Ali-Frazier II in Madison Square Garden: a rivalry the way it's meant to be.

10.  “The Battle of Tobacco Road”
Every year the University of North Carolina and Duke University find themselves at the top of every poll in the country in college basketball.  Twice a year since 1920 these two basketball juggernauts battle it out for bragging rights in North Carolina.  UNC may hold the current series lead at 127-96, but Duke has won 16 of the last 22.  Many NBA greats have played in this series like Michael Jordan,  Jerry Stackhouse, Rasheed Wallace, Vince Carter, Grant Hill, Christian Laettner, and Jason Williams.

9.  New England Patriots VS. Indianapolis Colts
Since Tom Brady and Peyton Manning began squaring off in 2001 this rivalry has grown immensely with every meeting.  Overall in this series Brady leads Manning 7-3.  Brady’s first game as a starter came against Manning and his 2-0 Colts in Week 3 of the 2001 season.  Over the last seven seasons this rivalry heated up due to the usual playoff implications of the games.

8.  “The Iron Bowl”
Alabama and Auburn have one of the greatest interstate rivalries in all of college sports.  In 1908 the two teams took a 40-year break over a dispute between the players and a referee.  Until 1989 the two teams had to play their annual game on a neutral site in Birmingham with the tickets split.  The most famous game in the history of the “Iron Bowl” came in 1972 when the tide led 16-0 going to the fourth quarter.  A pair of blocked punts helped give Auburn the win and a slogan, “Punt, ‘Bama, Punt”.

7.  Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier
These two boxing legends fought three times, with Ali winning twice.  Their 1971 brawl is considered among many boxing fans to be the best bout of all time.  In their last bout, dubbed “The Thrilla in Manila”, Ali talked so much smack leading up to the fight that Frazier is still scarred from tongue lashing he took.  In 1996 Frazier hinted towards claiming to be the one who made Ali the way he is today.

6.  Tito Ortiz vs. Ken Shamrock
Mixed martial arts is rapidly becoming one most favorite combat sports and in this young sport one rivalry stands out to me.  “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” and “The World’s Most Dangerous Man”  have punched, kneed, kicked, wrestled, and submitted their way onto this list.  These two have fought three times and each one of the fights has been a been an unbelievable display of guts and strength.  The hatred between the these two fighters has not been seen since the days of Ali and Frazier. 

5.  Army vs. Navy
This is not only one of the oldest rivalries in American sports, it also is a rivalry that goes all the back through American history.  These two teams every year circle this game on the schedule and build their whole team towards beating the other one down.  Navy won the first meeting between the two in 1890 and currently holds the overall record at 51-49-7.  In recent years, Navy has dominated the series.

4.  Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees
Due to the media hype this has become one of the biggest rivalries in sports history.  Ever since the Red Sox sold the rights of Babe Ruth to the Yankees, baseball has seen the Yankees dominate every facet of the game.  The Yankees have won 26 World Series and countless division titles.  After the heart-breaking 2003 season, the Red Sox have gone on to embarrass the Yankees in 2004 and win two of the last four World Series.   With the “Evil Empire” crumbling and Red Sox Nation on the rise, watch for this rivalry to hit new levels in the coming years.

3.  The Red River Shootout
The Texas Longhorns and the Oklahoma Sooners have one of the longest rivalries in college sports.  In 2005 the name of the rivalry was changed when it was sponsored by SBC.  In this 107 year old rivalry the Longhorns have dominated the series with a overall record of 57-40-5.  In recent history the Sooners have won 6 of the last 8 meetings.  Like the Iron Bowl, this game is played on a neutral site and ticket sales are split 50-50.  In 60 of the last 65 meetings this game has featured a ranked team and the winner of the game usually goes on to play in the Big 12 championship game.

2.  Montreal Canadians vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
When it was the Original Six in the NHL, there was no better hockey rivalry than the one that pitted French Canada against English Canada.  With the small league teams played each other many times over the course of the year.  Every year Canada’s national pastime was put on display as these teams battled it out on the ice. From the late forties to the late sixties the Canadians and Maple Leafs bat tled five times for Lord Stanley’s cup.  With the NHL’s ratings going down, the Maple Leafs recently were moved to Eastern Conference to refuel this classic rivalry.

1.  Michigan Wolverines vs. Ohio State Buckeyes
In 1922, when Ohio Stadium was opened, the Wolverines blasted the Buckeyes 22-0.   The rivalry got really intense when Bo Schembechler and Wolverines ruined an undefeated season and the National Championship hopes of the Buckeyes in 1969.  Ever since then the game has been scheduled as the last game of the year for both teams.  In the early 70s the Wolverines went into the game undefeated and Ohio State crushed their dreams.  Then in the 90s the roles were reversed and Michigan played the role of destroyer and took the down the undefeated Buckeyes over and over.  In the rapidly approaching game at the end of this month, Michigan looks to pull off the upset once again.