Earth to ESPN

#8
#8
College basketball has very, very few games that have big draws during the regular season . Duke and UNC is the biggest rivalry in college basketball and one of the top 5 rivalries in college sports, probably top 10 in American Sports. ESPN has to play it safe by betting on this game to deliver like it typically does.
 
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#9
#9
RDU VOL#14 said:
College basketball has very, very few games that have big draws during the regular season . Duke and UNC is the biggest rivalry in college basketball and one of the top 5 rivalries in college sports, probably top 10 in American Sports. ESPN has to play it safe by betting on this game to deliver like it typically does.
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Name em
 
#10
#10
MAD said:
Name em
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Ok. This should be a fun exercise

Ohio State vs Michigan
Auburn vs Bama
Duke vs UNC
OU vs Texas
Army vs Navy
Kentucky vs Louisville (Basketball)


Overall I think it’s harder to include current pro sports unless you do it historically. The rivalries aren’t the same as when I grew up watching Bulls vs Pistons or Knicks vs Heat, Redskins vs Cowboys or 49ers vs Cowboys .

Red Sox vs Yankees
Lakers vs Celtics
Bears vs Packers
Giants vs Dodgers
Ohio State vs Michigan
Iron Bowl
Duke vs UNC
Maybe Steelers vs Ravens

I don’t follow hockey close enough to give an opinion, but the point of what I originally wrote is that Duke vs UNC basketball certainly belongs in the discussion of best college rivalries and given its excellence, longevity and how close the series has been for the past 40 + years it’s one of the best rivalries in all of sports .

I’m sure everyone will chime in on how this list sucks or whatever, but this is off the top of my head.
 
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#11
#11
RDU VOL#14 said:
Ok. This should be a fun exercise

Ohio State vs Michigan
Auburn vs Bama
Duke vs UNC
OU vs Texas
Army vs Navy
Kentucky vs Louisville (Basketball)


Overall I think it’s harder to include current pro sports unless you do it historically. The rivalries aren’t the same as when I grew up watching Bulls vs Pistons or Knicks vs Heat, Redskins vs Cowboys or 49ers vs Cowboys .

Red Sox vs Yankees
Lakers vs Celtics
Bears vs Packers
Giants vs Dodgers
Ohio State vs Michigan
Iron Bowl
Duke vs UNC
Maybe Steelers vs Ravens

I don’t follow hockey close enough to give an opinion, but the point of what I originally wrote is that Duke vs UNC basketball certainly belongs in the discussion of best college rivalries and given its excellence, longevity and how close the series has been for the past 40 + years it’s one of the best rivalries in all of sports .

I’m sure everyone will chime in on how this list sucks or whatever, but this is off the top of my head.
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That’s a decent list. Good job. And you are right certain big rivalries were big at the time and lost their luster. There was a time when Geno vs Pat was must watch TV.
Back in the 90’s Red Wings vs Avalanche was as big as it got in hockey. Florida vs Tennessee in the 90’s.

My top rivalry in each sport pro and college would be.

Football
Michigan vs Ohio State
Dallas vs Washington

Basketball
Duke vs UNC
Lakers vs Celtics

Baseball
Tennessee vs Vanderbilt (doesn’t have the history but I don’t think there is a bigger current rivalry in college)
Yankees vs Red Sox’s

Hockey
Maple Leafs vs Canadians NHL
USA vs Canada Olympics
 
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#12
#12
MAD said:
That’s a decent list. Good job. And you are right certain big rivalries were big at the time and lost their luster. There was a time when Geno vs Pat was must watch TV.
Back in the 90’s Red Wings vs Avalanche was as big as it got in hockey. Florida vs Tennessee in the 90’s.

My top rivalry in each sport pro and college would be.

Football
Michigan vs Ohio State
Dallas vs Washington

Basketball
Duke vs UNC
Lakers vs Celtics

Baseball
Tennessee vs Vanderbilt (doesn’t have the history but I don’t think there is a bigger current rivalry in college)
Yankees vs Red Sox’s

Hockey
Maple Leafs vs Canadians NHL
USA vs Canada Olympics
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That's a good list. One rivalry that I expect to get incredibly heated (again) over the next several years is Texas and Texas A&M. Particularly from A&M fans directed at Texas. Texas doesn't like A&M, but they look at them as a "less than" or an object worthy of pity more than a hatred. A&M fans look at Texas with this amazing mix of hatred, jealousy, and paranoia that is difficult to describe. The complexity of the feelings seems to run deeper than the feelings between Michigan and Ohio St or Alabama and Auburn.

That could end up being a great college baseball rivalry in particular because of what happened last season with Schlossnagle.
 
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#13
#13
MAD said:
That’s a decent list. Good job. And you are right certain big rivalries were big at the time and lost their luster. There was a time when Geno vs Pat was must watch TV.
Back in the 90’s Red Wings vs Avalanche was as big as it got in hockey. Florida vs Tennessee in the 90’s.

My top rivalry in each sport pro and college would be.

Football
Michigan vs Ohio State
Dallas vs Washington

Basketball
Duke vs UNC
Lakers vs Celtics

Baseball
Tennessee vs Vanderbilt (doesn’t have the history but I don’t think there is a bigger current rivalry in college)
Yankees vs Red Sox’s

Hockey
Maple Leafs vs Canadians NHL
USA vs Canada Olympics
Click to expand...
That’s a good list too. I think people flock to greatness, especially when it’s accompanied by strong clashing personalities. Styles make fights. Showtime LA vs Blue Collar Boston. The buttoned up Yankees in ‘03 ‘04 vs the Idiots Red Sox. Harbaugh being an eccentric psychopath vs Ryan Day being the guy he loves to antagonize.

Unfortunately, there’s a lot of that is missing in pro sports these days. NFL is still king and will remain so, but there’s not really a Pats vs Colts, maybe Buffalo vs Chiefs, but overall it seems like Chiefs fatigue and dislike of fan bases has become the main reason for disliking teams . I’m really hoping that the resurgence of the Washington football team will reignite some old rivalries that I grew up with.
 
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#14
#14
05_never_again said:
That's a good list. One rivalry that I expect to get incredibly heated (again) over the next several years is Texas and Texas A&M. Particularly from A&M fans directed at Texas. Texas doesn't like A&M, but they look at them as a "less than" or an object worthy of pity more than a hatred. A&M fans look at Texas with this amazing mix of hatred, jealousy, and paranoia that is difficult to describe. The complexity of the feelings seems to run deeper than the feelings between Michigan and Ohio St or Alabama and Auburn.

That could end up being a great college baseball rivalry in particular because of what happened last season with Schlossnagle.
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That’s a really good one. A&M seems to hate Texas more than they like their own team. I think that’s a game that will have 2 very relevant teams for the next 5-10 years. With that game being every season now, that definitely deserves a top 10 or higher ranking .
 
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#15
#15
05_never_again said:
That's a good list. One rivalry that I expect to get incredibly heated (again) over the next several years is Texas and Texas A&M. Particularly from A&M fans directed at Texas. Texas doesn't like A&M, but they look at them as a "less than" or an object worthy of pity more than a hatred. A&M fans look at Texas with this amazing mix of hatred, jealousy, and paranoia that is difficult to describe. The complexity of the feelings seems to run deeper than the feelings between Michigan and Ohio St or Alabama and Auburn.

That could end up being a great college baseball rivalry in particular because of what happened last season with Schlossnagle.
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That series in April is gonna be amazing, would have made for better theater if it was played in College Station instead of Austin.
 
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#16
#16
RDU VOL#14 said:
That’s a good list too. I think people flock to greatness, especially when it’s accompanied by strong clashing personalities. Styles make fights. Showtime LA vs Blue Collar Boston. The buttoned up Yankees in ‘03 ‘04 vs the Idiots Red Sox. Harbaugh being an eccentric psychopath vs Ryan Day being the guy he loves to antagonize.

Unfortunately, there’s a lot of that is missing in pro sports these days. NFL is still king and will remain so, but there’s not really a Pats vs Colts, maybe Buffalo vs Chiefs, but overall it seems like Chiefs fatigue and dislike of fan bases has become the main reason for disliking teams . I’m really hoping that the resurgence of the Washington football team will reignite some old rivalries that I grew up with.
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Maybe there is more emphasis on individuals in the pros. Like in the NBA seems like a lot of fans follow their favorite players and don’t care as much for a particular team.
 
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#17
#17
RDU VOL#14 said:
That’s a good list too. I think people flock to greatness, especially when it’s accompanied by strong clashing personalities. Styles make fights. Showtime LA vs Blue Collar Boston. The buttoned up Yankees in ‘03 ‘04 vs the Idiots Red Sox. Harbaugh being an eccentric psychopath vs Ryan Day being the guy he loves to antagonize.

Unfortunately, there’s a lot of that is missing in pro sports these days. NFL is still king and will remain so, but there’s not really a Pats vs Colts, maybe Buffalo vs Chiefs, but overall it seems like Chiefs fatigue and dislike of fan bases has become the main reason for disliking teams . I’m really hoping that the resurgence of the Washington football team will reignite some old rivalries that I grew up with.
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What makes college rivalries so much better than pro ones are the fans. Being an alumni of the school or a fan of a school that you grew up with or live close to seems to make them generate more emotion and a greater sense of nostalgia. The players (especially in college, both pre and post-portal era) come and go, but what really makes the rivalry tick are the fans. Especially with in-state rivalries where the opposing fans are in close quarters. The thing about college rivalries too is that most of the really good, passionate ones pre-date football and go back to the founding of the schools as institutions (Texas/Texas A&M, Alabama/Auburn, Ole Miss/Miss St). Football is simply a manifestation of the rivalry; it goes deeper than just football. Especially in the case of Texas/Texas A&M and Ole Miss/Miss St, there are big cultural differences between those fanbases that adds to the hate.

I think I might have mentioned this before in other threads, but going to Omaha and being around A&M fans at the CWS was eye-opening. Many of their fans probably have a clinical psychological condition about Texas. I'm not even exaggerating. They absolutely despise Texas while simultaneously being jealous of them (they'd never admit it, but they are). They also think that Texas is out to get them, and not just in the sense of beating them on the field of play but wanting to ruin them as an institution. Every A&M fan I came into contact with, within a couple minutes of conversing with them, brought up Texas and talked about how much they hated them, how they are going to ruin the SEC and we should have helped keep them out, Texas is ruining college athletics, did Horns Down all the time, etc. It eventually got to the point where I told one of them "I get it man, but Texas isn't even here right now" and he laughed but I could tell it kind of annoyed him. It was something to see. I don't think Alabama has ever been in Auburn's head to anywhere near that extent.
 
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#18
#18
05_never_again said:
What makes college rivalries so much better than pro ones are the fans. Being an alumni of the school or a fan of a school that you grew up with or live close to seems to make them generate more emotion and a greater sense of nostalgia. The players (especially in college, both pre and post-portal era) come and go, but what really makes the rivalry tick are the fans. Especially with in-state rivalries where the opposing fans are in close quarters. The thing about college rivalries too is that most of the really good, passionate ones pre-date football and go back to the founding of the schools as institutions (Texas/Texas A&M, Alabama/Auburn, Ole Miss/Miss St). Football is simply a manifestation of the rivalry; it goes deeper than just football. Especially in the case of Texas/Texas A&M and Ole Miss/Miss St, there are big cultural differences between those fanbases that adds to the hate.

I think I might have mentioned this before in other threads, but going to Omaha and being around A&M fans at the CWS was eye-opening. Many of their fans probably have a clinical psychological condition about Texas. I'm not even exaggerating. They absolutely despise Texas while simultaneously being jealous of them (they'd never admit it, but they are). They also think that Texas is out to get them, and not just in the sense of beating them on the field of play but wanting to ruin them as an institution. Every A&M fan I came into contact with, within a couple minutes of conversing with them, brought up Texas and talked about how much they hated them, how they are going to ruin the SEC and we should have helped keep them out, Texas is ruining college athletics, did Horns Down all the time, etc. It eventually got to the point where I told one of them "I get it man, but Texas isn't even here right now" and he laughed but I could tell it kind of annoyed him. It was something to see. I don't think Alabama has ever been in Auburn's head to anywhere near that extent.
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I wonder if A&M surpasses Texas. In the new era of NIL, it’s got to give them an advantage having the largest enrollment of any school in the country and about 20,000 more than Texas
 
#19
#19
MAD said:
I wonder if A&M surpasses Texas. In the new era of NIL, it’s got to give them an advantage having the largest enrollment of any school in the country and about 20,000 more than Texas
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I'm not sure. A&M has been competitive (or even surpassed) Texas for a long time in those kinds of metrics (enrollment, athletic department revenue, etc.). In multiple years during the past several years, A&M's athletic department has actually brought in more money than Texas. Their university endowments are almost exactly the same size. One thing I don't think A&M has had in football in the modern era is an elite coach. I think they thought they were getting that with Jimbo, but simply having a ton of money to pay someone doesn't guarantee great coaching.

If you look throughout history, A&M is perhaps the most underachieving athletic program in the country (simply looking at how successful they've been on the field relative to their resources). I actually think Texas has underachieved throughout history too, although not to anywhere near the same extent as A&M. The Big 12 is not a deep conference, yet Texas only won 4 Big 12 football titles in 27 years. A&M won 1 in 16 years.
 
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#20
#20
MAD said:
I wonder if A&M surpasses Texas. In the new era of NIL, it’s got to give them an advantage having the largest enrollment of any school in the country and about 20,000 more than Texas
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I’ll believe when I see it . Texas A&M should’ve taken advantage of Texas the past 12 years before Texas got to the SEC and it didn’t even take a year for them to fall behind. They can try and blame Texas all they want, but they’re the ones who hired Jimbo. Sumlin at least had Johnny Football and Mike Evans bring some excitement. IMO they’ve underachieved more than any other big program for an extended period of time. I do think they got the right hire w/ Elko though. He’s a perfect fit. Like I said before, styles make fights and his personality against Sark’s personality is perfect for that rivalry. There’s no way they like each other .
 
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#21
#21
05_never_again said:
I'm not sure. A&M has been competitive (or even surpassed) Texas for a long time in those kinds of metrics (enrollment, athletic department revenue, etc.). In multiple years during the past several years, A&M's athletic department has actually brought in more money than Texas. Their university endowments are almost exactly the same size. One thing I don't think A&M has had in football in the modern era is an elite coach. I think they thought they were getting that with Jimbo, but simply having a ton of money to pay someone doesn't guarantee great coaching.

If you look throughout history, A&M is perhaps the most underachieving athletic program in the country (simply looking at how successful they've been on the field relative to their resources). I actually think Texas has underachieved throughout history too, although not to anywhere near the same extent as A&M. The Big 12 is not a deep conference, yet Texas only won 4 Big 12 football titles in 27 years. A&M won 1 in 16 years.
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You beat me to it. Didn’t see your post
 
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#24
#24
RDU VOL#14 said:
You beat me to it. Didn’t see your post
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I have not been to a game at A&M but my wife has (the 2016 game where we almost pulled off that huge comeback). I was going college football nerd on her one day about how A&M's last football national title was in the 30s, they only won the Big 12 once, etc. She remarked "Wow, when I was there at the game, seeing the stadium and fans you would have thought they had won 50 national championships."
 
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