Longhorns, Sooners first of six big rivalries this season
08/16/2007 10:08 AM
By: Chance Harper
With some dating back to the turn of the previous century, there's no signs of these battles losing their intensity, becoming so big now they have corporate sponsorship like big bowl games. There is even a rivalry among fans about which one is the biggest rivalry, and all will play a role in this year's BCS.
Rivalries in pro sports can get pretty intense. Think of the Celtics-Lakers, Yankees-Red Sox, and Canadiens-Bruins. Those are water balloon fights compared to the best rivalries in college football.
Longhorns, Sooners first of six big rivalries this season
You just haven’t lived until you’ve seen the way fans of the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners treat one another. They’ll meet on Oct. 6 at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas (about halfway between Austin and Norman), where they’ve done battle since 1929 in what used to be called the Red River Shootout.
Thanks to corporate sponsorship, it’s now the far less poetic AT&T Red River Rivalry. But what’s in a name? It’s still going to be a spectacle, both on the field and in the stands.
This rivalry game actually dates back to 1900, before Oklahoma was even a state. The Longhorns lead the series 57-39-5. Over the past decade, the teams have split the series 5-5 straight up, with Oklahoma holding a 6-4 edge against the spread. But there is a definite ebb and flow to this series; Texas dominated in the late ‘90s, then Oklahoma took over before the program stumbled in 2005. The Longhorns have won the past two games without much trouble and look to do so again in 2007.
The totals have followed an even tighter zigzag pattern. Since 1999, the Over is 5-3, but the two sides have alternated results since 2003. If that pattern holds, the Over will cash in handsomely as one of the two teams wins in blowout fashion.
Again, that figures to be the Longhorns. They’re legitimate BCS championship contenders with Colt McCoy (29 TDs, 7 INTs) at quarterback, while the Sooners hope a soft schedule will mask their weak passing attack and squeak out another Big 12 title.
Despite the vitriol between the Sooners and Longhorns, this rivalry was only ranked third-best in a 2005 survey of Division I coaches. Army-Navy was No. 2; you’ll find the winner below as we look at five other key rivalry games on the 2007 sked.
Oct. 20, Miami-Florida at Florida State
The Hurricanes and Seminoles are both looking at better things after hitting a bump in the road in 2006. This game probably won’t have national title implications, but the winner will have a shot at the ACC title. The rivalry began in 1951; Miami is ahead 29-21 SU. It’s been 5-5 apiece SU and ATS over the past decade, with the Under going 6-2-1, including each of the last five games. Florida State won SU and ATS the past two seasons.
Oct. 20, USC at Notre Dame
This one is for the Jeweled Shillelagh. Notre Dame is ahead 42-31-5 since the rivalry began in 1926, but the Irish will have a difficult time beating a Trojans team that many expect to go undefeated this year. USC is 7-3 SU and ATS the past decade, winning five in a row SU as the Pete Carroll Era marches on, and the Over cashed in during last year’s blowout to even things up at 5-5 against the total.
Nov. 17, Ohio State at Michigan
This is the granddaddy of them all. Bitterly contested since 1897, the Michigan-Ohio State Rivalry usually has even more than pride at stake -- see last year’s epic 42-39 win by the Buckeyes, for example. Michigan has the overall lead 57-40-6, but Ohio State is 6-4 SU and ATS in the past decade, including 5-1 SU (4-2 ATS) under Jim Tressel. The Over is cruising along at 7-3, cashing in four times in a row.
Nov. 24, Alabama at Auburn
They call it the Iron Bowl because it was usually held in Birmingham, but now it’s a home-and-home affair, and it’s Auburn’s turn to host. The Crimson Tide are still up 38-32-1 in this battle despite dropping the last five in a row (3-2 ATS). Auburn is 7-3 SU and 4-6 ATS since 1997; the Under is also 7-3, with alternating paydays starting in 2002.
Dec. 1, UCLA at USC
The Victory Bell goes to the winner of the UCLA-USC rivalry, and the Trojans are up 41-28-7 since it was first played in 1929. USC is on a 7-3 SU and ATS roll, featuring a seven-game winning streak (6-1 ATS) that came to a screeching halt last year. Yup, this will be a revenge game. The over/under is yet again split at 5-5.
08/16/2007 10:08 AM
By: Chance Harper
With some dating back to the turn of the previous century, there's no signs of these battles losing their intensity, becoming so big now they have corporate sponsorship like big bowl games. There is even a rivalry among fans about which one is the biggest rivalry, and all will play a role in this year's BCS.
Rivalries in pro sports can get pretty intense. Think of the Celtics-Lakers, Yankees-Red Sox, and Canadiens-Bruins. Those are water balloon fights compared to the best rivalries in college football.
Longhorns, Sooners first of six big rivalries this season
You just haven’t lived until you’ve seen the way fans of the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners treat one another. They’ll meet on Oct. 6 at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas (about halfway between Austin and Norman), where they’ve done battle since 1929 in what used to be called the Red River Shootout.
Thanks to corporate sponsorship, it’s now the far less poetic AT&T Red River Rivalry. But what’s in a name? It’s still going to be a spectacle, both on the field and in the stands.
This rivalry game actually dates back to 1900, before Oklahoma was even a state. The Longhorns lead the series 57-39-5. Over the past decade, the teams have split the series 5-5 straight up, with Oklahoma holding a 6-4 edge against the spread. But there is a definite ebb and flow to this series; Texas dominated in the late ‘90s, then Oklahoma took over before the program stumbled in 2005. The Longhorns have won the past two games without much trouble and look to do so again in 2007.
The totals have followed an even tighter zigzag pattern. Since 1999, the Over is 5-3, but the two sides have alternated results since 2003. If that pattern holds, the Over will cash in handsomely as one of the two teams wins in blowout fashion.
Again, that figures to be the Longhorns. They’re legitimate BCS championship contenders with Colt McCoy (29 TDs, 7 INTs) at quarterback, while the Sooners hope a soft schedule will mask their weak passing attack and squeak out another Big 12 title.
Despite the vitriol between the Sooners and Longhorns, this rivalry was only ranked third-best in a 2005 survey of Division I coaches. Army-Navy was No. 2; you’ll find the winner below as we look at five other key rivalry games on the 2007 sked.
Oct. 20, Miami-Florida at Florida State
The Hurricanes and Seminoles are both looking at better things after hitting a bump in the road in 2006. This game probably won’t have national title implications, but the winner will have a shot at the ACC title. The rivalry began in 1951; Miami is ahead 29-21 SU. It’s been 5-5 apiece SU and ATS over the past decade, with the Under going 6-2-1, including each of the last five games. Florida State won SU and ATS the past two seasons.
Oct. 20, USC at Notre Dame
This one is for the Jeweled Shillelagh. Notre Dame is ahead 42-31-5 since the rivalry began in 1926, but the Irish will have a difficult time beating a Trojans team that many expect to go undefeated this year. USC is 7-3 SU and ATS the past decade, winning five in a row SU as the Pete Carroll Era marches on, and the Over cashed in during last year’s blowout to even things up at 5-5 against the total.
Nov. 17, Ohio State at Michigan
This is the granddaddy of them all. Bitterly contested since 1897, the Michigan-Ohio State Rivalry usually has even more than pride at stake -- see last year’s epic 42-39 win by the Buckeyes, for example. Michigan has the overall lead 57-40-6, but Ohio State is 6-4 SU and ATS in the past decade, including 5-1 SU (4-2 ATS) under Jim Tressel. The Over is cruising along at 7-3, cashing in four times in a row.
Nov. 24, Alabama at Auburn
They call it the Iron Bowl because it was usually held in Birmingham, but now it’s a home-and-home affair, and it’s Auburn’s turn to host. The Crimson Tide are still up 38-32-1 in this battle despite dropping the last five in a row (3-2 ATS). Auburn is 7-3 SU and 4-6 ATS since 1997; the Under is also 7-3, with alternating paydays starting in 2002.
Dec. 1, UCLA at USC
The Victory Bell goes to the winner of the UCLA-USC rivalry, and the Trojans are up 41-28-7 since it was first played in 1929. USC is on a 7-3 SU and ATS roll, featuring a seven-game winning streak (6-1 ATS) that came to a screeching halt last year. Yup, this will be a revenge game. The over/under is yet again split at 5-5.