THE WORLD OF BAX: RIVALRY GAMES ARE THE HEART OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL

At the beginning of the season, I found myself in an interesting position, one that I’m sure some of our New England readers are familiar with. You see, I’ve been part of a fantastic fantasy football league (shout out to the Hardcore League) since I was a sophomore at Amherst High in Massachusetts eleven years ago and the group of guys that I compete with are extremely knowledgeable professional football fans. However, many of them don’t have the slightest idea about the draw of college football!

Why is this? Well, the New England area has exactly one traditional Division One football program ( Boston College) and their football fandom completely revolves around the New England Patriots and the two New York teams. Thus, this lack of collegiate tradition led my friends to ask what exactly about college football led me to become such an enormous fan of the game. You see, to many of them, college football is fun to watch only to track the draft prospects for their favorite team, a minor league of sorts, and they found themselves struggling to grasp what causes millions of Americans to tune in on Saturdays!

My response was threefold: First of all, I love the sense of community that comes with being a college fan. My entire family is from Pittsburgh and every single one of us was bred to root for the Steelers. However, none of us are actually Steelers! That’s a very important distinction because when you root for your college team, the players are just as much of a Buckeye, Trojan, Wolverine or Gator as the rest of the student body and faculty. The players are representatives of the university community and thus makes college athletics the only acceptable situation to refer to a sporting team as ‘we’ or ‘us’.

The second major reason that I love college football is the pageantry and tradition that comes along with the game. Who hasn’t been moved by the Best Damn Band In The Land performing Script Ohio? Who hasn’t been awed by the cavernous size of Beaver Stadium? Who hasn’t laughed as Auburn students roll Toomer’s corner after beating Georgia or Alabama? Even more impressively, these traditions date back long before the establishment of the National Football League and they’re still as popular as ever. I actually brought one of my HCL brethren to an Ohio State game this season to try to show the multi-day excellence that is the Buckeye game weekend experience.

But the biggest reason that I love college football is the joy and agony of a rivalry game. In the NFL, most teams’ biggest rivals are in their division and they play twice. Furthermore, some teams even match up a 3 rd time in the playoffs! Even worse, there aren’t a lot of major rivalries because of free agency and expansion. Generally speaking, an NFL team’s biggest rival is usually a team a few states away that has a chance to take their playoff spot and that team can change yearly. On top of that, let’s say you’re a Seahawks fan and you dislike the Cardinals. How often do people from Arizona and Washington really encounter each other outside of a game day environment? So a loss doesn’t really affect you beyond the week of the game.

However, college football is the polar opposite as some rivalries have endured in close proximity for over a century! The greatest rivalry in college football, Ohio State-Michigan, actually stems from the Toledo Strip War that the state of Ohio fought with the Michigan territory in 1829! Have you ever wondered why Michigan has the Upper Peninsula? They got it because it was part of their deal to receive statehood, a deal which included ceding the city of Toledo and the surrounding area to rival Ohio, making the Buckeye state the defacto winner of the conflict. When the states’ flagship universities began football play in earnest nearly 70 years later, the residents hadn’t forgotten! That historical showdown has manifested itself 106 times on the fields of the Horseshoe and Big House and the states’ mutual dislike is still as strong as ever.

So it is this weekend that excites me the most out of any in college football. While the Buckeye victory over Michigan last weekend was a wonderful primer, this weekend produces nearly two dozen hot rivalry games, some of which are among the oldest in the country.

Thus, rivalries are the best that college football has to offer, because unlike the NFL, you only get one shot at the team you hate most every year. If you win, your year is fantastic because the rivals that you sometimes see on a daily basis have to hear about it endlessly. You can redeem a poor season or turn a good season into a great one with a big rivalry victory. But if you lose, your year can really stink because your rivals will remind you about it every single day. You can turn a great year into a forgettable one because what do eight or nine wins mean if you don’t beat the team you hate most? Even worse, you have to relive it daily for the next year! And if you’re Michigan and it has been over 2,200 days since you beat your most hated rivals and the showdown has become so one-sided that 30,000 Ohio State fans invaded the Big House last weekend, most of the last decade has been really terrible.

That’s why college football is so wonderful: Three hours on one day every year can set the tone for the entire season on and off the field. And I hope that this insight gives my New England friends a little bit of understanding when it comes to the depth of the obsession of millions of Americans with the wonderful sport of college football.

THIS WEEK’S PICKS

I continued my winning streak last week thanks to Les Miles’ failed late game time-management issues, posting a 6-4 mark. Thus, my season record is now 76-48 overall and I feel really good going into the penultimate week of the year! With so many great rivalry games on tap this weekend, I’m going to nearly double the number of games that I pick this week. Can I continue my winning ways with a much larger scope of picks?

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#3 Texas at Texas A&M: The Lone Star Showdown

Thursday, 8:00 PM EST

This rivalry has been quite unpredictable in recent years. Would anyone have believed that Texas A&M would be one of only two teams in the Big XII to beat Texas in two of the last three years? Even more significantly, Texas was heavily favored in each of those games. This year, A&M has begun to show signs of life on offense and are now bowl eligible, but they’re very inconsistent and have some work to do on defense. While I certainly wouldn’t count the Aggies out, I would be shocked if they managed to pull off a stunner for the 3 rd time in four tries, even on home turf. That said, keep in mind that A&M is 8-5 against Texas at Kyle Field in the last 26 years……….

Texas 38, Texas A&M 21

Temple at Ohio: The MAC East Title Game

Friday, 11:00 AM EST

Believe it or not, the winner of this game will earn a berth in the MAC Championship Game! Temple is riding a nine game winning streak while Ohio has been riding their great defense all season. However, the Owls know a thing or two about defense themselves and I fully expect a low scoring game. In the end, I think Temple’s offense is a little bit stronger and that should be the difference in a tight contest. Temple earns their 10 th win and a date with Central Michigan for the conference title.

Temple 20, Ohio 13

Illinois at #4 Cincinnati

Friday, Noon EST

This game is interesting for three major reasons. The first is that Cincinnati’s full mental focus will likely be on their upcoming Big East Championship clash with rival Pittsburgh. The second is that Illinois, despite their poor record, is an extremely talented team that is more than capable of pulling off the upset. Finally, you have to wonder how Cincinnati’s players are dealing with the ever-louder rumors of their head coach’s impeding departure for Notre Dame. Those three reasons combine for a very dangerous affair for the Bearcats. However, I think that the Illini will eventually go back to their calling card: A costly turnover or major gaffe that awards the other team points and the Bearcats will leave this game with one thought: ‘Phew! Bring on Pitt!’

Cincinnati 38, Illinois 27

#1 Alabama at Auburn: The Iron Bowl

Friday, 2:30 PM EST

When it comes to rivalry games, there is only one game, in my opinion, that approaches the Ohio State-Michigan game. That would be the Iron Bowl, the battle for bragging rights in the state of Alabama. Let’s face it, these two schools’ fans hate each other and so do their teams. Furthermore, the stakes in this one are huge: Alabama has nothing short of a shot at the National Championship Game which could be put in jeopardy with a Tiger upset. I think that this will be one of the hardest-hitting games of the weekend but I think that Alabama has too much of a talent edge to get caught by their archrivals. I’m picking the Tide to pull away late after a brutal game.

Alabama 27, Auburn 16

#7 Pittsburgh at West Virginia: The Backyard Brawl

Friday, 7:00 PM EST

This game is a major trap game for the Panthers because of next week’s aforementioned showdown with Cincinnati for the Big East Championship. West Virginia hasn’t beaten Pitt in two years and their fans are still smarting from Pitt’s last visit to Morgantown, where WVU’s National Title hopes were dashed in shocking fashion in Rich Rodriguez’s final game at his alma mater.

I was actually ready to pick this game in favor of the Mountaineers until I came up with this statistic: West Virginia has played three teams this season who can boast a similar talent level ( Auburn, Cincinnati and South Florida) and their record in those games is 0-3. West Virginia’s best win was against 5-5 Connecticut! Meanwhile, Pittsburgh has beaten a much stronger group of opponents and they are definitely the better team on paper. Thus, my only concern at this point will be Pittsburgh’s focus and I’m going to pick the Panthers to maintain it against their archrivals and win their 3 rd consecutive Backyard Brawl.

Pittsburgh 21, West Virginia 13

Nevada at #13 Boise State: The WAC Championship Game

Friday, 10:00 PM EST

This is really the WAC Championship Game as Nevada can clinch the outright conference title with a win while Boise State would only need to beat lowly New Mexico State next week to maintain their stranglehold on the league. Here’s a little-known fact: Nevada has scored over 400 points during their current eight game winning streak and their rushing offense is the best in the country at nearly 375 yards per game! Simply put, Boise State is going to have their hands full with the Wolfpack, who nearly beat them last season.

In my preseason predictions for the WAC, I said that this game would decide the conference championship and I was right. However, I picked Boise State to win on the Smurf Turf because they haven’t lost a home conference game in half a decade. With the game upon us, I’m changing my pick: Nevada is going to deal a deathblow to Boise State’s BCS hopes with their extremely powerful offense.

UPSET ALERT: Nevada 44, Boise State 38

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#18 Clemson at South Carolina

Saturday, Noon EST

Clemson has dominated this rivalry over the last decade and is the better team on paper. Meanwhile, South Carolina is in the midst of their usual late season swoon. While I know that the Gamecocks are more than capable of pulling off the upset, I also know that they were dominated by Tommy freakin’ Bowden (whose coaching ability was under constant scrutiny, to put it nicely) for the last decade and Dabo Swinney is a) a better coach than Bowden and b) has one of the best Tiger teams in a decade. Expect more of the same from the Carolina-Clemson rivalry: A tight Tiger victory.

Clemson 27, South Carolina 17

#12 Oklahoma State at Oklahoma: The Bedlam Game

Saturday, 12:30 PM EST

This game has historically been dominated by the Sooners. In fact, it is one of the most one-sided in-state rivalries in college football! However, this is the rare year that the Cowboys are significantly better than the Sooners and I expect that they’ll have the added bonus of star quarterback Zac Robinson’s return to health in their favor. Oklahoma is reeling at this point and I think that the Cowboys will win a close game to cap off a BCS at-large berth at the expense of their battered archrivals.

Oklahoma State 27, Oklahoma 24

Southern Mississippi at East Carolina: The C-USA East Championship Game

Saturday, 1:00 PM EST

This game is much more of an NFL style rivalry in that both teams want the East Division championship instead of having any historical dislike for each other. However, in a weekend of big rivalry games, the stakes in this one are among the largest: The winner will earn a date with the C-USA West Champion (likely Houston) for a chance to win the conference title. While East Carolina has become one of the consistently strongest non-BCS teams, I’m picking the Eagles in a tight contest due to their stronger offense and home field advantage.

Southern Mississippi 23, East Carolina 20

Florida State at #2 Florida: The Sunshine Showdown

Saturday, 3:30 PM EST

Despite Florida State’s struggles this year, no one can deny that they have a very good offense. Unfortunately, they need to score a lot of points because their defense is one of the worst in the country. That doesn’t bode well going up against Tim Tebow and the unbeaten Gators on senior day, now does it? Expect the Noles to score some points but the Gators will win this game emphatically.

Florida 45, Florida State 28

#19 Miami at South Florida

Saturday, 3:30 PM EST

While the most visible rivalry in the state of Florida is taking place in Gainesville, the most intriguing game in the state of Florida will be taking place a few hours southwest in Tampa Bay. South Florida, who only began playing football 13 years ago, has the opportunity to beat both Miami and Florida State in the same season! Honestly, that was a pipe dream until this year for even the most ardent Bulls supporter and the fact that they’re at this point is a testament to the job Jim Leavitt and his staff have done. I’m going to show the underdogs some love and call for the biggest upset in South Florida history. With a win, could the Bulls legitimately claim that they’re now the 2 nd best program in the state of Florida?

UPSET ALERT: South Florida 26, Miami 20

Utah at Brigham Young: The Holy War

Saturday, 5:00 PM EST

This has been one of the hardest fought rivalry games in the past dozen years: Ten of the past twelve games have been decided by a touchdown or less! Bragging rights are only part of the showdown between the nation’s two largest predominantly Mormon universities. On the field, this game should be close and both teams have very similar resumes. Expect this game to go down to the wire but I think the Cougars will pull it out late on home turf over the hated Utes.

BYU 30, Utah 28

Arkansas at #23 Louisiana State: The Golden Boot Game

Saturday, 7:00 PM EST

This game is notable for one major reason: The winner earns the most unwieldy trophy in college football: A giant outline of the two states known as the Golden Boot. On the field, Arkansas is my pick because of their significantly stronger offense, better coaching and a rash of injuries to the Tigers. Expect Arkansas to extend their winning streak to three over their rivals from Baton Rouge.

UPSET ALERT: Arkansas 38, LSU 34

Georgia at #7 Georgia Tech: Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate

Saturday, 8:00 PM EST

Was it really just last year that Georgia was riding high with a seven game rivalry winning streak and a 9-2 record coming into this game? My, how the tables have turned: Since Paul Johnson won in his first try against the Bulldogs, Tech has reeled off a 10-2 record while earning national recognition as one of the finest coaches in college football. Meanwhile, Mark Richt is under fire in Athens as his team has posted a paltry 7-5 record since losing last year and is facing his worst finish in nine years in Athens. Unfortunately for Richt, I expect the heat to only get turned up further after the Yellow Jackets run through his porous defense. Tech wins this one going away.

Georgia Tech 40, Georgia 27

Notre Dame at #25 Stanford

Saturday, 8:00 PM EST

In what will surely be Charlie Weis’ swan song as the Irish head boss, can his team send him out in a positive manner? Look, Weis has done a good job putting together a productive offense, no one is really arguing that. What he hasn’t been able to do in the last three years is field an average defense and that failure will be his undoing for the final time this weekend. Expect Stanford’s high powered offense to move the ball at will thanks to Heisman-worthy tailback Toby Gerhart and star quarterback Andrew Luck. Stanford will win this one in a shootout and put Weis out to pasture.

Stanford 49, Notre Dame 34

UCLA at #21 Southern California: The Battle of Los Angeles

Saturday, 10:00 PM EST

It is a bit strange seeing the moods of both teams coming into this game. UCLA is confident in their defense and self-assured while USC is attempting to rebound from an extremely tough three game stretch. Typically, those traits have been reversed for most of the last decade. However, I don’t believe that UCLA’s offense is capable of scoring nearly enough points to win this game and thus I expect the Trojans to score late to open up a tight game on the backs of their defense and running game. UCLA just hasn’t closed the talent gap yet.

USC 23, UCLA 14

By: Matt Baxendell
Matt Baxendell is collegesports-fans.com’s football writer. Keep an eye out all fall for his multiple weekly articles discussing everything college football. If you want to get in touch with him, email him at Matt.Baxendell@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @MattBaxendell