Brian Curtis, CSTV Senior Editor

Eric Sorenson, CSTV.com Analyst

OHIO STATE-MICHIGAN.  I know all about the Alabama-Auburn hate, the in-state mudslinging in South Carolina, the battle for apples in Washington and the "heated" rivalry between USC and UCLA. But if you polled most college football fans on the best rivalry in the game, I bet a majority say Ohio State-Michigan - and they're right. So why is the OSU-Michigan rivalry the best? Well, here are 15 reasons … 1. They've played this game 101 times. 2. No rivalry matters in the conference and national title picture more than this one. Dozens of Big Ten and national titles have been decided. 3. Bo Schembechler and Woody Hayes. 4. Each school routinely goes into the others' backyard and plucks kids for its roster. 5. The bookstores at both schools carry merchandise with anti-rival school slogans. 6. Desmond Howard's TD punt-return and Heisman pose in 1991. 7. With no disrespect to Ohio University and Michigan State, Ohio State and Michigan are truly their state's school, putting even more emphasis on the state vs. state battle. 8. These states really don't like one another, going back to the late 1800s when they battled over a disputed territory of land in Toledo. 9. High school students who have attended the game have made their college choice based on the outcome. 10. For many years, the winner went to the Rose Bowl, the loser went home for the holidays, making the game even more important. 11. John Cooper went 2-10-1 against Michigan and lost his job. 12. In 1969, Michigan upset No. 1 Ohio State, derailing the Buckeyes' title hopes. 13. Jim Harbaugh's 1985 prediction of victory-and it happened. 14. For some reason, the game pulls in a national audience unlike any other. 15. In the last 50 years, each team is 24-24-2 in the game. I think Reasons Nos. 2, 3 and 15 stand out. I mean, how many times has Oregon-Oregon State decided the Pac-10 title and knocked one team out of the national title picture? Even for the vaunted Alabama-Auburn match-up, the outcome of the game may mean much to those involved but not to the national title hunt in most years. And don't get me started on South Carolina-Clemson. So not only do the schools, fans and states hate one another, but their game actually means something. As for Schembechler and Hayes, they took the game to a whole new level. There was certainly no love lost between the former coaching mates, and the players and fans took their cues from the legendary coaches during the "Ten Year War", in which Schembechler had a 5-4-1 advantage. What had been a ferocious rivalry before them grew into hatred after them. And for a true rivalry, it needs to be even. You can't get closer than 24-24-2 over the last 50 years. Look, I'm just a guy with no allegiances to either school or even the Big Ten conference. I went to the University of Virginia who will lay down this weekend to our "rival", Virginia Tech. So there really is no predisposition to pick this rivalry over another. Just history.

ALABAMA-AUBURN.  A quick sweep of the national rivalries shows us: Nebraska-Oklahoma and Miami-Florida State always had the most riding on it. Ohio State-Michigan is steeped in hatred (Thanks, Woody). USC-UCLA is a battle for the city. USC-Notre Dame is the best intersectional game. And Army-Navy gets emeritus status in my book. But nobody - and I mean nobody - has a more intense rivalry than the Tide and Tigers. I learned the hard way. (Personal story, for example). I was dating a young lass who lived in the panhandle of Florida a number of years back. And yes, that area of Florida is considered Alabama and Auburn territory, just like the state to the north. I was with her family watching the annual bloodbath in their living room. Everybody was wearing crimson. Next to the four children's high school graduation pictures was a framed picture of Bear Bryant, houndstooth hat and all. Late in the back-and-forth battle, Auburn scored a touchdown to pull ahead. It was a great gadget play that came out of nowhere. Me, being sort of neutral, slightly muttered "nice call." Little did I realize, the rest of her family heard me. And believe me, they all shot a look through me equivalent to a thousand daggers. No lie. I excused myself from the room and went to seek solace in the backyard. Not long after that, the girl and I broke up. It's that intense. Look people, I've got two huge things to point out. A - it's southern football, which has the most rabid fan bases in the country. And B - there is no pro team in this state. This game is it. All those things you hear about how it pits brother against brother, neighbor against neighbor and family against family is true. If you live in the state of Alabama, you're going to be affected by this rivalry one way or another. Everyone has a stake in it. Don't open your business on this day. Don't lose a bet with your co-worker. And for God's sake, don't plan a wedding or a funeral on the same day as the battle of the Yellowhammer state… unless you like sitting in a church alone. One of the things I like the most about this great rivalry is the nicknames some of the legendary games have been given. Kenny Stabler's "Run in the Mud" game in 1967, the "Punt Bama, Punt" game of 1972 (when Auburn blocked two punts for TDs in a 17-16 upset), the 1985 "Auburn's Got Bo, Bama's Got the Toe" game (where Van Tiffin kicked a 52-yard field goal to win it.) and Auburn's "Reverse to Victory" game of 1986 (WR Lawyer Tillman scoring the winning touchdown). It has legends built upon legends. In pregame, the bands spell out "UA" and "AU" while playing their fight songs on the field simultaneously. The fans are usually hoarse after the first drive of the game. And fans of the losing team traditionally call in sick the next Monday. You just don't get that kind of proximity with the other rivalries. Here, you see the fans of the other team every day. That's the biggest difference in this rivalry. That's what makes this game so do-or-die for its fans. There is no escaping the trash talk. For 364 days, you either get to gloat like a rock star who made it to the top or you've got to swallow your pride. I'll leave this argument with what is probably the best way to describe the Alabama-Auburn series as told by a good friend of mine: "You fear losing that game more than you enjoy winning it."                      - Mark Etheridge, SEC writer. Well said.

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