There's nothing better than a great college football rivalry game.
Imagine the Red River Shootout, where fans pack every seat at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas covered head to toe in burnt orange or crimson to watch Texas take on Oklahoma. Or think of the annual contest between Army and Navy, one so storied it often attracts both teams' commander-in-chief.
Plus, there are the great rivalry game names, such as Utah and BYU facing off in ""Church vs. State,"" Georgia and Georgia Tech taking part in ""Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate"" or Georgia and Florida in ""The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party."" Then you've got rivalry trophies like Wisconsin's Axe (and, before that, the Slab of Bacon) and the Old Oaken Bucket that Purdue and Indiana fight for.
Even Saturday's matchup between Wisconsin and Michigan has become a good rivalry, simply because it is almost always a contest between two of the conference's top teams.
But why are college football's rivalries so heated between players and fans alike?
Sure, the funny names and cool trophies are nice, but the thing that sets college football rivalries apart from others is the bond fans feel between their team and themselves. College football fans are a part of their school and, therefore, a part of the rivalry—every hotly contested game is a fight they have a stake in.
Red Sox fans might hate the Yankees, but how many Boston fans have actually been part of that organization? You can say the same thing for any other sport, even the ones that are supposedly the fiercest.
The rivalries between the Bruins and Canadiens in the NHL, Packers and Vikings in the NFL and even Manchester United and Chelsea can't match the intensity of their college counterparts because their fans are not as dedicated. Obviously those teams' supporters are loyal, but their identity with the team doesn't go any further than in sports.
There are college football fans who are the same way, but the people who graduated from the school they cheer for are some of the most dedicated supporters you will ever find.
That's because, in college football, fandom is bigger than what happens on the field. The Wisconsin Badgers are not just a team to me: As a student here, the University of Wisconsin is part of who I am.
I'm not just a Badger fan, I am a Badger, and it's the same for any other college football fans. If you're a Texas graduate, you're just as much of a Longhorn as someone on the field.
That factor strengthens the bonds between fans, their universities and their teams.
This is true for all of college sports, but can be seen the most in football because of the accessibility of the sport.
There is no shortage of dedicated college basketball and hockey fans, but with only 15,000 or so seats available for each game, fans don't get the chance to see their team in action like they can with football. No matter how loud your arena is, it won't match the intensity of hearing 80,000 fans at Camp Randall Stadium.
""Rivalry Week"" is just two weeks away, and I can't wait. The Badgers may have already secured the Axe this year, but for teams across the country Saturday will be a chance to earn bragging rights, a sweet trophy and prove once again why theirs are the most hard-fought battles in all of sports.
Do you think there are better rivalries than those in college football? E-mail Nico at savidgewilki@dailycardinal.com.
