0-

“Football Rivalries-Everywhere-But-Here”

-0-

A big weekend in college, football, the last weekend of the regular season.

It’s what they call ‘Rivalry Weekend’ lots of places across the nation, but not here, sadly.

Michigan-Ohio State…history that goes back to the 1930s. You know Bo-Woody…Schembechler-vs-Hayes…Maize & Blue-vs-Scarlet & Gray. More times than not, with huge Bowl-Post season implications.

Alabama-Auburn…the SEC battle ‘down on the plains’, the Iron Bowl..

We just played USC-UCLA, which is always about fireworks and strange storylines.

The Egg Bowl, Mississippi State-vs-Ole Miss-sometimes they’re both good-sometimes both bad.

The Red River battle…Texas-vs-Oklahom

The Old Oaken Bucket, with Purdue meeting Indiana in the Hoosier state, a rival so big, when I was in Indianapolis that weekend, you’d never know the Buckeyes-Wolverines were playing each other across the state line in a much more important game.

Here on the West Coast, the Apple Cup game carries importance now that Washington and Washington State are both Pac 12-powers.

Of course, ‘The Game’ in the Bay Area means so much, Stanford-vs-Cal.

And the Civil War up north, Oregon-Oregon State has been played in sun, snow and the mud.

And we all pay attention when Army plays Navy that goes back to the late 1890s.

Even the small college guys have great rivalries.

Harvard-vs-Yale is really something, if you lived in New England, or were part of the Crimson or Elis.

Lehigh-Lafayette just had their 154th reunion in Pennsylvania, small college foes with big time dislike.

Of course, the expansion of conferences has changed so many things in college football.

Can you believe Texas no longer plays Texas AM? Nebraska-vs-Oklahoma is just a memory? Pitt-Penn State is no longer an annual matchup. The Backyard Brawl, West Virginia-Pitt is gone too.

Here at home, San Diego State needs lots of things to rally the community to support its program better.

I’m not sure who the Aztecs real rivals should be. Some say the battle for the ‘Oil Can Trophy’ with Fresno State carries validity. But because it might be a season ending rivalry game, it would be ridiculous if you had to play them twice in two weeks in an MWC playoff game..

There’s not much else in terms of ‘hate’ games involving SDSU, but I have a suggestion.

The Aztecs have just signed home and home to bring BYU back on board. Why not make that game with the Cougars the season ending game, and restore the fierceness of the rivalry, that dates back to the old WAC days.

There’s lot of hate-history with these two, dating back to the late Lavell Edwards, all those Cougars QBs, the 51-51 tie on ESPN’s Thursday Night Football back in the day.

BYU wants to remain an independent, so they might not be coming back to the Mountain West in the future. Make this a season ending game for both schools.

Rivalry weekend coming up…lots of fun other places…should create some fun here. Aztecs do something about it.

-0-0-0-0-0-.

Please follow and like us: