Tonight the #5 Blue Devils take on #21 Tar-heels. For the past few years this has been the ultimate series in college sports. The winner of the series has gone on to win the national championship for the past 2 seasons (sorry big east). This has me wondering what is the best rivalry in sports according to WSO?
The sort of rivalries that lead to quotes such as:
"The biggest fallacy about this whole Carolina-Duke rivalry is the 8-mile thing, as if proximity somehow indicates similarity. It's like assuming East and West Germany must be comparable since they were close to each other."
"The Cameron Crazies are the Clay Aikens of college sports fans-too loud, too geeky, too cute (debatable), and terminally annoying..."
"Duke fans believe spending 196 hours in a tent indicates passion and devotion. Carolina fans believe 196 hours in a tent indicates a telling lack of other social engagements."
Apart from my childish desire to spread negative words about Dook whats the verdict? Is the best rivalry Michigan v. OSU, Red Sox v. Yankees, Packers v. Bears, or Georgia v. Florida? Or another great matchup.
ohh yea this is why Dook sucks...
http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1748127
Just like beauty, rivalry is in the eye of the beholder.
For me, Duke-UNC is my favorite rivalry, but that is because Ive been watching it for years.
And btw, UNC sucks.
Red Sox-Yankees. When you re-pour concrete over rumors of a shirt, you have a rivalry.
edit: Awww shit, get your UNC/Duke towels ready, cuz some shit's about to go down
Well, I'm biased because I'm a Green Bay and Seminoles fan, so...
Packers vs. Bears is probably first. The FSU vs. UM is a serious rivalry in FL (so is FSU vs. UF) but I know UF fans would probably say UG is their biggest rival...so like derivstrading pointed out...rivalry is in the eyes of the beholder.
Regards
Love the Tar Heels, hope they take down Duke tonight.
I used to think the Yanks/Sox was the best rivalry in sports, but they play each other so many damn times it just seems to lose its luster. I like football or college bball rivalries because the games mean more, one loss is a lot more devastating compare to baseball
OSU vs Mich. ESPN named it the #1 rivalry a while back, nothing compares to that level of hatred. Yankees vs Redsox is a close second. Duke vs. UNC third.
Go Duke
No way is OSU Mich number 1 right now. Maybe if Michigan ever gets a decent football team again it will be back up there. I think it's hard to argue against both Duke-UNC and Yankees-Sox. The NFL is difficult to pinpoint one as being the best, but I think it's between Giants-Cowboys, Giants-Eagles, Packers-Bears, and Cowboys-Redskins.
Gotta give a shout out to Celtics-Lakers too. Easily the best in the NBA.
Shout out to any Terps out there: http://www.synapticblur.com/pics/redickulously.jpg
Perhaps the best college dunk of the last few years: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Fngei9VY1LM/SZF7riTq3eI/AAAAAAAABqs/NSqG2QSxV…
Get it, Heels.
My boss paid through the nose for tickets to go to the game tonight at Cameron Indoor and he didn't even go to school on the East Coast. That should tell you something.
MICHIGAN vs osu is my favorite rivalry in sports. It's definitely not what it used to be, but the tradition/history and the hatred amongst the states is what’s appealing to me. If you haven't seen the Mich OSU documentary (HBO), you should check it out.
I also like Duke/UNC and in general feel that rivalries in college sports are far better than the pros.
nowhere like cameron indoor. games gonna be raucous and well worth the price of admission. cant wait to see the look on Harrison Barnes' face when he steps onto the court and realizes hes in for a 40 min nightmare
Celts vs. Lakers... god I fucking hate the Celtics
OU Vs. Texas. The Red River Shootout in Dallas. The atmosphere is unbeatable. It's in Dallas and is the centerpiece of the state fair of Texas (the football capital of the world). It's also at the Cotton Bowl, one of the most classic venues in college football. The game usually determines the winner of the Big XII south, which typically ends up being the Big 12 champ. The game sets the mood for those at the University of Texas at Norman, where they live and die with sooner football.
OSU and Michigan is huge, but the Red River Shootout is on another level.
College football has a lot of great rivalries; including the Florida schools and every other Saturday matchup in the SEC.
With that said, I can argue that OU has several high profile rivals…Nebraska, OSU, and Texas. Although they’re great rivalries and provide excellent football, it doesn’t compare to Mich/OSU.
^ No. Sorry, but just no.
?? I'll admit that college football is my favorite sport, and your choice for the top rivalry is a function of that, but what's so absurd about suggesting OU vs. Texas as the greatest rivalry? Yes the Yankees and Red Sox is huge. I was lucky enough to see Pedro Martinez pitch against Roger Clemens in the Bronx when they were both at their peak back in '01. Hands down the best atmosphere I have ever experienced for a baseball game. BUT they play each other how many times each season?
Yes Duke and NCarolina is big. But do you have any idea what college football means in Texas and Oklahoma? The Duke UNC game is big for "the cameron crazies" (a bunch of GDIs who camp out for a week for tickets). UT and OU meet once a year, and the game is huge for Texas, OU, the Big 12, and a lot of times, everyone else interested in college football.
More like the last 30 years.
Since I am in a nitpicking mood, the greatest rivalry in sports bar none is Galatasaray vs. Fenerbahce in Turkish soccer. Those fools are straight Talibaning each other in the stands every time they play. To me rivalry=willing to kill rival...and when death in the stands is a frequent occurrence, the standards have been fully met. Do a little video searching and you'll see what I mean.
As far as American sports, (believe it or not) the most hardcore rivalry I ever witnessed was Seattle Supersonics vs. Portland Trailblazers. Both cities are hardcore about basketball and the weather is generally shitty so fans would get super amped up for games. As a guy who went to see the Knicks play the Bulls in the playoffs in the 90's I can tell you that rivalry was small potatoes in comparison...and that's saying something. David Stern is a fucking moron for pulling the Sonics out of Seattle. The growing legend that is Kevin Durant would have been properly deified in Seattle.
As to current American sport rivalries I am going to go with the classic. Lakers vs. Celtics. It's never going to be Magic vs. Bird. But Kobe's Kids vs. The Aging Empire has gotten to be a great old shit show. It's probably the only rivalry which constantly delivers on the field of battle and in the stands. The guys genuinely dislike each other as do the coaches. It's a conflict of classes, generations, playing styles and everything else that has always made Boston/L.A. the NBA's premiere ticket.
For the record, I pay scant attention to the NBA these days, but if there's an NBA finals featuring Shaq vs. Kobe I will be dropping five figures to see it live.
Some of the best rivalries have come from College Football, hands down. Some may be lacking at times, but they are still fun to watch. Ohio State-Michigan, Joe Paterno vs. Bobby Bowden on the race for 400, Army-Navy, The Red River Rivalry (Texas-Oklahoma), Clean, Old Fashioned Hate (UGA/GTech), and Oklahoma-Oklahoma State all come to mind.
NHL - Wow... The Entire Atlantic Division - I think this is the only rivalry that spans the entire division in any major sport and is the only set of rivalries in which the entire division has won multiple Stanley Cups, as each team in the division has won at least two. You have the Battle of the Keystone State (Philly/Pittsburg), The Battle of the Jersey Turnpike (Philly/NJ), The Battle of New York (Rangers/Islanders), Broad Street vs. Broadway (Philly/Rangers), The Hudson River Rivalry (Devils/Rangers)
Outside of the Atlantic, you have the Leafs/Habs and the Bruins/Habs, both of which are Original Six. There is Detroit/Colorado - What a fantastic rivalry when both teams are great. There are a few others, but nothing as major.
I'm also surpised no one brought up Soccer yet... Shit, Arsenal/Man. U., Arsenal/Chelsea and Liverpool/Man. U. all come to mind when I think of Soccer.
What's the best though... Dunno... that's a hard one to choose. I think it just depends on what sport you love most.
As a huge hoops fan, Duke vs. UNC is still my favorite sports rivalry.
Right, they're all great rivalries, but on a national level I don't think Army-Navy, Texas-OU, UGA-GTech, anything in the NFL come close to Sox-Yankees and UNC-Duke.
But as you said, definitely a function of what sport you enjoy the most.
huskies til i die. fuck unc. duke vs huskies baby
If we're looking for the most intense rivalries internationally, I don't think you can beat Celtic-Rangers because it gets religious.
Not to be a douche, but college sports rivalries are pretty tame when compared to what goes on at soccer stadiums. Boca-River, Real-Barca, Galatasaray-Fenerbahce, Celtic-Rangers, Lazio-Roma, PSG-Marseille.. the list goes on. Nothing in US sports comes close to those in intensity and I'm speaking from experience.
I know nothing about soccer rivalries, other than occasionally hearing about some referee getting wacked over a missed call. So yeah, I could see how this may be true.
Not to be a douche, but soccer has to be the most boring game ever invented. Sorry.
Id much rather watch a game of football (what you call soccer) than a game of american football, where literally play stops every 5 seconds. Its like Im watching commercials with a bit of sport mixed in.
I guess it's a good thing the vast majority of the world disagrees with you.
Allez l'OM!
Va n.. ta mere sur la Cane, cane, canebiere!!!
Je rigoles, mais je suis un gros supp de Paris.
its because all the eurotrash are soccer hooligans loaded up on alcohol lol
As a Yanks fan who went to college in boston, Yankees BoSox will probably take it for me. That being said, college sports definitely provide some of the best rivalries out there.
For those that like college hockey, BC / BU is probably as strong a rivalry as exists out there.
BU also fuckin sucks just generally speaking having uglier girls, a worse campus, and terrible parties. Not to mention no football team.
Sucks to B,U.
any guesses where I went to school?
You're right about that college hockey scene, it's incredibly underrated and exciting. Only Ranger-Islander games can hold a candle to the intensity up there between BU-BC. I was actually at the 2009 semi-finals when they scored three goals in 44 seconds. Unbelievable.
In other news, Yankees rule.
Love the BC shout out man and I'm in London too. Brutal trying to follow the Beanpot online but that OT goal was sweet even if I wasn't there.
Touche. Banana for you Barnaby.
Yankees-Red Sox and UNC-Duke. Obviously you have never been to K-ville during tenting. 196 hours in a tent sucks, but its a party every night and you get to see the best rival game in college sports in the best venue. No other college can say that.
Oh and your right, 8-miles is not anything to compare on. Duke is ranked 20 some spots above Carolina in the rankings, Carolina has hotter girls, and the E-W Germany comparison could only work in the high prevalence of leftists at UNC.
Tucker Max in tent city. Hilarious.
http://www.tuckermax.com/stories/tucker-goes-to-campout-owns-duke-nerds/
The fact that its played in the Rose Bowl or the Coliseum alone makes this rivalry bad ass.
As far as Cal-Stanford goes:
USC/UCLA cheerleaders in those tight sweaters > hippies/band nerds.
Real Madrid v Barcelona.
Actually Midas hit the nail on the head, the greatest rivalries in the world can be found in European football, hands down.
t's gotta be a soccer rivalry. You guys ever seen "Green Street Hooligans". People literally get murdered over soccer (see ESPN 30for30 The tale of the two escobars). US sports are tame and amateurish compared to international soccer. But as a fellow Texan, the Red River Rivalry is small potatoes. Gotta go with OSU/MICH or Army/Navy ---->NY/BOS------------------------------------------------------------------------> Duke/UNC.
Surprised there is no Tom Brady and the Pats vs. Peyton and the Colts thrown in there.
GTHC!
http://www.crazie-talk.com/2011/02/09/five-questions-on-duke-vs-unc/
The whole site is nice.
Whoa, awesome site. Duke/UNC is by far the best rivalry in sports- the schools are literally 10 minutes apart from each other.
UCLA - USC.
No other place do you have your neighbors, co-workers and friends turn against one another for bragging rights to the city. Granted UCLA has been down recently in football but historically it's been a great rivalry.
Not to mention its not just about football. UCLA and USC compete neck in neck in everything, football, basketball, soccer, baseball, track, waterpolo, volleyball, etc. The two schools are 1 and 3 respectively in terms of total national titles.
Not even the biggest rivalry in your state... (Cal/Stanford)
Hilarious, I thought you were serious for a second...but then I just realized that no one could be foolish enough to claim Stanford/Cal as a bigger rivalry as UCLA/USC. Not even in the same stratosphere.
I am not from Cali but definitely see USC/UCLA a much bigger rivalry than Cal/Stanford. I actually didn't even know Cal/Stan was a big rivalry, no one ever seems to talk about it
.
So what, they are the best though.
Not to be a douche, but Dookies are douches
"Real Madrid v Barcelona."
agree. Visca el Barca!
There's definitely a continuous vs non-continuous clash in terms of what sports are popular in the world. Outside of the former British empire, continuous play games like soccer and basketball dominate (the NBA is the only popular US league outside of the US) whereas cricket, baseball and gridiron football are only popular in former British colonies.
I would say that none comes close to real-barca except for boca-river. Then there is Italy-Brasil XD. American football is not so bad, but I stopped following it when I discovered rugby, go all blacks!.
UCLA-USC all the way. Much respect for Duke-UNC though, cameron indoor is insane.
OSU v mich for sure. just because the sports themselves have become one sided does not mean the rivalry itself is hurt. going to OSU i can tell you that there isn't a person on campus who does not despise ann arbor
Celtics-Lakers and it's not even close. The two teams have won roughly 50% of the championships, have had a host of first ballot HOFers, and have had more finals matchups than any other rivalry listed.
I'm a Celts fan and even I don't think it's quite the best, if only for the fact that it meant nothing for a while until KG and Ray got there.
National polls show that Americans think the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry is the best and that had a longer relevancy gap than the Celtics-Lakers rivalry.
No it definitely did not. It had a longer gap between the last time one of the teams won a championship, but the Sox have always been very competitive and the rivalry has always been very very heated.
The C's on the other hand weren't the same since Bird retired and it took over a decade for them to get back to being one of the best teams in the NBA. For a while until the Big Three was formed the only games that mattered for the Celtics were against the Lakers, but they never really meant anything.
fing dook...
DP...but while I have the space I really hate dook...and even more so my choke artists UNC basketball team.
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