Welcome to Rivalry Football, home to the most passionate football fans in the world today. We are dedicated to all the hottest football news and we get excited when the biggest rivalry games are scheduled. Whether you pull for the Duke Blue Devils or you are a diehard Carolina Tarheels fan, you can cheer on your favorite team here. Whether you love the Florida State Seminoles or pull for the University of Miami Hurricanes, you can read stats about your favorite players and get the dish on the best upcoming games. If you are excited about your team, then you will feel right at home at Rivalry Football!
The University of Michigan’s Many College Football Rivalries
If you like the excitement and competitiveness that goes hand in hand with college football rivalries, you need to focus your attention on Big Ten football. The other leagues might have one or two really intense rivalries, but none have the sheer volume of rivalries that the Big Ten enjoys. The school involved with nearly all the Big Ten rivalries is the University of Michigan.
There’s a few reason U of M enjoys so many college rivalries, to begin with, the schools are old and most were created at about the same time, and shortly after the rivalries began.
Proximity is another reason U of M has a rivalry with so many other Big Ten schools. The colleges are really close together. Both Ohio State University and Notre Dame University are only a few hours away. Michigan State University is even closer. The schools compete for students, faculty, and fans.
Although they all have off years, the teams that Michigan considers intense rivals have good football programs. It’s not at all unusual to find OSU, MSU, NDU, and U of M in the top twenty at the end of the season. Not only do they fight for the right to call themselves the best in the country, but the quality of the football programs means that the games are often close and intense. A single mistake can determine the final outcome.
Michigan’s fan base, which is very loyal and very loud and loves good college football, is the main reason the school has so many great rival games.
Economics of College Football Rivalries
When it comes to college football rivalries, most people either think they’re the greatest things in the world, or they think they’re a stupid waste of energy. Even if you don’t like college football, you should know that you benefit from the rivalry games. The closer you live to one of the colleges involved in the rivalry, the more you benefit. Even if you’re not in love with the sport, or you support different teams, supporting the current rivalry will create economic benefits.
It’s difficult to calculate exactly how much the really big, long standing rivalries have impacted the economy over the years. The one thing all economists agree on is that they’re important. To begin with, the rivals bring in money to the school. The high game attendance means immediate cash flow that helps pay for numerous things. Long term benefits include high enrollment in the school.
Merchandise sales, particularly in the weeks leading up to the games are a really big deal. The amount of money people are willing to spend on a sticker for their car or a t-shirt adds up. Eventually the profits get funneled back into the economy.
Game day weekends means big bucks for the local businesses. Fans of both schools will want to attend the game, especially if both teams are going into the game with winning records. Most fans plan for a long weekend. This means staying in local hotels, buying local gas, and eating at local restaurants. The surplus of business can be just what some businesses need to keep their book sin the red.
The economic benefits are why some people get so excited about the college football season.
Colleges Love Football Rivalries
You’ll never hear a college work hard to discourage a football rivalry. Sure they might say that it’s just a game, but in reality the school wants to do everything possible to foster the rivalry. There are several reasons the school encourages football rivalries.
The first reason the school likes the rivalry is the publicity. The media eats up rivalries and will go to great lengths to make it the upcoming games a big deal. Win or lose, on rival game days the school enjoys a great deal of free publicity before, during, and after the game. The longer and more intense the history the schools share, the more media coverage they will get.
A good, long running rivalry appeals to athletes and coaches alike, they enjoy the romance of the situation, as a result, one or two good rival games a season can make it easier to attract star athletes and coaches to the school’s football program. Eventually this creates a snowball effect and leads to a strong team that routinely enjoys a winning season.
The football program brings a lot of money into the school and no games are better attended than the rivalry games. It’s rare to find a single empty seat on at those games. The extra high attendance means better equipment, higher salaries, and even additional scholarships.
Even students who don’t participate in the football games often choose schools that have a strong football program. Schools that routinely foster strong football programs also have good academic programs and the money needed to attract really good teachers. Plus, graduating high school students like the prestige of going to a school that is famous.
Tailgating and College Football
Everyone knows that the best thing about big college football game rivalries isn’t the game itself. Nope, the game is just the excuse everyone needs to pack up the car and swing by the grocery store before stopping by the tailgate parties. That’s where the most fun happens. Most people forget all about the game a few months after the season ends, but memories of the tailgate party live on forever.
Before you leave for the tailgate party, there are a few things you need to take care of.
The best tailgate parties are the ones where you get to hang out with your favorite college friends. A few weeks before the game, you need to get in contact with your favorite people and start making plans. The more people you can talk into going, the more fun the party will be.
In addition to swapping contact info, you need to plan on what to bring. There’s no point in everyone bringing the same food. You don’t need a formal menu, but a little advanced planning means no one will go hungry. And remember, this is a tailgate party so don’t worry about calories and health content. College football rivalry games are the perfect excuse to temporarily abandon your diet.
When packing up your car, you need to be prepared for all kinds of weather. College football weather can go from one extreme to another. Bring sunblock, warm clothes, and wet weather clothing.
Have a plan for leaving the party. Someone is going to have to step up and offer to be a designated drive. Determine who this person will be before you get to the game.
Reasons for College Football Rivalries
One of the best things about the fall is reestablishing college football rivalries. No matter how tense or dull a game might be, a good rivalry makes things just a little more interesting.
There’s a variety of ways college football rivalries get started. Some of the reasons seem silly, some are serious, and most have been forgotten a long time ago.
Most college rivalries start as a result of two schools that no only happen to be play in the same league, such as the Big Ten, but also excel at the same sport. Since the schools are generally located in the same area, and sometimes the same state, fans of both teams live in the same area and will end up engaging in wagers and arguments about preferred teams.
Sometimes a grave injustice has been done to one team by another team. This can come in the form of a college prank going wrong, a snide comment catching the media’s attention, or even a horribly wrong call during a close game.
A successful, well-liked coach moving from one team to another can create all kids of tension. This will be especially true if the schools often play one another. The idea that the other school has poached a game winning coach creates the tension and animosity needed for a football rivalry to start.
Most of the time if you ask the fans what the rivalry is about, you’ll get a blank expression, especially if the rivalry has been going on for a long time. More often than not, the reason for the animosity isn’t as important as the excitement college football rivalries generate.
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