The sport of college football is built on rivalries, often dating back decades. And on Saturday, Josh Pate of “Late Kick” decided to rank to the top five fiercest rivalries in the country.
Per Pate, “I’ve got different criteria for this one. I care about what it means nationally. I care about how rabid and intense it is, and I care about the ramifications. Does it mean something outside just that rivalry, those two programs? But then there is also this other element I have. I love the nuance … There’s going to be a healthy mixture from this criteria in that top five.”
Here’s how he ranked them:
5. Iowa vs. Minnesota
(Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images)
“… This one is personal preference, so deal with it,” Pate said. “My No. 5 rivalry game is Iowa-Minnesota. Floyd of Rosedale is my favorite trophy in college football? Nay. My favorite trophy in sports. It’s just a pig to some of you, but it’s the pig to me,” he explained. “… Look at him, he’s so beautiful. Floyd of Rosedale is so great.”
4. Georgia vs. Florida
“This one is really intense,” Pate continued. “It’s really chippy, personal and a lot of these kids grew up across the two state lines. Border rivalries are always great but this one has added implications with the SEC East. Been to several of them before and grew up watching it. So No. 4 is Georgia-Florida.”
3. Oklahoma vs. Texas
(Photo by John Korduner/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“I’ll be truthful here,” he revealed. “Before this past year, I did not rank [Oklahoma-Texas] as that high. But it was out of ignorance. I had not experienced it before. When I went to the game, I got it. All the stuff I heard about the game that I used to think was hyperbole, it was real and it clicked.”
2. Alabama vs. Auburn
“The Iron Bowl is clearly No. 2,” Pate continued. “Listen man, this one is really really special. Really unique … It always delivers. Even this past year when you expected a blowout, it always delivers.”
1. Ohio State vs. Michigan
(Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
“The reason why I always sided with Ohio State-Michigan [over the Iron Bowl] is because I thought those are two national brands where as the Iron Bowl is a national brand [Alabama] and a more regional brand [Auburn],” Pate concluded. “That’s it.”
Hard to argue with Pate’s rankings. How would your top five stack up?
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