“The Big Ten Breakdown, Vol. II” is a column by Terence Holton about the new look of college football.
Rivalries are one of the greatest aspects of college football. The passion, the hatred and the intensity are what make them so great. Whether it’s the Crosstown Showdown between USC and UCLA, the Red River Showdown where Texas and Oklahoma square off or The Game with Michigan and Ohio State, rivalries are a major part of what make college football so great.
Teams from the West Coast are being thrown all around the country and tossed into new conferences. With college football changing like never before next year, will there be new clashes amongst conference foes?
The Pac-2
As of now, Oregon State and Washington State do not have a conference. While I believe they deserve to be in a power conference I have to play with the scenario that they will not be invited to a new conference.
Washington State is ranked No. 13 in the most recent AP poll and Oregon State is ranked No. 15 after beating then-No. 10 Utah 21-7. The two Pacific Northwest schools squared off just weeks ago where the Cougars came out on top winning a thrilling 38-35 game despite the Beavers’ valiant second half comeback effort.
These teams play a new exciting brand of football. If they stay in the Pac-12 — whether it merges with the Mountain West or not — I think these two will forge a symbolic rivalry and have a thrilling game each year.
A new blue and yellow rival for USC?
Over the past decade, the Big Ten has been dominated by three teams: Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State. These three colossal programs have been stampeding the competition for far too long. Adding in another big dog that can compete with those three will form new rivalries.
Both Michigan and USC are historic programs with countless wins and bowl victories. However it is the Granddaddy of them all that might spark a rivalry between these two titans of college football.
The Trojans and Wolverines have met eight times in the Rose Bowl, with USC leading the series 6-2. USC has beaten Big Blue three straight times in Pasadena, and Michigan has not beaten the Trojans since 1989.
USC and Michigan have not played against each other since the 2007 Rose Bowl, where USC came out victorious 32-18.
Since these two will now be playing each other annually or every other, it is fertile ground for some mutual hatred.
The Trojans are set to take on Michigan at home in 2024, unless the Big Ten upends its schedule next year with the new additions of Oregon and Washington, which will be a great matchup to watch at the Coliseum and I believe will tender the flames to a new rivalry.
Oregon vs OSU Pt. 2
When I think about UO vs OSU, I think about Oregon vs Oregon State, Ducks and Beavers, the battle for the Beaver State(I know it’s ironic), however Ohio State, another OSU, and Oregon have had an interesting history over the last decade.
In 2014, these two met in the first ever College Football Playoff National Championship, where the Buckeyes soundly defeated the Ducks 42-20 (I cried after this game).
Then in 2021, the two met in Columbus where then-Oregon running back CJ Verdell ran all over Ohio State and the Ducks came away with the win 35-28.
While these two have rarely played, their brief history could create another rivalry at the top of the Big Ten similar to that of USC and Michigan. These two will clash at the top of the Big Ten, whether in the rainy and rowdy Autzen Stadium or in “Circle City” for the Big Ten Championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium .
Ohio State will be eager to get back at the Ducks after Oregon beat them on their home turf and leaving a small Rubber Duck in the middlefield. The Ducks will want to prove that one game wasn’t a fluke, as the Buckeyes are 9-1 all time against Oregon.
Some other notable rivalries include Colorado and TCU, who played together this season in a thrilling game where the Buffaloes came out on top 45-42 where we first got a taste of Deion Sanders football. With Colorado joining the Big 12, we could see the Buffaloes and Horned Frogs match up every season.
How about Michigan State, who will be out for blood against Washington. The Huskies have gotten the better of the Spartans two years in a row, including a beatdown in East Lansing where the Spartans lost 41-7.
Or Perhaps Stanford and Duke. Though Stanford has struggled and Duke has exceeded all expectations this season, these two will be dueling for Academic Superiority across the ACC.
Death, Taxes and conference realignment are the only inevitable things in life we need to get a grasp on. While two of those options don’t garner joy, conference realignment is sure to bring a load of entertaining rivalries that will make college football even greater.
“The Big Ten Breakdown, Vol. II” runs every other Tuesday.