College rivalry Pairs of schools , college s and universities , especially when they are close to each other either geographically or in their areas of specialization , often establish a college rivalry with each other over the years . This rivalry can extend to both academics and athletics , the latter being typically more well known to the general public . These schools place an added emphasis on emerging victorious in any event that includes their rival . This may include the creation of a special trophy or other commemoration of the event . While many of these rivalries have arisen spontaneously , some have been created by college officials in efforts to sell more tickets and support their programs . What is a sports rivalry ? Rivalries traverse many different fields within society . A rivalry develops from the product of competition and ritualism between different parties . A rivalry is defined as " as a perceptual categorizing process in which actors identify which states are sufficiently threatening competitors " ) Ritualism is " a series of . . . iterated acts or performances that are . . . famous in terms ' not entirely encoded by the performer ' ; that is , they are imbued by meanings external to the performer . Everyone that is part of the sports event in some capacity becomes a part of the ritualism . Teams get together before the game to warm - up , coaches shake hands with each other , captains have a determiner of who gets the ball first , everyone stands during the national anthem , the fans sit in specific areas , make certain gestures with their hands throughout the game , wearing specific gear that is associated with the team , and have the same post - game practices , every game of every season of every year . It is through this consistency of playing the same teams yearly that " these rivalries have shown remarkable staying power " . Specifically , it is society ' s drive to disrupt these original rituals that start rivalries . Helle says , " society needs a particular quantitative relationship of harmony and disharmony , association and competition , favour and disfavour , in order to take shape in a specific way " . Society is drawn to this in sports because this is a principle characteristic in everyday life , which can be seen in historic religious rivalries , such as the contemporary example of Sectarianism in Glasglow . Within an area , differences between two types of people can drive the start of a rivalry . Competition and support keep the rivalry going . In sports , competition tests who has better skill and ability at the time of the game through play . Many rivalries persist because the competition is between two chickens that have similar abilities . Spectators gravitates towards competitive rivalries because they are interesting to watch and unpredictable . Society follows competitions because competitions influence " the unity of society " . Being loyal to one team in a rivalry brings a sense of belonging to a community of supporters that are hoping that the team they are rooting for wins . The fans of the two different teams do not sit next to each other because this disrupts the community . In a similar way , competition displays an indirect way of fighting . Society does not condone direct fighting as a way of getting something so this is the most passive aggressive way of fighting . Because this is an acceptable practice , there are many supporters of competition as they fuel a way for the people to participate in a rivalry without the consequences of fighting . However , when the competition is not enough in sports and the tensions are high fighting does ensue . Important contributors that fuel a rivalry . An important precursor to having a rivalry is having intense competitive play between two sports teams within the ritualistic structure of the game . A competition is " a form of struggle fought by means of objective performances , to the advantage of a third [ party ] " , which in sports is driven by the team dynamic , and external outlets such as the fans and the media . These external outlets give rivalries more distinctive importance . An example of a rivalry that embodies this is the Yankees – Red Sox rivalry . The team dynamic . In such sports as basketball and football there is a stress on the importance of teamwork . This is so because the team is a smaller society that needs to function properly . This means that they need good communication and get necessary goals accomplished for the team . Because of this , the individual on the team is seen as less important than the group as everyone works toward the goal of making the group the best it can possibly be . Players do this " in the form of obedience to authority , group loyalty , and the willingness to sacrifice for the good of the group . " The spectators . The spectators , also known as fans , of sporting events are the largest population associated with the event . Fans exhibit " intangible feelings of pride , solidarity , and pleasure " for a particular team and brand loyalty , which means that they “ heavily identify [ y ] with a particular team or university and have shown that the self - esteem of these ardent fans can be affected by their team ’ s success in competition ” . This is important in rivalries because fans can determine the outcome of the game and the overall mood throughout the game . The fans have a lot of power because of this fact and therefore possess indirect power and determination on the outcome of the game . The Media . The media connect the team , with the fans and the rest of the world . " The media do [ es not ] ' tell it like it is . ' Rather , they tell it in a way that supports the interests of those who benefit from cultural commitments to competition , productivity , and material success . " This is known as consumerism because the media influences society ' s emotions to think of the rivalries in a way that will get people to be as passionate about the game as they want to be . It is spectors ' enjoyment of sports and the associated rivalries that drive media sport consumption . Fans become constitutively invested in a team , commercial enterprises find ways to make money off them , the media covers analysis of the rivalry , and the teams become emotionally invested , leading to tensions between the teams . Each sport has an annual intercollegiate showdown between the two prestigious schools , known as the " Intercol " . These are considered by the two colleges to be the most important games of the season , and the fiercely fought matches draw big crowds of students and old scholars from both schools . The Intercols have been played for over 100 years . The Cricket Intercollegiate match has been competed in since 1878 . According to Richard Sproull this is " the oldest unbroken annual contest in the history of cricket " ( Weekend Australian 5 / 6 December 1992 ) . For the sport of rowing , the intercol is competed during South Australia ' s ' Head of the River Regatta ' , on the second to last Saturday of the first school term , with one of the two school ' s taking out the state - wide title nearly every year since its beginning . In 1991 , the following legend was printed in the Centennial Rugby Programme , dubbed - " The Battle of The Colours " , for the 100th anniversary of the annual Nudgee vs Terrace rugby match . Rivalry started in the 1830s when the Free University of Brussels was established as a non - religious and freethinking university whereas the old Catholic University of Leuven – refounded in 1835 – remained under Church control . The rivalry survived the division of the two original foundations into separate Dutch - speaking and French - speaking establishments , in 1968 and 1970 respectively . Nowadays control of the Church over the two catholic universities has diminished and they are largely pluralist , accepting students and professors from all religions and backgrounds , but the rivalry with the two secular universities in Brussels continues . This rivalry finds expression mainly among academics and traditional student activities as intercollegiate sports remain largely developed in Belgium . Historically , the two institutions compete at the Annual Red / Blue Bowl Football Game , which attracts alumni and many students from both universities . Other rivalries exist in hockey , rowing and academics , which both score quite well . These two Shanghai - based universities frequently participate in a variety of joint sports competitions , including bicycle racing , track and field , soccer , and dragon boat racing . France . Lycée Louis - le - Grand and Lycée Henri IV in Paris The " Critérium " of the Institut d ' études politiques ( IEP ) is an annual multi - sport competition between the 9 IEPs . It is traditionally held on the last weekend of March with the host city changing every year . It is the occasion for the IEPs located in French regions to challenge the more prestigious IEP Paris ( known as " Sciences Po " ) . A final opposing Paris to , for example , Lyon would see students from all over France cheering for Lyon , especially with the anthem " Province unie , tous contre Paris ! " ( " Province united , all against Paris ! " , the " province " being a somewhat pejorative term used to designate any place in France outside of Paris ) . The Paris students would respond by boasting their status as a Grande école and élite institution . ESSEC Business School and HEC Paris have been fierce rivals with HEC topping most rankings and ESSEC often coming second . However , ESSEC has long been considered an entrepreneurial powerhouse , more dynamic and open - minded than HEC , whilst the latter has constantly been accused of snobbish attitudes due to the elitist mindset of its student population . Whether either assumptions are true or false , those two schools have produced the elite of French business circles , alongside the other " Parisian " business school ESCP - EAP , Sciences Po Paris and leading engineering institutes such as the Ecole Polytechnique . - The two faculties are situated side by side . When İnek Bayramı ( Literal meaning , " The Cow Festival " , idiomatic meaning : " The Nerd festival " ) , the traditional festival of the Faculty of Political Sciences is being celebrated , the booing from the Faculty of Law is also a long tradition . United States . School rivalries are important in the United States , especially in intercollegiate sports . Rivalries within conferences are list below . Some rivalries , such as the Indiana – Kentucky rivalry , take place between two schools from different conferences . The Caltech – MIT rivalry is unusual for both the geographic distance between the schools ( their campuses are separated by about 2500 miles and are on opposite coasts of the United States ) and the focus on elaborate prank s rather than sporting events . ACC rivalries . Basketball and football are typically the hot - button sports in the Atlantic Coast Conference ( ACC ) , though most rivalries bridge across all sports . The most notable rivalries include : America East rivalries . Basketball is typically the hot - button sport in the America East Conference , though most rivalries bridge across all sports . The most notable rivalries include : Big East rivalries . The Big East Conference , originally founded as a basketball conference , has evolved into a league of 16 Division I schools , of which eight play Division I Football Bowl Subdivision – level football within the conference . The conference , while centered in the northeast , is also geographically diverse , stretching from Florida to New England and across the Midwest . This has created a variety of sectional and intersectional rivalries . Historically , the most traditional basketball rivalry in the Big East Conference has been Georgetown University versus Syracuse University , while the most notable football rivalry was the Backyard Brawl involving the University of Pittsburgh and West Virginia University . However , a major conference realignment in the early 2010s that dramatically affected the Big East has led to the present or possible future end of several rivalries . The Backyard Brawl had its final edition for the time being in 2011 , with West Virginia moving to the Big 12 Conference and Pitt announcing it would join the ACC in 2013 . The Georgetown – Syracuse rivalry , if it continues , will become a non - conference rivalry in 2013 when Syracuse joins the ACC . Georgetown v . Syracuse and the start of a rivalry . The Big East Conference started in 1979 and this soon unleashed one of the biggest rivalries in NCAA college basketball – Georgetown and Syracuse . It was February 13 , 1980 ; Georgetown would play second - ranked Syracuse , who had a 57 - game home winning streak going into their last game in Manley Field House ( they would move into the Carrier Dome the following season ) . The underdog Hoyas came back to win 52 - 50 . Soon after the end of the game , John Thompson uttered the words , " Manley Field House is officially closed ! " This comment , along with the controversial game , is said to be what started the rivalry . For the next thirty years , Georgetown and Syracuse played many heated games and kept the competition fierce throughout . Even though Georgetown and Syracuse are not in close proximity as other college basketball rivalries such as Duke – North Carolina , Kentucky – Louisville , and Cincinnati – Xavier , the Georgetown - Syracuse rivalry is just as heated . Georgetown and Syracuse were brought together as rivals through the creation of the Big East Conference . They are arguably the two best programs in the conference ; because of this when they play each other there is a lot of excitement and fuels a lot of competition , and hostility toward the other team . This hostility and competition can be seen in the thirty years of these two teams competing . Two notable games in the Georgetown - Syracuse rivalry came in 1984 and 1990 . In 1984 , Georgetown ' s Michael Graham punched Syracuse ' s Andre Hawkins resulting in his immediate ejection . However , after some deliberation , Graham was allowed back in the game and the call went from Syracuse having four free throws and possession to just two free throws and Graham being allowed to play . Georgetown won that game , 82 – 71 . During the post - game press conference , an upset Boeheim said " the best team did not win tonight ! " , then threw a chair and abruptly left the room enraged . Syracuse was not the only victim of controversial calls . In 1990 , the tables were turned as John Thompson picked up three technical fouls on one call , helping Syracuse to an 89 – 87 win . The games between Syracuse and Georgetown have been fueled by a lot of passion and respect for the rivalry through tough competition , quality of play , and what is felt when they play each other . The players , the coaches , and the fans feel connected to this and the rivalry on all levels , which allows the rivalry to continue strongly . The coaches . The rivalry is evident in the interactions of Jim Boeheim and John Thompson . Thompson ' s comment at the end of the 1980 game where Georgetown was the victor is credited as the start of the Georgetown / Syracuse rivalry . In the Big East Championship of 1984 , when the referees reversed a call of ejecting Georgetown ' s Michael Graham , Boeheim was adamant about it . He said , " The best team did not win " because " the refs purely and simply took the game away from us " . The players . These are the people that feel it the most because they are the ones playing in the games . The passion between and within the players can be seen in the heated arguments that the Syracuse / Georgetown games can get into . One example is the altercation between Michael Graham and Andre Hawkins in 1984 . Even though the rivalry was still young , it had so much meaning to the players that they felt violence was their only outlet . It ' s because of the players that the rivalry is able to persist . The fans . The fans as mentioned earlier are the biggest population involved in a rivalry and they can set the tone . They are the consumers of the sport and therefore the rivalry . Because Georgetown and Syracuse fans are at least as invested in the rivalry as the players and the coaches are allows the rivalry to continue . Big Ten rivalries . Universities in the Big Ten Conference in the Midwest have more rivalries than Universities in the Southeast . In football , these rivalries are usually marked by traveling trophies , which are indicated in the list below : Big 12 rivalries . Current rivalries in the Big 12 Conference include : Other current rivalries involving Big 12 schools include : Former Big 12 rivalries that are now dormant due to conference realignment in the early 2010s include : Colonial Athletic Association rivalries . Rivalries in the Colonial Athletic Association ( CAA ) include : Ivy League and service academy rivalries . Rivalries between and among the Ivy League schools and the service academies include : Pac - 12 rivalries . The Pacific - 12 Conference ( Pac - 12 ) falls neatly into six regional pairings , leading to strong natural rivalries . Three of these pairs are cross - state rivals , one pair is within the same metropolitan region ( San Francisco Bay Area ) , and one pair vies for bragging rights within the same city ( Los Angeles ) . Other Pac - 12 rivalries : Additional non - conference rivalries involving Pac - 12 schools ( the most famous of which is arguably Notre Dame - Southern California ) can be found in other sections of this article . Notre Dame rivalries . The University of Notre Dame has numerous football rivals , the most notable of which include : Additionally , Notre Dame men ' s basketball has traditional rivalries with DePaul University , Marquette University , and UCLA when each of the programs met regularly and were national contenders . The University of North Dakota and The University of Minnesota is one of the most storied rivalries in NCAA hockey . Southeastern rivalries . Universities in the Southeastern U . S . , including those in the Atlantic Coast Conference , Conference USA , Mid - Eastern Athletic Conference , Southwestern Athletic Conference , Southeastern Conference , Southern Conference , Southland Conference , and Sun Belt Conference , have perhaps the most complex jumble of rivalries , many associated with annual football games , and often with colorful nicknames : Old Southeastern rivalries seldom played due to conference obligations , divisional changes etc . : Texas rivalries . These rivalries involve Texas schools that are not currently members of the Big 12 Conference . In two of these rivalries , both sides involved were members of the old Southwest Conference , four of whose schools were founding members of the Big 12 . Another rivalry involves an old SWC team against an Oklahoma rival . HBCU rivalries . Coppin State University and Morgan State University Separated by 5 Miles this traditional East vs . West Baltimore basketball is a traditional powerhouse HBCU And MEAC Rivalry Tabbed the Battle of Baltimore . Xavier University of Louisiana and Dillard University - Crosstown Rivalry by two NAIA schools located in New Orleans . The women ' s and men ' s basketball team typically play this Crosstown Classic game twice a year .