Rivalry Weekend

This past weekend, colleges across the country competed against each other in what has come to be known in college football as “rivalry weekend”. From bragging rights to trophies to colorful names for each of these individual competitions (Some of which have been going on for over 100 years), rivalry weekend really does epitomize modern sport competition in a way no professional sport has the ability to. In the following article, some of the most historic rivalries will be highlighted with a brief recap of what occurred this past weekend.

Oregon at Oregon State

This legendary interstate rivalry in the Northwest has come to be known as the “Civil War”. Tempers have frequently flared between the Ducks of Oregon and Beavers of Oregon State in this rivalry which has encompassed 120 years, beginning in 1894, although the results have not always been close, with Oregon winning 62 games in the rivalry compared to Oregon State’s 46. This has also been the trend recently, with Oregon having won every game since 2008; this past weekend was no exception, as the dominant nature in which Oregon won, 47-19, cooled tempers. Specifically dominant for the Ducks was Quarterback Marcus Mariota, a contender for the Heisman, an annual trophy awarded to the best player in the nation. No matter recent trends or the skill of either team, however, the “Civil War” always tends to be a tense affair, and next years meeting in Eugene, Oregon is surely going to be another great game.

Minnesota at Wisconsin

This rivalry is easily one of the greatest in the history of American sports, with both of these storied universities having competed annually every year since 1890 for a total of 124 meetings, making it the most played rivalry in Division-I college sports. This rivalry also tends to always be competitive with Minnesota having 59 wins compared to Wisconsin’s 57 in the game. The winner is also awarded the legendary “Paul Bunyans Axe”, a trophy created for the winner of the game in 1948 and still in use today. Combine the traditional nature of the hatred between Wisconsinites and Minnesotaians with football and a historic trophy, and a historic rivalry is created. This past weekend was no exception, with a highly competitive game in which Wisconsin edged out Minnesota for the Big 10 West title, 34-24, giving it possession of “The Axe” for yet another year.

Michigan at Ohio State

This rivalry game needs no historic trophy or colorful name – just the pure hatred between these two universities is sufficient enough to create a captivating rivalry every year. In fact, ESPN ranked this game as the greatest North American rivalry in all of sports in 2000; it is clear that this nearly century old rivalry is fueled just on pure hatred, justifying it’s standing in sports. In terms of all time statistics, Michigan has 58 wins to Ohio State’s 46, but this past weekend Ohio State managed to turn the tide in the face of hardship as despite their best player J.T Barret getting injured as they defeated Michigan by a final tally of 42-28, another great page in a fantastic rivalry.