Top 10 College Football Rivalries of ALL-TIME

**POJO_Risin** · 11-19-2005, 01:22 PM

TRADITIONS: Cal vs. Stanford
Story Tools: Print Email
Trey Luerssen / FOXSports.com
Posted: 367 days ago

Stanford Axe
The Stanford Axe was originally an ornament (what kind of ornament has a 15-inch steel blade on a four-foot handle?) displayed in the Stanford rooting section in the Stanford-Cal baseball game on April 15, 1899. After the game, Cal students wrestled the Axe from the Stanford students and evaded the Stanford students and (helped by the San Francisco police) and were able to bring the Axe across the bay back to campus. Cal kept the Axe until 1931, only displayed annually during the Axe Rally the night before the Big Game. But in 1931, 21 Stanford students invaded campus, including one student posing as a photographer that asked to take a picture of the Axe. The students tossed a tear-gas bomb to the Cal students and reclaimed the Axe. Three years later, Cal and Stanford alumni agreed together to let the Axe become a trophy awarded annually to the winner of the Cal-Stanford Big Game.

Axe Rally
This was the one time per year when the Stanford Axe was taken from its vault and shown to the student body, with alumni retelling the story of its capture. After 31 years, the tradition died out in 1930 when Stanford recaptured the Axe. But the tradition of a Rally the night before the Big Game continues. It's only called the "Axe Rally" when Cal is in possession of the Axe.

The Cardinal
The nickname for Stanford is the Cardinal. The name references one of the school colors and is singular. The use of the color dates back to March 19, 1891 when Stanford beat Cal in the first Big Game. While Stanford did not have an official nickname, the day after the Big Game local newspapers picked up the "cardinal" theme and used it in the headlines.
Stanford didn't have an "official" nickname until 1930 when "Indians" was officially adopted after being part of Stanford athletic tradition for many years. There was a large Indian population in the Palo Alto area and Indian paraphernalia was in abundance in the late 1800's.

The Indian symbol was eventually dropped in 1972 following meetings between Stanford native American students and President Richard Lyman. The 55 students, supported by the other 358 American Indians enrolled in California colleges, felt the mascot was an insult to their culture and heritage. The Indian symbol was dropped.

New suggestions were voted on. These included: Robber Barons, Sequoias, Trees, Cardinals, Railroaders, Spikes, and Huns. None were accepted.

In 1978, another group comprised of 225 varsity athletes from 18 teams, started a petition for the mascot to be the griffin – a mythological animal with the body and hind legs of a lion and head and wings of an eagle. The University moved two griffin statues from the Children's Hospital to a grassy area between Encina Gym and Angel Field. The campaign for the Griffins failed.

From 1972 until November 17, 1981, Stanford's official nickname was Cardinals, in reference to one of the school colors, not the bird. That same year, President Donald Kennedy declared that all Stanford athletic teams will be represented and symbolized exclusively by the color cardinal.

The Tree
There is no official mascot at Stanford University. The "Tree," which is a member of the Stanford Band, is representative of El Palo Alto, the Redwood tree which is the logo of the city of Palo Alto. The tree still exists and stands by the railroad bridge beside San Francisquito Creek - it is the site where early explorers first camped when settling the area.

Golden Bear
When a 12-man track team returned from a series of meets on the East Coast in 1895. The team was triumphant so their logo, the grizzly bear embroidered in gold on their banner, immediately became Cal's mascot.

Card Stunts
The Cal rooting section is credited with establishing one of the most time-honored traditions in college football. Cal began performing card stunts for the 1910 "Big Game," a rugby match between California and Stanford. The original stunts performed that afternoon depicted the Stanford Axe and a big blue "C" formed on a white background. The tradition is a crowd favorite at Memorial Stadium as several times each season Cal students perform as many as 10 different stunts, using more than 5,000 cards. The painstaking process of plotting the positions of the cards, which once took days to complete, is now aided by computers.

**POJO_Risin** · 11-19-2005, 01:23 PM

Number 9

9. Florida vs. Florida State
(Florida leads 28-19-2)

There's not a real history here and each team has bigger rivals, but this is growing into a bitter feud thanks to the current status of the two schools. At least one of the two teams were involved in the national title mix throughout the 1990s, and now it has become one of the year's most exciting and anticipated showdowns. Former Gators coach Steve Spurrier took it too another level when he called Florida State "Free Shoes University," using a Seminoles scandal to add some fire to the showdown and raise this from a good annual game to a solid rivalry. Now the two programs compete for area recruits and in-state status.

Signature game
Nov. 22, 1997: Florida 32, Florida State 29
The No. 1 Florida State Seminoles had been rolling through their schedule going into the showdown in the Swamp against Florida. The Gators were ranked 10th after a couple of early-season losses. The 'Noles had the nation's top-ranked run defense (Florida's was No. 2), but the Gators would test them early as Spurrier was determined to run the ball and thanks to Fred Taylor, they did. Rotating quarterbacks Doug Johnson and Noah Brindise on every play, the Gators combined an interesting mix of run and pass plays that gave the Seminole defense fits. But Florida State would be heard from.

FSU running back Travis Minor had a huge day, running for 129 yards and a touchdown, but the game would belong to his counterpart, Taylor. In a seesaw game, Taylor tore off a 61-yard touchdown run to put the Gators crowd into a frenzy as they now believed the Gators might actually be able to pull off the upset. But when kicker Sebastian Janikowski nailed a 20-yard field goal with less than three minutes to play to go up 29-25, it looked like the Seminoles would get the win and be off to the national championship. And then came what might go down as the biggest pass in the storied rivalry.

Trying desperately to get a final drive going, Johnson hit Jacquez Green, who would finish with seven catches for 145 yards, up the sideline for a 63-yard gain down to the FSU 17. Taylor followed it up with a run to the one before plunging in for the game-winning touchdown. He would finish with 162 yards and four touchdowns.

The Seminoles, in the new era of the Bowl Championship Series, were passed over for Tennessee to play Nebraska in the mythical national title game. Michigan and Nebraska ended up splitting the national championship while the 'Noles throttled Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl. Florida beat Penn State in the Citrus Bowl.

**POJO_Risin** · 11-19-2005, 01:25 PM

TRADITIONS: Florida State vs. Florida
Story Tools: Print Email
Trey Luerssen / FOXSports.com
Posted: 3 days ago

It used to be no contest. But over the past 15 years, Florida State vs. Florida has often been the contest.

In 1907, one year after the University of Florida fielded its first football team, Austin Miller was enrolled at the University of Virginia. His father, Phillip Miller, owned and operated a Gainsville drug store that was a popular hangout for university students. While visiting his son in Charlottesville, the father decided to order some banners and pennants for the University of Florida from the Michie Company, which manufactured similar items for other colleges. The Millers saw samples of the Yale bulldog and the Princeton tiger and they realized that Florida had no nickname. They came up with the 'Alligators' because no other school used the name and the alligator was native to the state. The name stuck.

The Swamp
The nickname for Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field was coined by none other than Steve Spurrier at the end of the 1991 season. Spurrier said, "The swamp is where Gators live. We feel comfortable there, but we hope our opponents feel tentative. A swamp is hot and sticky and can be dangerous."

We Are the Old Boys From Florida
Between the third and fourth quarters, the Florida band strikes up the song "We Are the Old Boys From Florida." All of the Gator fans lock arms and sway back and forth to the music.

Gator Chomp
Florida fans mimic the chomp of a Gator at key times during each game. The band strikes up the ominous music from Jaws as fans clap their hand up and down (like a alligator's mouth). The song gets faster and faster and by the end, the clapping takes over.

Seminoles
From the earliest days of the school, Florida State athletic teams have used the Seminoles as their nickname. The school says the use of the name is not meant to degrade the Native American tribe. Former FSU President Dr. Dale W. Lick said, "The history of the Seminole Indians in Florida is the story of a noble, brave, courageous, strong and determined people who, against great odds, struggled successfully to preserve their heritage and live their lives according to their traditions and preferences. Florida State has proudly identified its athletic teams with these heroic people because they represent the traits we want our athletes to have."

Chief Osceola and Renegade

The tradition was born on September 16, 1978, against Oklahoma State when a student, wearing native-American clothing, led the team from the tunnel riding a horse. Three horses and nine different riders have actually appeared at a game as Osceola and Renegade. In addition to those, there have been 16 horses trained in the Renegade program, including Tonka and Spiderman, who are the understudies to current Chief Osceola mount, Sharky. The original Chief Osceola and Renegade were Jim Kidder and Reo. The original horse was donated by Tallahassee veterinarian Dr. Jerry Deloney, but the horses and riders have been trained by local businessman Bill Durham for over 15 years. The clothing and rigging that Chief Osceola and Renegade wear were designed and approved by the Seminole Indian Tribe of Florida.

The War Chant
The current Seminole War Chant is a descendant of a popular Seminole cheer from the 1960s called "massacre," which was led by Florida State's band the Marching Chiefs. During Florida State's 1984 contest against Auburn, the Marching Chiefs began to perform the cheer. Some students behind the band joined in and continued the "war chant" portion after the band ceased. Some students even added the "chopping" tomahawk motion. The student section continued the cheer and by 1986, it was a stadiumwide phenomenon.

The Sod Cemetery
Florida State Dean Coyle E. Moore founded the tradition of the sod game in 1962 after the football team captains brought back a piece of turf from Sanford Stadium after beating Georgia in Athens 18-0. The sod was buried in the corner of the Florida State practice field as a monument to the road victory. At first, the 'Noles only buried grass from road upsets. But as FSU became more successful, the criteria changed. Sod games are now road games in which Florida State is a significant underdog and bowl games. Each piece of sod is buried in the cemetery and a tombstone is placed above it with the score and date of the game.

**POJO_Risin** · 11-19-2005, 01:27 PM

Number 8

8. UCLA vs. USC
(USC leads the series 40-27-7)

The battle for The Victory Bell is a wee bit different than most rivalries because it involves a major metropolitan city. There are sports in L.A. other than college football to get excited about, but that doesn't mean the two sides aren't fierce about this battle and aren't above being creative with various pranks. Throughout the years, USC's Tommy Trojan statue in the middle of the USC campus has been mutilated, painted, and buried before the big game by UCLA fans. USC fans have had their moments, highlighted in 1958 by getting a phony story in the UCLA student newspaper quoting UCLA head coach George Dickerson saying, "I can't see any hope for our team." The game ended in a 15-15 tie.

Signature game
Nov. 18, 1967: USC 21, UCLA 20
It wasn't just for the honor of winning a crosstown rivalry. It wasn't just for the Rose Bowl. This was, possibly, for the national title as No. 1 UCLA and star quarterback Gary Beban squared off against No. 2 USC and its young tailback O.J. Simpson. Beban was magnificent as he threw for 301 yards even though he was playing with bad ribs. Tied 14-14 early in the fourth quarter, Beban hit Dave Nuttall with a 20-yard TD pass to take the lead, but the Trojans blocked the extra point.

And then it was showtime.

In the history of Trojan football and all the spectacular tailbacks, there has been no greater run than the dash that was to come from Simpson. It was third and eight on USC's own 36. The Trojans had replaced Steve Sogge at quarterback with Toby Page to get the better passer in the game. With a pass play called, Page changed the call at the line of scrimmage to Red 23-Blast when he saw the Bruin linebackers drop back into pass coverage. The play call would go to an exhausted Simpson, who cut through the line before bouncing left. He then cut back right appearing to be shot out of a cannon as he tore up the field for a 64-yard touchdown and the win. The victory gave the Trojans the Pac 8 title and a berth in the Rose Bowl where they beat Indiana and won the national title. UCLA would finish 10th, but Beban would win the Heisman Trophy. Simpson would win it the following season while this play, and this game, made him a superstar

**POJO_Risin** · 11-19-2005, 01:28 PM

TRADITIONS: USC vs. UCLA
Story Tools: Print Email
Trey Luerssen / FOXSports.com
Posted: 367 days ago

It's the biggest cross-town rivalry in college football. The pride of Los Angeles is always on the line when UCLA meets Southern Cal.

The Rose Bowl
Arguably the nation's most famous college football stadium, the Rose Bowl is now in its 19th season as the home of the UCLA Bruins. The Rose Bowl was built specifically for football, but was used for portions of the 1932 Olympic Games and was also the soccer site for the 1984 Olympics. The Rose Bowl has also been the site of four Super Bowls, most recently Super Bowl XXVII on January 31, 1993, and was a venue for the 1994 World Cup and 1999 Women1s World Cup soccer tournaments, including the championship games.

Completed in 1922, the Rose Bowl was first used for the USC-California game that year. The stadium was horseshoe shaped and seated 57,000 persons when it hosted the 1923 Rose Bowl Game. The south end was enclosed prior to the 1929 game and enlarged to seat 76,000 spectators. Demands for more and more seats led to further enlargements. The Rose Bowl now has more than 100,000 seats.

Jim Murray Trophy
Beginning in 1998, the Los Angeles Times began presenting the Jim Murray Trophy to the winner of the USC-UCLA game, named for the legendary columnist.

Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum combines the traditional and modern premier athletic environment. The Trojans have played in the Coliseum since its construction in 1923. The stadium has hosted the Olympic Games in 1932 and 1984.

Until 1912, teams at the University of Southern California were known as the Methodists or the Wesleyans. But university officials were unhappy with both nicknames. Athletic Director Warren Bovard, son of university president Dr. George Bovard, asked Los Angeles Times sports editor Owen Bird to select an appropriate nickname. Bird said, "At this time, the athletes and coaches of the university were under terrific handicaps. They were facing teams that were bigger and better equipped, yet they had splendid fighting spirit. The name 'Trojans' fitted them."

Victory Bell
The winner of the annual USC-UCLA football game is given yearlong possession of the Victory Bell. The 295-pound bell originally clanged from atop a Southern Pacific freight locomotive.

It was given to UCLA in 1939 as a gift from the UCLA Alumni Association. For two seasons, cheerleaders rang the bell after each Bruin point. At the opening game of UCLA's 1941 football season, 6 members of USC's Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity infiltrated the UCLA rooting section. After the game, they helped Bruin students load the bell onto a waiting truck bound for Westwood. But then, a Trojan quietly removed the key to the truck, and while the Bruins went to get a replacement, the Trojans drove off with the bell.

On Nov. 12, 1942, the bell was wheeled in front of Tommy Trojan, and the student body presidents of both schools -- USC's Bill McKay and UCLA's Bill Farrer -- signed an agreement stating that thereafter the annual winner of the Trojan-Bruin gridiron clash would keep the bell for the following year. In the case of a tie, the bell would be retained by the school that won the previous year's game. The USC Alumni Association later repaid the UCLA Alumni Association for half the cost of the bell.

Tommy Trojan
In the center of the USC campus stands one of the most famous collegiate landmarks in the country: Tommy Trojan. Since being unveiled in 1930 for USC's 50th jubilee, the statue of the bronzed Trojan warrior has served not only as a popular meeting place on campus, but as a symbol of the university's fighting spirit. The statue is a composite of many USC football players from the late 20s, most notably 1930 Rose Bowl Player of the Game Russ Saunders and All-American Erny Pinckert. The tradition of Tommy Trojan being painted blue and gold by UCLA pranksters was first recorded in October of 1941. Since then, Tommy has been hit often, but now USC maintenance crews cover him with plastic and canvas for protection during the week of the annual USC-UCLA football game.

**POJO_Risin** · 11-19-2005, 01:31 PM

Number 7

7. Florida vs. Georgia
(Georgia leads 46-35-2. According to Florida, Georgia leads 45-36-2)

The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party has been the Florida Invitational in recent seasons, but now it's back in Georgia's favor after a 31-24 win. As far as rivalries go, this one is mega-heated as the two sides hate each other for 364 days and three hours. But all is congenial just before and just after the game as fans tailgate for days in college football's greatest party.

Signature game
Dec. 2, 1980: Georgia 26, Florida 21
It was a spectacular game with superstar freshman running back Herschel Walker riddling the Gators for 238 yards and a touchdown on 37 carries. Nobody seems to remember his outstanding performance though. In Georgia's dream season, it was a pass play that the college football world, and historians of the Cocktail Party, will remember forever. There was only 1:35 to play and Georgia was down 21-20 on its own seven-yard line. The Bulldogs ran two plays to no avail. On third and 10 and with only 1:04 to play, Georgia was still on its seven-yard line. Quarterback Buck Belue threw between several Gators to complete a pass to wide receiver Lindsay Scott. Scott turned up field past a Gator defender and ripped up the sideline, going 93 yards for the improbable Bulldog win. Georgia went on to win the national title. Florida all but fell apart after this game, losing two of its final four games. Georgia had survived a scare the week earlier against South Carolina, but it was relatively smooth sailing after this game, beating Auburn, Georgia Tech and Notre Dame to win the national title. Because of the implications (as opposed to Doug Flutie's Hail Mary against Miami), this was the pass of the 1980s.

**POJO_Risin** · 11-19-2005, 01:33 PM

TRADITIONS: Georgia-Florida
Story Tools: Print Email
Trey Luerssen / FOXSports.com
Posted: 23 days ago

The biggest party in college football:

The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party
"The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party" is a common name for the yearly football game between the University of Florida Gators and the University of Georgia Bulldogs. It is held at the neutral site of ALLTEL Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida in either late October or early November. The designated "home" team alternates from year to year, and ticket sales for the game are split 50-50 between the two schools. Fans tailgate for days and take over several restaurants and bars around Jacksonville for the weekend.

Bulldogs
Many oldtimers say Georgia acquired the nickname "Bulldogs" because of the strong ties with Yale, whose nickname is Bulldogs. Georgia's first president, Abraham Baldwin, was a Yale man and the early buildings on campus were designed from blue prints of the same building at Yale. But on Nov. 3, 1920, Morgan Blake of The Atlanta Journal wrote about school nicknames and said, "The 'Bulldogs' would sound good because there is a certain dignity about a bulldog, as well as ferocity." After a 0-0 tie with Virginia in Charlottesville on Nov. 6, 1920, Atlanta Constitution writer Cliff Wheatley used the name "Bulldogs" in his story five times. The name has been used ever since.

Uga

Uga is one of the best known mascots in the country. The bulldog is from a line owned by Frank W. (Sonny) Sieler of Savannah, GA. since 1956. The current line began with Uga I, a solid white English Bulldog who was the grandson of a former Georgia mascot who made the trip to the 1943 Rose Bowl. Perhaps the most famous Uga was Uga V who made appearances in the movie "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil". He also graced the cover of Sports Illustrated. Uga IV was the first mascot invited to the downtown athletic club and was escorted through the banquet hall by the president of the Downtown Athletic Club and was photographed with Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker.

Between the Hedges
This reference to Sanford Stadium dates back to the early 1930s. The famous English privet hedges that surround the playing field were only one foot high when the stadium was dedicated in 1929 and were protected by a wooden fence. It was natural for a clever sports writer, referring to an upcoming home game, to observe, "the Bulldogs will have their opponent 'between the hedges.'" At least one old-timer says the phrase was first coined by legendary Atlanta sportswriter Grantland .

Silver Britches
"Silver britches" were an innovation of coach Wally Butts, who took over as head football coach in 1939. The handsome pants, complimented by a bright red jersey, made for a striking uniform. Through the years, fans referred to the Bulldogs' silver britches in their chants and on banners, but the phrase really caught on in the early fifties with a cheer, banners and colorful vests that proclaimed "Go, You Silver Britches." Coach Vince Dooley re-designed the uniform when he came in 1964 and used white pants; however, he re-instituted the silver britches in 1980 just prior to what turned out to be Georgia's national championship season.

Gators

Florida's Gator prowls the sidelines of The Swamp (Scott Halleran / Getty Images)
In 1907, one year after the University of Florida fielded its first football team, Austin Miller was enrolled at the University of Virginia. His father, Phillip Miller, owned and operated a Gainsville drug store that was a popular hangout for university students. While visiting his son in Charlottesville, the father decided to order some banners and pennants for the University of Florida from the Michie Company, which manufactured similar items for other colleges. The Millers saw samples of the Yale bulldog and the Princeton tiger and they realized that Florida had no nickname. They came up with the 'Alligators' because no other school used the name and the alligator was native to the state. The name stuck.

The Swamp
The nickname for Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field was coined by none other than Steve Spurrier at the end of the 1991 season. Spurrier said, "The swamp is where Gators live. We feel comfortable there, but we hope our opponents feel tentative. A swamp is hot and sticky and can be dangerous."

We Are the Old Boys From Florida
Between the third and fourth quarters, the Florida band strikes up the song "We Are the Old Boys From Florida." All of the Gator fans lock arms and sway back and forth to the music.

Gator Chomp
Florida fans mimic the chomp of a Gator at key times during each game. The band strikes up the ominous music from Jaws as fans clap their hand up and down (like a alligator's mouth). The song gets faster and faster and by the end, the clapping takes over.

**POJO_Risin** · 11-19-2005, 01:35 PM

Number 6

6. Notre Dame vs. USC
(Notre Dame leads the series 42-30-5)

Traditions ...
The Shillelagh, the Trojans, the Irish and more.
It's the glitz of Los Angeles vs. the hearty Midwest in a rivalry that captures the nation at the end of every college football season. Love them or hate them, Notre Dame is most popular team in the nation and USC has been its most enduring rival. The Irish tore off a 12-0-1 record in the series from 1983 to 1995 before the Trojans won four straight. USC was 12-2-2 from 1967 to 1982.

As legend has it, in 1925 a USC graduate assistant met legendary Notre Dame coach Knute Rockne and bragged about how wonderful the weather was in Los Angeles and that it was a far better place to play a game than other destinations on Notre Dame's schedule. Rockne's wife liked the idea and a rivalry was born. The Irish won the first meeting 13-12 in 1926.

Signature game
Nov. 30, 1974: Southern Cal 55, Notre Dame 24
This game falls under the all-time monster momentum swing category. Notre Dame rocketed out to a 24-0 lead with only a minute to go in the first half as it appeared the Irish were on their way to an easy win. Trojan quarterback Pat Haden hit Anthony Davis on a scoring pass with six seconds left in the half providing a glimmer of hope for the second half. Davis, who burned the Irish for two touchdowns on kickoff returns two years earlier, took the opening kickoff of the second half 102 yards for a touchdown to give the Trojans momentum. Some momentum. The Trojans would go on to score 28 more points in the quarter as part of a 55 unanswered-point run over less than a 17-minute span. The Irish had only given up eight touchdowns in the previous 10 games, but allowed four Anthony Davis touchdowns and four Pat Haden touchdown passes. The Trojans would finish 10-1-1, were named UPI national champions and finished No. 2 in the AP poll. Notre Dame finished fourth in the UPI poll and sixth in the AP poll.

**POJO_Risin** · 11-19-2005, 01:37 PM

TRADITIONS: USC-Notre Dame
Story Tools: Print Email
Trey Luerssen / FOXSports.com
Posted: 37 days ago

Notre Dame and USC are two of the biggest and most storied private schools in the United States. They are also two of the few remaining private schools that have strong football programs.

Rivalry history

The series began in 1926, when Knute Rockne became one of the first coaches east of the Mississippi River to take his team to the West Coast. The next four games then alternated between Soldier Field and Los Angeles' Memorial Coliseum, with the first game played taking place at Notre Dame Stadium in 1931.

USC has won three straight meetings. Notre Dame holds a 39-26-5 series edge and are 21-9-1 in Notre Dame Stadium against the Trojans.

Fighting Irish
The origin of Notre Dame's nickname has never been definitively explained.

One story suggests the name was born in 1899 with Notre Dame leading Northwestern 5-0 at halftime of a game in Evanston, Ill. The Wildcat fans supposedly began to chant, "Kill the Fighting Irish, kill the Fighting Irish," as the second half opened. Another story suggests the nickname originated at halftime of the Notre Dame-Michigan game in 1909. Notre Dame trailed and one player yelled to his teammates, many with Irish names, "What's the matter with you guys? You're all Irish and you're not fighting worth a lick." Notre Dame came back to win the game and the press, after overhearing the remark, reported the game as a victory for the "Fighting Irish."

The most accepted explanation is that the press coined the nickname as a characterization of Notre Dame athletic teams, their never-say-die fighting spirit and their Irish qualities of grit, determination and tenacity. Notre Dame alumnus Francis Wallace popularized it in his New York Daily News columns in the 1920s.

The USC Trojans mascot enters the stadium on a white horse ( Jeff Gross / Getty Images)

Trojans
Until 1912, teams at the University of Southern California were known as the Methodists or the Wesleyans. But university officials were unhappy with both nicknames. Athletic Director Warren Bovard, son of university president Dr. George Bovard, asked Los Angeles Times sports editor Owen Bird to select an appropriate nickname. Bird said, "At this time, the athletes and coaches of the university were under terrific handicaps. They were facing teams that were bigger and better-equipped, yet they had splendid fighting spirit. The name 'Trojans' fitted them."

Shillelagh
Ordinal out of range The winner of the game keeps a shillelagh, which is a Gaelic war club made of wood from Ireland, for a year. This Shillelagh has emerald-studded shamrocks representing Notre Dame victories and ruby-adorned Trojan heads standing for USC wins (each is engraved with the year and final score).
In 1952, the Notre Dame Alumni Club of Los Angeles presented the trophy. The original shillelagh was flown in from Ireland by Howard Hughes' pilot. Although the trophy was introduced in 1952, the medallions on the shillelagh go back to 1926.

The original shillelagh ran out of space after in the 1989 game and was retired. It is on permanent display at Notre Dame. The new one is slightly bigger and was commissioned by Jim Gillis, a former baseball player at both schools and one-time president of the Notre Dame club of Los Angeles.

Touchdown Jesus
Touchdown Jesus is the famous painting of Jesus on the Hesburgh Library across from the stadium. It can be seen from inside the stadium, and since the painting lies directly behind the south endzone and depicts Christ with his hands uprised, it has become known as "Touchdown Jesus."

**POJO_Risin** · 11-19-2005, 01:40 PM

Number 5

5. Oklahoma vs. Texas
(Texas leads the series 56-39-5)

The Red River rivalry is as fierce and angry as any in college football with only Auburn-Alabama ranking higher on the meanness scale. During the second weekend of October, both teams travel to Dallas, a site equidistant from both schools and with each getting an equal number of tickets, for the last day of the State Fair of Texas. Only the Army-Navy games have a better atmosphere as one side of the stadium is totally clad in burnt orange while the other is in crimson and white.

How old is this series? It started in 1900, before Oklahoma was even a state. There were, possibly, lost political elections because of this game as former OU head coach Bud Wilkinson lost a Senate race after his No. 1 Sooners lost to the No. 2 Longhorns 28-7 in 1963. There have been incidents of spying by the Oklahoma coaches, causing former Texas coach Darrell Royal to call them "sorry bastards" before the 1976 showdown. And there have been tarnished legacies on both sides for failing to win this game. As the two programs have reentered a place reserved for only the elite of the elite in college football, this is getting even more heated.

Signature game
Oct. 12, 1968: Texas 26, Oklahoma 20
Down 20-19 with only 2:37 to play, Texas quarterback James Street connected on four passes to get down to the Sooner 21 with 55 seconds to play. Going back to the running game, UT won when fullback Steve Worster ran seven yards for the final score. Texas would follow this by winning 28 straight games, giving validity to its strange new offense that would dominate college football for the better part of the next two decades: the wishbone. When this offense was run to perfection, it was one of the most dominating forces in all of sports. Teams with superior ground attacks were able to put up numbers equal to any high-octane passing attack nowadays. It all started here.

**POJO_Risin** · 11-19-2005, 01:44 PM

TRADITIONS: Texas-Oklahoma
Story Tools: Print Email
Trey Luerssen / FOXSports.com
Posted: 45 days ago

The traditions in the Texas-OU game may be some of the most unique in of any rivalry in college football. The teams play at a neutral site, share a tunnel and split the stadium down the 50-yard line. And let's not forget there are cows and covered wagons.

Dallas

The neutral site of the Texas-Oklahoma game makes this one of the most unique rivalries in college football. The two teams first met in 1900 and have met annually in Dallas during the State Fair of Texas since 1929. The Cotton Bowl has served as the battleground since the stadium opened in 1937, and the game has been sold out 55 straight times.

Fans begin arriving in Dallas, which is equally distant from Austin and Norman, on Friday afternoon. The faithful hit the streets of downtown on Dallas Friday night for what is usually a very tense evening of revelry.

On game day, fans flood the State Fair grounds hours before kick-off. The seating in the Cotton Bowl is another aspect of this rivalry that sets it apart. The stadium is equally divided down the 50-yard line. One horseshoe is bathed in crimson; the other in burnt orange.

The tradition in Dallas might be coming to an end. Sick of the neglect of the Cotton Bowl by the City of Dallas, it looks like the series will become a home-and-home in two years when the contract is up unless Dallas makes a significant investment in Cotton Bowl improvements.

Smokey the Cannon

Smokey the Cannon is a University of Texas home game tradition that travels to Dallas for the Texas-OU Game. Smokey's thunderous roar is heard when the cannon fires two blank 10-gauge shotgun shells after each Texas score and after a Texas win. The cannon is operated by the Texas Cowboys, a men's campus service organization similar to the Silver Spurs.

Sports Illustrated recently named Texas' Hook'em the nation's top college hand signal. The signal had been around since 1955 when cheerleader Harley Clark introduced it to the student body. At a pep rally before the TCU game, Clark held up his right hand in a peculiar way. The index and little fingers were sticking up, while the thumb held down the two interior digits, making his hand look like the head of a Longhorn.

Bevo

While fighting Mexican rustlers along the Rio Grande, UT graduate and football manager Steve Pinckney found an orange-and-white-colored steer in 1911. He requested and received funds to pay for the steer with UT Ex-Students' Association subscriptions.

The steer mascot made his Austin debut in 1916 during the Longhorns' 21-7 victory over Texas A&M. It was a short career, however. Some Aggies branded the numbers 13-0 on the steer, signifying the score of the previous year's upset win. The branded steer's next public appearance was in the form of steak served during a Texas-Texas A&M dinner to honor the 1920 team, which had upset Texas A&M, 7-3, to win the Southwest Conference championship. The portion that bore the shameful brand was served to the Aggies, and the other half went to Texas.

Legend has it that the mascot's name, "Bevo," was derived from that 13-0 branding. The story says that Texas fans turned the 13 into a "B," made the hyphen an "E," and then inserted the "V" before the already present "0." The nickname stuck, and Bevo now is one of the most recognized mascots in college sports.

Several Bevos have created their own legends. Bevo III was a blue ribbon winner in a New York stock show. Bevo IV battered a car on his entrance to Memorial Stadium. The Bevo XIII escaped his ranch just prior to the Longhorns' clash with Oklahoma in 1990. Another steer filled in for the game and saw the Horns win a thriller. The sub retired undefeated after Bevo XIII was found safe and sound.

The mascots' caretakers are the Silver Spurs, a men's honorary organization. The steers are loaned by the state of Texas with the understanding that they will be retired after a reasonable period of time.

Bevo XIII retired after 16 years roaming the sidelines in Austin — the longest tenure of any Bevo. Two-year-old Bevo XIV is in his first season on the field.

What is a "Sooner?"

It would be hard to find a nickname that is as unique and as tied-in to a state's history as a Sooner. The Oklahoma territory opened with the Land Run of 1889. Settlers from across the globe, seeking free land, made their way to the prairies of the plains to stake their claim to a new life. One of the few rules to claiming a lot of land was that all participants were to start at the same time, on the boom of a cannon. All settlers who started then were labeled as "Boomers" and the ones who went too soon were called "Sooners."

OU athletic teams were called either Rough Riders or Boomers for 10 years before the current Sooner nickname emerged in 1908. The university actually derived their name from a pep club called "The Sooner Rooters."

Sooner Schooner

The Sooner Schooner is a covered wagon, reminiscent of the mode of travel that pioneers used to settle Oklahoma. The Schooner is powered by matching white ponies named Boomer and Sooner and ventures onto the field after OU scores. Although the Schooner was introduced in 1964, it did not become the official mascot until 1980.

**POJO_Risin** · 11-19-2005, 01:45 PM

Number 4

4. Army vs. Navy
(Series tided 49-49-7)

What other rivalry stops the most powerful men and women in the world in their tracks for one day a year? This isn't just the battle for a state or for a national title; this is for national supremacy.

It begins with the Army Corps of Cadets and Navy Brigade of Midshipmen marching onto the field before the game in most unique pageantry in all of sports, and it always ends with the two sides showing mutual respect no matter how the outcome turns out.

It all started in 1890 when several midshipmen challenged some cadets to play. Almost no one at Army had ever seen the game of football before, but that wasn't about to get in the way. An order went out to all cadets weighing more than 180 pounds to join practices to try to learn how to play. Two months later, Navy, who had been playing football for a few years, had won 24-0 and the rivalry was on. Army won the following year 32-16.

Signature game
Dec. 7, 1963: Navy 21, Army 16

It takes a classic to be considered the best Army-Navy game off all-time. This might have been it due not only to the spectacular play, but also the circumstances surrounding the times as it was postponed a week due to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

Poll

Navy was 8-1 going against a 7-2 Army team that was a decided underdog. Tied 7-7, Navy's Pat Donnelly tore off a 20-yard touchdown run and would later score third touchdown of the day to give the Midshipmen an apparently insurmountable 21-7 lead. But Army would come back. Army quarterback Rollie Stichweh marched the Cadets down the field for a touchdown and tacked on a two-point conversion to get within five points with six minutes to play.
Following the score, Stichweh recovered the onside kick and Army was in business again. With just over a minute and a half to play and the crowd going crazy, Stichweh completed a fourth down pass to get down to the Navy seven. A few plays later, Navy was on the two with twenty seconds to play and the noise so deafening that Stichweh asked the referee to quiet the crowd before each play. Army came to the line but since no one could hear. Again, the referee stopped the clock to get the crowd to quiet down.

Army went back into the huddle, but the referee had started the clock again. One more time, Stichweh asked to stop the clock due to noise. It was stopped but when it restarted, to the amazement of the Army offense, the clock ran out. Game over. Navy would finish the season ranked No. 2 in both polls. While this wasn't the most significant Army-Navy game, it was the most exciting.

This was also the last real gasp for these two service academies as neither would ever regain such a lofty status on a national scale.

**POJO_Risin** · 11-19-2005, 01:47 PM

TRADITIONS: Army vs. Navy
Story Tools: Print Email
FOXSports.com
Posted: 3 days ago

What other rivalry stops the most powerful men and women in the world in their tracks for one day a year? This isn't just the battle for a state or for a national title; this is for national supremacy.

The March
Before the game, the entire student body for both Army and Navy march into the stadium. Column after column forming perfectly moving squares. As the thousands become one in flawless lockstep, it's hard not to feel awe and pride for both sides in this friendly civil war. The units are preceded by the American Flag and battle flags displaying the combat ribbons of every conflict the United States has ever fought in.

The Stands
Almost as impressive as the march into the stadium is the site of all the students in the stands. Other neutral site games, like Texas-Oklahoma, split the stadium with one side red and one side orange. But to see thousands in the same section dressed exactly the same will take your breath away. The cadets and midshipmen never get tired of cheering, whistling, singing, and constantly bombard each other with this ear-splitting cacophony with the same ferocity that their buddies on the gridiron engage in the game itself.

Big Guns
After a score, each school fires an impressive piece of military hardware to mark the occasion.

Pushups
After each score, the freshmen for that team must run down to the field and do as many pushups as points on the board.

Simple cheers
There's no crazy "Whooo pig suey" at Army-Navy. Army's cheer is "Go Army! Beat Navy!" Navy's cheer is "Go Navy, Beat Army!" It's simple. It's pure. It's college football at its best."

Commander-in-Chief's Trophy
The trophy is presented annually to the service academy football team that bests its academy rivals in collegiate football. Air Force has held the trophy for several years, but last year, Navy took it home.

Final Whistle
One of the most poignant moments occurs after the final whistle when the two teams and the thousands of midshipmen and cadets in the stands stand at attention while the alma mater of each school is played by their respective bands. Win or lose, during those few moments players and students from both schools stand at attention in total respect for each other. Many neutral parties that attend the game say this is the most emotional moment of the day and one they would never miss. For a few moments, the final score forgotten and the camaraderie that connects the men and women in the blue coats and the gray coats is transcendent. It is something that lives forever. Regardless of which team wins, it is a very common sight to see cadets and midshipmen embracing or shaking hands after the game and then heading off into the night to enjoy each other's company. At one time, items such as bathrobes, beer mugs, and other personal items were exchanged as victor's spoils.

**POJO_Risin** · 11-19-2005, 01:48 PM

Number 3

3. Alabama vs. Auburn
(Alabama leads 38-30-1 according to Alabama, 38-29-1 according to Auburn)

As far as the pure definition of a college football rivalry game, this is No. 1 as the fire and passion between the two schools is unlike any other in any sport. 365 days a year radio talk shows discuss this game and people who grew up and live in Alabama are defined by their allegiances. There's no debate about it; this one is the nastiest of the bunch as the only thing the two sides can agree on is that they hate each other.

The rivalry began with a fight. The legend has it that the battle between the two halted between 1908 and 1947 because of a fight after a 6-6 tie after the 1907 game. But in reality, the two didn't play because they couldn't decide which referees to use and how much each of their players could get for expenses. After 41 years of bickering, the presidents of the two schools decided enough was enough and said the two schools should play again.

With a few notable exceptions, the games were relatively average until the 1980s when the rivalry started to really hum with several heart-stopping finishes and close battles. The rivalry took another major turn in 1989 when, after years of playing in Birmingham, Alabama went to Auburn for the first time and saw its national title hopes dashed in a 30-20 Tigers victory.

Signature game
Dec. 2, 1972: Auburn 17, Alabama 16
Just before going on a nine-year Iron Bowl winning streak, the Tide lost to their hated rivals after Bear Bryant made the pregame statement that he'd "prefer to beat that cow college once than beat Texas 10 times." The No. 2 ranked and unbeaten Tide were up 16-3 with 5:30 to play and the game in hand, but Auburn pulled off a miracle, blocking two 'Bama punts for touchdowns and a 17-16 win. Had Alabama beaten Auburn, it would've been playing for the national title. Oddly enough, the Bear didn't only lose to the Cow College, but he also later lost to Texas 17-13 in the Cotton Bowl.

Top 10 College Football Rivalries of ALL-TIME

Top 10 College Football Rivalries of ALL-TIME

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment

Comment