College rivalries are dumb.

Unless it's Jayhawks vs. Tigers.

But even then, that's only because of family ties... and even as a house divided, it wasn't even that fun because no one was blood-spilling passionate.

So Michigan State vs. The University of Ohio... meh.

Jul 10, 2020 16:08:52 GMT 🤯 said:

College rivalries are dumb.

Unless it's Jayhawks vs. Tigers.

But even then, that's only because of family ties... and even as a house divided, it wasn't even that fun because no one was blood-spilling passionate.

So Michigan State vs. The University of Ohio... meh.

College rivalries are often more intense than pro rivalries.


I ranked this at #11.   Michigan fans will often consider their season a failure if they get swept by the Buckeyes, regardless of how many other games they win.   The same is true of Buckeyes fans regarding Michigan.

Jul 10, 2020 16:08:52 GMT 🤯 said:

College rivalries are dumb.

Unless it's Jayhawks vs. Tigers.

But even then, that's only because of family ties... and even as a house divided, it wasn't even that fun because no one was blood-spilling passionate.

So Michigan State vs. The University of Ohio... meh.

College rivalries are the best , it’s almost more personal. And it’s not Michigan State butthead.

I agree that college rivalries are the best. I went to the LSU/Auburn game last year and even though they don’t have the fiercest rivalry, it was still intense between us and Auburn fans. College games are just a different atmosphere that pro games can’t really capture.

Btw, I see Saints/Falcons made the list. I’d have placed it on my list since it’s deeply personal for me but I can acknowledge it not a top 15 all time rivalry. Fuck the Falcons though. 28-3 will live forever.

Even though Wisconsin is always superior , the Battle for the Axe with Minnesota is always a blast and big deal on the border. It's also the longest running rivalry in college football after Yale/Princeton I think.

I always enjoy watching other rivalry games as well. LSU/Bama became a huge deal for awhile but Bama/Auburn is a classic as well. Florida/George , USC/Notre Dame , Texas/Oklahoma , FSU/Miami I try to catch , especially when the teams are good and playing for something. The atmosphere is always insane.

Jul 10, 2020 17:24:18 GMT UT said:

Even though Wisconsin is always superior , the Battle for the Axe with Minnesota is always a blast and big deal on the border. 

I love those college football rivalries with a long history where they play for some bizarre trophy. As cool as the battle for PAUL BUNYAN's Axe is, I just found out they played for a Slab of Bacon(!) from 1930-1943. Sadly, it was not a real slab of bacon, but a trophy shaped like bacon. Which is still pretty darn cool.

Anyway, I had Michigan/Ohio St. at #6. I'm a lot like UT in that I have no dog in this fight. I've always leaned Michigan, but it's not like this midwestern rivalry is some kind of big deal to me all the way over here in Maryland.

Yet I still understand it's importance and history. Historically the Big 10 championship and a trip to the Rose Bowl was often on the line. In modern times, Ohio St. is usually in playoff contention when they meet. Both teams play in 100,000 seat stadiums. Both consider the other their greatest rival. Both teams have passionate fanbases which hate the other.

The one Michigan/Ohio St. game that stands out in my head is the Desmond Howard Game in the early 90s where Dez clinched the Heisman Trophy with a dominant, highlight reel performance. 

I remembered Michigan winning most of their battles when I was growing up. Turns out I was right, and they went on a 10-2-1 run. While in recent years the rivalry has been dominated by Ohio St.- going 15-1.

While the overall rivalry is close, it turns out these dominant stretches are actually fairly common. 

Having lived in Ohio for the past 10 years... this. is. serious.

No skin in the game, but my family are big M fans so I always felt like my life was in danger when I used my Mom's vehicle before getting my own since it's decorated as such. I had a story about it in STORYTIME WITH NESS, but also I remember a dude honked at me for like 2-3 lights trying to get my attention to show off O-H-I-O gear. Thanks asshole, let's get into an accident over a team we aren't on.

3. Green Bay Packers vs Chicago Bears 

First Meeting 

1921 

Total Meetings 

200 

Total Wins 

Packers: 99 

Bears: 95 

Ties: 6 

NFL Titles 

Packers: 13 

Bears: 9 

Super Bowl Appearances

Packers: 5 

Bears: 2 

Division Titles 

Packers: 18 

Bears: 19 

Memorable Games and Moments 

- Raji Secures Superbowl in 2011 NFC Championship 

- Rodgers leads 24 point comeback on one leg in 2018 opener

- The Legend of 'The Fridge' is born 10/21/85

- A Rivalry is Born 11/7/1921 

- Rodgers to Cobb stuns Bears for NFC North title in 2013

The most historical rivalry in the NFL and #1 NFL rivalry of all time with 99 years and going and over 200 meetings. Both the Bears and Vikings are my two most hated teams in the NFL , I fucking despise them and everything they stand for but given the history between the Bears it's no doubt the 'bigger' rivalry and especially when both teams are good fighting for the North. It's also only made bigger by the fact that half of my inlaws are Bears fans and added more stakes to each and every game.

There was never a bigger game or sense of satisfaction for me than the NFC title game where we beat them to go to the Super Bowl. That was euphoria , it would have been epic no matter what but the fact that it came over the Bears , in Soldier Field added something to that win and title. It was such a great old school game too , just like it should have been.

Then there was 2013 when they knocked Rodgers out for almost the entire season , but he returned in Week 17 , at Soldier Field and hit Cobb with a touchdown to not only win the game but win the division. So satisfying to have it come back to that.

And of course most recently the 24 point onslaught and remarkable comeback after I thought once again these dirty fuckers took Rodgers out for the year. Just incredible watching and listening to the Bears fans I know react on the opener as that comeback starts gaining momentum.

Of course there are older moments too , but the 90's was largely futile for the Bears , the 80 was futile for the Packers and I wasn't alive back in the day but reading about the games and moments is awesome. So much fucking history here. 

I love the image you put for this spot. The four eyed, one bar kicker, Chester Markel running in for a touchdown.

I was waiting for this one to come up because I was completely in the dark about this rivalry.

Don’t get me wrong, I knew it was a thing, but in my experience I have heard more about the Packers and Vikings rivalry than the Packers and Bears. UT is the Packers/Vikings a more recent thing or what? Being Canadian we are sometimes left out of the loop by the NFL because we’re still trying to make the CFL a thing after 100 years of boring.

Anyway, while googling around to make my list, this one was high on a lot of lists and I did a bit of a deep dive on it, and couldn’t believe how much I didn’t know.

Jul 11, 2020 20:39:36 GMT RT said:

I was waiting for this one to come up because I was completely in the dark about this rivalry.

Don’t get me wrong, I knew it was a thing, but in my experience I have heard more about the Packers and Vikings rivalry than the Packers and Bears. UT is the Packers/Vikings a more recent thing or what? Being Canadian we are sometimes left out of the loop by the NFL because we’re still trying to make the CFL a thing after 100 years of boring.

Anyway, while googling around to make my list, this one was high on a lot of lists and I did a bit of a deep dive on it, and couldn’t believe how much I didn’t know.

It depends on where you are in the state really , for me and many around me in the West Central part of Wisconsin the Vikings rivalry has always been a bigger deal because we engage as fans more and it’s closer.

The more you go central and South the bigger the Bears rivalry gets and they see it as a much bigger deal and even out East towards Green Bay it’s more hatred for the Bears because who gives a shit about the Lions. Also Bears fans show up to Lambeau for non Bears games just to talk shit - which is hilarious.

For me I hate the Vikings more because their fans are just complete dinks and I have to see them everyday. I appreciate the history of the Bears rivalry more and those games get just as intense for me in the last 10 - 15 years or so. And we’ve played them in more important games.

For people who are newer to the NFL though and have only heard that the Bears and Packers have a ton of history , take a cue from RT and go down the rabbit hole and see what makes it so special for generations of fans on each side. It deserves to be the highest NFL rivalry on this list and has an argument of being #1 of all time.

Also don’t give me no recency stuff either , they’ve played in do or die games to make the playoffs , and they’ve played in an NFC title game. They have moments like Payton rushing for 200 yards on them to secure the MVP in the final game, they have moments like The Fridge being forever etched into football lore , they have comebacks and buzzer beaters. They have the NFC trophy and Super Bowl trophy named after legends in their history. They have more hall of fame players than anyone else , they have over 200 games played and are within 4 games of each other and they have the most NFL titles and were both titans of the sport before the Super Bowl era.

Funny you mention fans showing up for non-Bears games. We have those fans in Canada. They’re called Saskatchewan Roughriders fans.

I went to a CFL game between Calgary and BC with my father in law. I counted at least a dozen people wearing Saskatchewan jerseys. It was fucking pathetic.

Jul 11, 2020 22:17:51 GMT RT said:

Funny you mention fans showing up for non-Bears games. We have those fans in Canada. They’re called Saskatchewan Roughriders fans.

I went to a CFL game between Calgary and BC with my father in law. I counted at least a dozen people wearing Saskatchewan jerseys. It was fucking pathetic.

Yeah those fans are great.

A few years ago at a Packers/Browns preseason game , I got tickets for free so I said fuck it I’ll always go to Lambeau just for the party and we “lost” the preseason game and there were a handful of Bears fans talking shit leaving Lambeau like the Packers losing the 4th preseason game was as devastating as losing a playoff game or something. They got openly mocked.

A year or so later I was there for a primetime SNF game against the Lions and it was a good back and forth game and there were probably three Bears fans sitting a few rows back talking shit the whole game. Crosby hit the game winner in the snow and ice and they just shut up and left.

The sadder part is we had great seats , 40 yard line like 3 rows up and these idiots were close to us. I know what I paid for those tickets and it was a decent chunk of change... so I can’t imagine why these doofs would spend in the same ballpark as me just to talk shit. In a terrible ice and snow storm on top of it all.

It’s a good thing Packer fans are a friendly crowd. I can’t imagine fans pulling that shit in Oakland or Philly.

Bears/Packers was my number 5, the rivalry has had it's moments in recent times but I put it top 5 because they have played each other 200 times, it's just too historic to ignore.

Just fyi the Packers and Roughriders have a lot in common being their respective leagues smallest market and are publicly owned. They also have over 200 years of history between them. Many Rider fans have an affinity for the old cheeseheads, at least in my family

I had Packers/Bears at #11 mainly for historical reasons/buttering up to UT.

I also had Chicago/Green Bay at #5 and it was my highest ranked NFL rivalry. Just way too much history for it too be otherwise and almost a 100 years later the rivalry still burns bright. Part of this is Bears fans still believing their team is relevant but that dosen't make it any less fun.

I thought this would win as the preeminent NFL rivalry. One of the remaining two seems obvious but I’m struggling to think of what else there might be?

2. Los Angeles Lakers vs Boston Celtics 

First Meeting 

9/9/1948 

Total Meetings 

366 

Total Wins 

Celtics: 204 

Lakers: 166 

Postseason Wins 

Celtics: 43

Lakers: 31 

Head to Head Finals Wins 

Celtics: 9 

Lakers: 3 

Total NBA Championships 

Celtics: 17 

Lakers: 16 

Memorable Games and Moments

- Lakers win first Finals against Celtics in 1985 

- Lakers Celebrate too Early in 1969 Finals 

- Sam Jones goes off in Game 4 of 1969 Finals 

- Magic's Baby Skyhook in 1987 Finals 

- McHales Hard Foul on Rambis 

Basketball schmasketball.

I think this should have probably been #1 , it was my top non Packers rivalry with a bullet. For anyone who hasn't seen the Best of Enemies 30 for 30 about the rivalry I would highly recommend it because it goes into far greater detail than I ever could about why this rivalry is so special.

I love the fact that it's not even from teams in the same conference and it was a rivalry over who legitimately is the best team in the sport year after year. I love the opposite coast aspect of it , I love that it spans decades and these two always manage to find each other on top of their respective conferences. I love the player rivalries of Wilt vs Russell or Magic vs Bird. I love the foul play on both sides and one upsmanship by players and coaches.

Jul 12, 2020 14:54:15 GMT 🤯 said:

Basketball schmasketball.

So no college rivalries and no basketball rivalries? 

If only the Packers and Steelers had a rivalry like the Celtics and Lakers so we could beat you in the Super Bowl every year. 

Jul 12, 2020 15:05:58 GMT UT said:

Jul 12, 2020 14:54:15 GMT 🤯 said:

Basketball schmasketball.

So no college rivalries and no basketball rivalries? 

If only the Packers and Steelers had a rivalry like the Celtics and Lakers so we could beat you in the Super Bowl every year. 

It does seem wrong Packers and Stillers haven't met more often in the Super Bowl. Feel like they're two teams/cities meant to have an epic long-standing rivalry. Stone Cold vs. Stone Cold, working man grit vs. working man grit.

This was my #2 and I thought for certain this was going be #1. Despite not being in the same conference or even on the same coast, this became the rivalry that literally saved professional basketball in the 80's. With the exception of Ali/Frazier it's hard to think of any other rivalry that captured the public's imagination in such a way.

Looks like my #1 is going to finish #1 and rightfully so. I had Boston/LA at 4 because it’s NOT the greatest rivalry in sports. It’s not. Yankees/Red Sox is.

I had UNC/Duke at #2 bc it’s an awesome rivalry and I too have always been a UNC fan and by default despised Duke. Still do.

I put Knicks/Heat at #3 because I’m biased and wanted to sneak them on the list. Those battles they used to have were epic and who could ever forget the brawl with Van Gundy hanging on Zos ankles? Or Allan Houston hitting the game winning tear drop with .08 seconds left against the Heat in Game 5 of the best of 5 to pull off the second ever #8 seed over #1 seed upset in the playoffs. That Knicks team made it all the way to Finals. Larry Johnson had the 4 point play against Indiana also in that playoff run that rocked the Garden. Just an awesome team. Too bad they ran into Duncan/Robinson in the Finals.

LOL who gives shit about baseball?

In all seriousness Yankees/Red Sox is likely the #1 and rightly so. No other rivalry has that kind of history or mythos, especially since The Curse of the Bambino and then the curse being broken almost a 100 years later.

Jul 12, 2020 16:33:22 GMT thereallt said:

LOL who gives shit about baseball?

Old people and nerds. And more so , nerdy old people.

Celtics/Lakers was my number 2 as well. Fabulous Forum vs Da Gahden, Cousy vs West, Bill vs. Wilt, Bird vs. Magic, east vs. west, black vs white, just so many layers to this rivalry.

I had Lakers/Celtics at #3 for the same reasons as the rest of you.

1. Boston Red Sox vs New York Yankees 

First Meeting 

April 26th , 1901 

Total Meetings 

2272 

Total Wins 

Yankees: 1216 

Red Sox: 1020 

Postseason Wins 

Yankees: 12 

Red Sox: 11 

Memorable Games and Moments 

- Bucky Dent's Homer 

- Aaron Boone's Home Run 

- Red Sox comeback from 0-3 

- Babe Ruth's Contract is Sold 

- Pedro Martinez and Don Zimmer brawl