Awesome stuff @admin (and everyone else) - like to read about stuff I don't know but especially things I can correlate.

7. Ali vs Frazier 

Wins 

Ali: 2 

Frazier: 1 

Matches

#1 "Fight of the Century" in 1971 

#2 "The Rematch" in 1974 

#3 "Thrilla in Manilla" in 1975 

I don't know a ton about boxing , except for this rivalry. Probably the greatest , most personal and heated rivalry in the history of the sport with 2 really iconic matches and one controversial one. Definitely had to have a spot on the list.

Wait...

Who fought in the Rumble in the Jungle?

Foreman? Could've sworn Ali was at least one of the boxers in that contest.

Yes that was Ali/Foreman.

Man, Ali's matches had the greatest nicknames ever. Fuck "Once in a Lifetime" or "End of an Era"... while good, they have nothing on "Rumble in the Jungle" and "Thrilla in Manilla".

Ali/Frazier was my number 6. It was a classic clash of styles with the technique and finesse of Ali going up against the rugged power puncher in Frazier. Plus it had all the outside the ring stuff with Ali's gift of gab making for compelling storylines like the gorilla comment before The Thrilla In Manilla.

Yeah Ali getting got in the first one , winning the second one questionably setting up the Thrilla in Manilla is about as great of a sports trilogy you can ask for. You can't write it better. As I said - I'm not even super into boxing but this story is really fucking good. I fell into a rabbit hole reading even more about it this morning.

Jul 7, 2020 19:28:59 GMT UT said:

Yeah Ali getting got in the first one , winning the second one questionably setting up the Thrilla in Manilla is about as great of a sports trilogy you can ask for. You can't write it better. As I said - I'm not even super into boxing but this story is really fucking good. I fell into a rabbit hole reading even more about it this morning.

This rivalry was apparently important enough that we covered it in our 9th grade world history class. That's where I recall hearing about Thrilla in Manilla for the first time. So crazy to think about considering all the rest of the syllabus. Maybe ol' teach was just an Ali/boxing fan?

#7 my ass. This was my #1 with a bullet. No other rivalry was as box-office and no other rivalry was as culturally significant around the world.

Jul 7, 2020 23:07:08 GMT thereallt said:

#7 my ass. This was my #1 with a bullet. No other rivalry was as box-office and no other rivalry was as culturally significant around the world.

The decline of boxing probably taints a lot of people’s opinions on it today too. And yes I know there are still a few stars but it’s not nearly on the same level as back in those days.

I'm not terribly familiar with the ins and outs of this rivalry beyond knowing it was obviously a big deal back in boxing's heyday. Didn't think about it until after submitting my list. As I mentioned earlier, I went more with current rivalries.

I'm not saying I would suddenly become a huge boxing fan or anything if they got their act together, but it's a shame that the sport has died off so badly. I think the appetite is still there if the organisation could be sorted out - Mayweather vs Pacquiao was a big deal despite both of those guys being detestable human beings, and the fight turning out to be a complete borefest.

It would probably take an Ali-esque fighter to do that though I guess, and someone like that is probably going to go into MMA instead.

Jul 7, 2020 23:07:08 GMT thereallt said:

#7 my ass. This was my #1 with a bullet. No other rivalry was as box-office and no other rivalry was as culturally significant around the world.

If you asked my dad he probably would agree. At the very least Ali/Frazier would be in his top 3.

But nobody in our generation could really appreciate what this rivalry was. Our generation had Tyson/Holyfield but that wasn't as big globally.

6. North Carolina vs Duke 

First Meeting  

1920

Total Meetings 

252 

Total Wins 

North Carolina: 139 

Duke: 114 

ACC Titles 

North Carolina: 50 

Duke: 40 

Final Fours

North Carolina: 20 

Duke: 16 

National Championships 

North Carolina: 6 

Duke: 5

Memorable Games and Moments 

- Austin Rivers buzzer beater (2/8/2012)

- Tarheels score 8 points in 17 seconds to thwart upset (3/2/1974)

- Stackhouse dunks and seals the game in 2OT (2/2/1995)

- #16 Duke upsets #1 North Carolina (3/10/1984)

- North Carolina regains power in ACC (3/6/2005)

This rivalry is great and I had it easily in my top five. I've cheered for UNC since the 90's as the team that really got me into college basketball sine they were on all the time and had some great and lovable players like Tawn and Carter. I've followed them and rooted for them ever since.

Didn't take me long to realize than in order to root for UNC , I must in turn hate Duke and everything Duke stands for , so I did. I acted as if it were personal even though I lived 1000 miles away. I rooted against them every step of the way. UNC has been great over the years , I love Hansborough to this day and Ty Lawson was just one of the most fun players ever to watch.

Fast forward to now and I still follow UNC as much as I can , but I still never miss a Duke/UNC game. Even if I've become a bigger Badger fan in NCAAB nowadays I still feel that rivalry and still love UNC enough to wear it ruins my day if they lose to fucking Duke. Gah.

Easily the best rivalry in college basketball , from schools who are incredibly close geographically and have been playing for 100 years now. As much as it pains me to say it because Duke being good is annoying , but college basketball is never as good as it can be unless Duke and UNC are both at the top.

This used to be UNC vs. NC State but the Wolfpack haven't been relevant in decades. Duke has become the new target of Tarheel hatred by far, most Carolina fans I know will root for a team outside of the conference before they root for Duke in the NCAA tournament. i had UNC/Duke ranked #11.

I had a couple college rivalries on my list and this was one of them. Wasn't the first one I thought of, but I've watched enough March Madness to know they needed to be included.

I had Duke/UNC way up at #4, making it my highest ranked college sports rivalry.

I grew up in ACC country watching ACC basketball on the Raycom Sports Network (featuring former ROH commentator Mike Hogewood!). UNC & Duke were basketball royalty. The ACC championship, and quite often a #1 seed in March Madness, was usually determined by Duke/UNC games. They were good. They won a lot of championships. They only played about 10 miles apart. And they hated each other.

My intro to the rivalry came in the late 80s during the JR Reid (UNC) vs. Danny Ferry (Duke) days. I hated Duke as a kid. One of my least favorite teams in all of sports for sure. Still gutted about the time Laettner hit that shot to beat Kentucky. Anyway, being a young Duke hater made me UNC tolerant. They were the lesser of two evils. Since Maryland sucked back then, I was cool with UNC winning the ACC, because at least it wasn't Duke.

Once Maryland became a contender during the Joe Smith era I hated both UNC (Stackhouse/Wallace era on) & Duke. In later years, I actually grew to prefer Duke over UNC. The hatred for Duke was off the charts in Maryland and I think my usual "root for the heel" contrarianism came into play. UNC was also disliked by most Maryland fans, but nowhere near to the level of Duke. Most Marylanders viewed UNC as the Red Sox (meaning still disliked) to Duke's Yankees (hated).

All of a sudden I am missing that Wake Forest-loving poster. Anybody else remember this guy? Think his name was Hitman. Or Hitman Hart maybe? Something like that.

5. Pittsburgh Steelers vs Baltimore Ravens 

Meetings 

52 

Wins 

Steelers: 28 

Ravens: 24 

Postseason Wins 

Steelers: 3 

Ravens: 1 

Division Championships (since 96)

Steelers: 11 

Ravens: 6 

Conference Championships (since 96)

Steelers: 3 

Ravens: 2 

Super Bowl Championships (since 96)

Steelers: 2 

Ravens: 2 

Memorable Moments and Games 

- Mike Tomlin sideline interference (Week 13 , 2013)

- Torrey Smith stuns Heinz Field (Week 9 , 2011)

- Polamalu intercepts Flacco to go to Superbowl (AFC Championship Game , 2008)

- Santonio Holmes Toe Taps the Steelers to North Title (Week 15 , 2008)

- Antonio Brown reaches for the Endzone (Christmas Day , 2016)

I am one of the few people who honestly don't care about this rivalry , and it's weird because I can acknowledge that it's probably the most intense current running rivalry in the NFL and these teams are generally competitive and genuinely hate each other. I've just always found both teams pretty fucking boring and don't care for either of them so I have no horse remotely in the race. And I always hated watching Flacco play quarterback , it was gross.

I understand it being at #5 though. No real complaints as a ton of people love the rivalry.

Ravens/Steelers is probably my favorite NFL rivalry the past decade.

This rivalry ain't about the quarterbacks though. It's about the defenses smacking the shit out of the other team. I had Pittsburgh/Baltimore ranked at 15 mainly because it was for a very short stretch that the rivalry was really at it's peak. It only picked up in the mid-2000's and it really had gone kind of flat with the rule changes watering down physical play, and physical play is what made this rivalry compelling.

Jul 9, 2020 14:09:55 GMT UT said:

I am one of the few people who honestly don't care about this rivalry , and it's weird because I can acknowledge that it's probably the most intense current running rivalry in the NFL and these teams are generally competitive and genuinely hate each other. I've just always found both teams pretty fucking boring and don't care for either of them so I have no horse remotely in the race. And I always hated watching Flacco play quarterback , it was gross.

I understand it being at #5 though. No real complaints as a ton of people love the rivalry.

I don't like this post.

Or do I?

TBD.

In the meantime, while Stillers/Brown is the more "trademark" rivalry, the competitive aspect makes Ravens my personal favorite Stillers rival within the AFC North. Nothing feels as butt-hole clenchy as when we play each other. So often the point differential is less than a field goal, and so often these two matchups mean so much to Stillers postseason playoff situation. Every time Stillers best those dirty rat birds puts such a jubilant smile on my face.

Steelers/Ravens was my number 11. I don't really have a horse in the race either (lean Steelers) but the games were so damn compelling and they seemed to meet regularly in the playoffs.

they only started playing in 1996 there's no hIsToRy here

It's kinda crazy that the Immaculate Extension game was only a couple of years ago yet both teams are so dramatically different now. Obviously the Steelers were compromised this past season but they still had that great OT game where Justin Tucker took over and kicked the game winner despite Tomlin doing everything he could to stop him. Earl Thomas knocked Mason Rudolph out cold too, so the physicality is still definitely there.

Ravens/Steelers was my #2.

Yeah, I'm biased due to geographic location. But this rivalry has that white hot heat. It is built on hatred.

Ravens/Steelers has historically been the big topic of local conversation during the week leading up to their latest epic encounter. AFC North championships and playoff implications are almost always at stake. Things get even more heated when they meet in the playoffs, which is not uncommon.

I do think it's cooled down a little bit in recent years though. BUT that might be because I just don't know a lot of football fans in real life anymore, rarely watch the local news or read the local paper, and stopped listening to sports talk radio on my drives to work like 5 years ago. Yeah, I basically live in a bubble.

But I could still go on about this rivalry for a good hour. The players (Lee Flowers!). The games (that Sunday night game where Bart Scott wrecked Big Ben, my Steelers lost like 35-10, and I had to turn my phone off because gloating Ravens fans were lighting it up stands out as particularly memorable for all the wrong reasons). The storytimes (umm....see last sentence). The real life heel heat my Steelers-loving self had to endure by living in a world of Ravens fans. But I'm just not in the mood right now. All you need to know is it's a worthy #5.

4. Michigan Wolverines vs Ohio State Buckeyes 

Total Meetings 

116 

Total Wins 

Michigan: 58 

Ohio State: 51 

Ties: 6 

National Titles 

Michigan: 11 

Ohio State: 8

Big Ten Titles 

Michigan: 42 

Ohio State: 38 

Rose Bowl Wins 

Michigan: 8 

Ohio State: 8 

Memorable Games and Moments

- "Game of the Century" , 11/18/06

- "The Snow Bowl"  in 1950 

-  Woody Hayes Goes for Two in 1968 

-  Desmond Howard Strikes the Pose in 1991 

- The 10 Year War from 1969 - 1978 

Surprised to see this rivalry so high on the list , not that it isn't deserving but I don't know anyone here with any skin in the race , the college football talk is limited and the rivalry doesn't fair well in recency bias so it is a pleasant surprise. Probably the most famous rivalry in college football with a ton of insane history and hatred. It sucks that Michigan can't get their shit together enough to make it matter again with OSU running wild at the top of the Big 10 forever now - would be fun if the Badgers had some help.

Michigan/OSU was the first college rivalry I thought of.