What determines a rivalry?

[VirginiaCavs]

It seems there are a lot of borderline calls. Games where writers are asking if the players care extra about this game.

Colorado vs Utah
Oregon vs Washington
San Diego State vs New Mexico

What about in-state games between teams of hugely disparate quality. Like can Illinois deserve to call Northwestern a rival?

How are these borderline cases assessed as rivalry or just another game?

 

[KJ]

It's funny, in basketball ASU think Arizona are the rival, AZ brushes it off and considers UCLA the rival...it's all perspective

 

[Grovehard]

I think that there must be some combination of the 3 of the following:

1. Geographic proximity - self explanatory
2. Perceived cultural differences between fans, institutions, or states - Land grant vs. Sea grant. Ag school vs Flagship.
3. History of meaningful games or at the very least interesting games - Games which decide division winners, championships, etc. OR crazy, memorable games like the Kick 6, Cal Stanford "The band is on the field," etc.
4. Competitiveness - The series can't be completely one sided.
5. Reciprocity- Both sides must feel like it's a rivalry.

 

[EFC1878]

I have a couple friends from school that went to Washington for undergrad and they both consider Oregon a big rival. Not on par with Washington State, but it was definitely a big, big game to them. Probably helped by the fact that I met them both during the rise of the Kelly Era at Oregon, so the stakes were always raised.

 

[Timh]

#5 from Grove's post strikes me re: Maryland/Duke. Maryland's rival has always supposed to have been UVA but nobody ever really cared that much about that. When Gary was still coaching and Shane was still calling his own fouls down in Durham the real rivalry in my mind and most MD fans was MD/Duke. The funny thing though is the self anointed smartest fans (Duke) always tried to down play that with chants of "Not our rival". To me the biggest games were always trying to beat that fucking Anteater at Duke, with NC a close second.

 

[Timh]

In fact, I don't think I will ever get over MD leaving the ACC. I grew up on Jim Thacker, Bones McKinney and Billy Fudge Packer and Holly Farms and a dislike for Tobacco Road referees. ACC basketball will always be my fondest memory in sports.

 

[VirginiaCavs]

As someone from southern Maryland, losing the MD/Duke rivalry made me so angry. Those games were so much fun to attend at CP

 

[M.W.]

It seems there are a lot of borderline calls. Games where writers are asking if the players care extra about this game.

Colorado vs Utah
Oregon vs Washington
San Diego State vs New Mexico

What about in-state games between teams of hugely disparate quality. Like can Illinois deserve to call Northwestern a rival?

Those aren''t teams of disparate quality. In fact, that's about the ultimate in being evenly matched.

Illinois leads the series 55-50-5, with no extended periods of serious dominance by either team. Illini are 3-4 this decade. so it's not even lopsided in the short term.

 

[B.A.R.]

As someone from southern Maryland, losing the MD/Duke rivalry made me so angry. Those games were so much fun to attend at CP

 

[detroit187]

Winning at at least a 40 percent clip in the last two decades, something sadly M has not done against OSU. So no to me its not a rivalry game until we start winning games. Just pumped up for ratings.

 

[B.A.R.]

Winning at at least a 40 percent clip in the last two decades, something sadly M has not done against OSU. So no to me its not a rivalry game until we start winning games. Just pumped up for ratings.

Well, that would mean this rivalry died in the late 70s/ early 80's...

Because it was 30% or less for OSU in the 2 decades prior (you can group the 20 years in a few segments and still get 13-6-1)

 

[B.A.R.]

I look at your rivalry as the biggest game of the season to that particular team...then go from there...

For UM it is OSU, then ND...

I know MSU hates it and with this current coach UM needs to treat it as a rivalry game as well since it is the MSU Super Bowl every year.

 

[RetroVK]

Has to be a game where the opponent isn't scared to do a home and home. So UTEP vs Bama cannot be a rivalry because Bama is too scared to play us.