the length of the field while fighting off members of the Stanford band, who had run on to the field to celebrate.
But Cal-Stanford doesn’t hold a candle to the battle of Los Angeles between USC and UCLA. The Trojans and Bruins rivalry has it all: It’s 70 years old, it has had Rose Bowl implications more than 40 times and once, in 1967, it was the national championship game, which took on the moniker “Game of the Century” after a back and-forth competition that ended in a one-point Trojan victory. O.J. Simpson scored the winning touchdown on an improbable 64-yard run.
However, a football fan would be hard-pressed to find a better rivalry than Michigan vs. Ohio State. This Saturday will be the 98th meeting between the two teams and it seems like there’s always something on the line. Ohio State has had three national championships thwarted by the Wolverines in the ’90s alone, and who better to end Michigan’s 16-game conference winning streak and Rose Bowl hopes than Ohio State in 1998? This rivalry is so fierce, even the bands argue over who invented a certain formation first.
Even Meyer has had experience in this game as an assistant coach with the Buckeyes.
“We won Earl Bruce’s last game up at Michigan, and then [Ohio State] didn’t win another game there for 12 years,” he said.
Another intangible of great rivalries is the coaching jinx. When John Cooper was the coach of the Buckeyes, they went 2-10-1 against Michigan.
Similarly, with LaVell Edwards at the Cougars’ helm, the Utes went 7-22 against BYU. Before and after the LaVell era, the Utes are 39-6-4 against their rivals to the south.
Although he was cautious to rank the rivalry because of his relative inexperience with it, Meyer was quick to recall memories of some of the other great matchups he’s been a part of.
“My first year at Bowling Green, we were playing Toledo, which is a huge rivalry, and they were ranked 19th in the country and we beat ’em 56-21,” Meyer said. “With Notre Dame, we were playing John Robinson when he was the coach of USC, and we were down 21-7 in the fourth quarter and we ended up winning. I’ve been lucky to have been a part of some great ones.”
That opportunity continues for Meyer this weekend when the Utes head to Provo. Although the rivalry may not get much national attention, and it might not feature championship contenders year after year, Utah-BYU certainly ranks high in intensity.
“The entire state is anxious to watch us play,” Meyer said.
The Utes have the series edge at 49-31-4 and have the superior record going into tomorrow’s game.
But as history has proven, in a rivalry of this intensity, anything can happen.
