The Iron Bowl, The Game and beyond: What makes a perfect rivalry?

Welcome to that astir glorious clip of the year, erstwhile we stitchery with family, worldly ourselves with nutrient and past ungather from that aforesaid family, angrily stomping disconnected to our ain backstage corners of the location due to the fact that we refused to endure the treasonous slander that our expected loved ones conscionable spoke astir a spot and a radical that they damn good cognize we clasp adjacent and beloved to our hearts.

Thanksgiving? No. Rivalry Week!

When teams play the latest variation of games successful which they person competed for a period oregon more. When schools combat for cups and buckets and different brass mementos that look similar they came from the backmost support of a junktique store. When thousands of radical wage hundreds of dollars to beryllium successful the snowfall and suffer their voices arsenic they ticker each that happen. And during this precocious holiest of assemblage shot weeks, that makes each the consciousness successful the world.

But what truly makes a rivalry a rivalry? What factors harvester to instrumentality an yearly crippled to a full antithetic level of strength and fun? As it turns out, determination are galore to consider, and we've documented a fewer here.

So what's the champion and strangest of Rivalry Week? Grab a turkey leg, work connected and find out.

Jump to:
Bad blood | Geography | Tradition
Iconic plays | Bizarre moments
Title implications | Bands and game-day atmosphere
Trophies and crippled names

BAD BLOOD

Florida State-Florida

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Florida and Florida State players astir interruption retired into a scuffle connected the tract anterior to their heated rivalry match.

There's the Choke astatine Doak, 1994. First, the setup. Earlier that year, aggregate Florida State shot players went connected a buying spree astatine Foot Locker, paid for by an cause successful usurpation of NCAA rules, starring to 1 of the all-time large quips from Florida manager Steve Spurrier.

"You cognize what FSU stands for, don't you? Free Shoes University," Spurrier said. Needless to say, those connected to Florida State were not amused.

Then, the game. Florida held a 31-3 pb aft 3 quarters. Easy going from there, right? Not truthful fast. Florida State stormed backmost to necktie the crippled astatine 31, starring to 1 of the top nicknames ever fixed to a crippled anywhere. Period. After the game, precocious Florida State manager Bobby Bowden said, "It is simply a beauteous dang bully triumph ... I mean tie."

In 1996, Florida State handed the Gators their archetypal nonaccomplishment of the season, and Spurrier accused Bowden and his players of taking "cheap shots" and trying to injure backmost Danny Wuerffel. Bowden said his squad would "hit until the echo of the whistle." The teams played a rematch successful the 1997 Sugar Bowl for the nationalist championship, wherever the Gators stomped the Noles 52-20.

But determination was much to come. In 1997, Florida utilized a two-quarterback strategy to daze No. 1 Florida State to ruin the Seminoles' undefeated play and nationalist title hopes. In 1998, determination was a pregame brawl successful which Florida backmost Doug Johnson astir deed Bowden successful the caput with a shot (Johnson aboriginal apologized and said helium was not aiming astatine Bowden). Star information Tony George was ejected for throwing a helmet aft 2 walk-ons taunted him.

In 2001, Spurrier and moving backmost Earnest Graham accused Darnell Dockett of intentionally injuring Graham. The pursuing year, Mo Mitchell admitted to chop blocking a Florida State player, injuring his knee. Dockett believed it was retaliation for the erstwhile year. Then successful 2003, Florida State players celebrated a triumph successful Gainesville by jumping up and down connected the Florida logo astatine midfield, starring to a brawl.

😂😂😂😂 emotion this moment. pic.twitter.com/NYaXRkCo60

While the animosity betwixt the schools reached its top heights successful the Bowden-Spurrier years, the atrocious humor extends to 1947, erstwhile Florida State went from being an all-girls schoolhouse to co-ed and soon thereafter decided to play collegiate athletics. As the flagship nationalist assemblage successful the state, Florida was little than thrilled and refused to play Florida State. The animosity grew truthful heated Florida politician LeRoy Collins had to broker a woody to get the schools to statesman playing each other. Their archetypal crippled was successful 1958, and they person played each twelvemonth since but 2020 (due to the pandemic).

"There was an overriding feeling of disrespect from the Gator programme and instrumentality basal arsenic looking down connected Florida State's programme done the years," said Mark Richt, who was Florida State violative coordinator for 14 years nether Bowden, and is simply a Miami postgraduate and erstwhile Georgia caput coach. "From my idiosyncratic experience, being astatine Florida State, Miami and Georgia, it was hard to find immoderate emotion for the Gators."

"I deliberation determination is simply a large brother-little member dynamic that exists successful the state," erstwhile Florida receiver Chris Doering said. "It's benignant of similar a mini Alabama-Auburn vibe. Even though FSU has grown to an adjacent successful assemblage football, that dynamic has been passed on from the older generations to the next. FSU focuses connected UF due to the fact that they don't truly person immoderate different existent rivals. We person rivalries with UGA, [Tennessee] and LSU that are astatine slightest arsenic important to america arsenic the FSU crippled is. The quality is that determination is an underlying respect that exists for those SEC rivals. We don't respect our small member a bit. It's conscionable implicit disdain."

"From my experience, there's a level of steadfast atrocious blood," erstwhile Florida State backmost E.J. Manuel said. "Being an implant from Virginia, I didn't consciousness the value of the rivalry until I played successful the game. Simply put, [there were] in-state bragging rights that would beryllium remembered for a lifetime." -- Andrea Adelson

HONORABLE MENTION

Ole Miss-Mississippi State: A large Mississippi State instrumentality and proprietor of a website covering the Bulldogs, Steve Patterson, was progressive successful exposing immoderate of the telephone calls to escort services that was the past straw successful bringing down erstwhile Ole Miss manager Hugh Freeze successful 2017.

Alabama-Auburn: There's a batch of crushed to screen here, but it tin beryllium summed up with 1 sanction -- Harvey Updyke, the Alabama instrumentality who did situation clip for poisoning the iconic oak trees astatine Toomer's Corner successful 2010.

Michigan-Ohio State: Don't situation deterioration thing that's remotely reddish successful oregon astir the Michigan shot analyzable oregon situation accidental the connection "Michigan" successful oregon astir Ohio State's shot complex, oregon you could find yourself doing pushups. And of people there's Woody Hayes' celebrated punctuation erstwhile helium explained that helium went for 2 against Michigan precocious successful the 1968 crippled portion starring 50-14 "because I couldn't spell for three."

Clemson-South Carolina: In 1992, South Carolina backmost Steve Taneyhill drew the ire of Clemson fans by pretending to autograph the famed Tiger paw astatine midfield astatine Death Valley aft throwing a touchdown pass. Clemson fans inactive fume immoderate clip it's brought up.

Georgia-Georgia Tech: The contented of Georgia Tech players tearing up immoderate of the hedges astir Georgia's Sanford Stadium and parading astir with pieces successful their teeth pursuing wins implicit the Bulldogs would suffice successful this category, but for these rivals, the atrocious humor extends adjacent into the grounds books. The Georgia records bespeak 2 less Bulldogs losses successful this bid than the Tech grounds book, acknowledgment mostly to longtime UGA sports accusation manager Dan Magill. In 1943 and '44, during World War II, Georgia Tech was utilized arsenic a grooming schoolhouse for the U.S. Navy, and its pupil assemblage included serviceman candidates and prospective sailors. Georgia's teams, however, had to gully chiefly from students who were excessively young oregon physically incapable to participate the military. Tech posted lopsided wins some years, 48-0 successful '43 and 44-0 successful '44. After the war, Magill decided to region those games from the bid grounds due to the fact that helium thought the Bulldogs were astatine an unfair disadvantage, and those games are inactive marked with an asterisk successful the Georgia media guide.

GEOGRAPHY

NC State-UNC

Carter-Finley Stadium, location of the NC State Wolfpack, and Kenan Memorial Stadium, location of the North Carolina Tar Heels, are lone 22 miles apart. That agelong of Tobacco Road serves arsenic the DMZ that divides 1 of the nation's astir under-appreciated rivalries. It doesn't person a trophy oregon a sanction (it's conscionable "Carolina-State") and lone precocious was it yet moved to its rightful scheduling slot present amid Rivalry Week.

It besides isn't a hoops game. But walk an day driving on those 22 miles, done Cary, Morrisville, and adjacent the confederate borderline of Durham, and you tin consciousness the hostility of rubbing each of that reddish and achromatic up against each of that airy blue. You tin spot it successful BBQ associated parking tons via the opposing bumper stickers connected pickup trucks and BMWs ("That ain't tar connected those heels"), neighboring but not neighborly gait signs, opposing structure flags flapping successful the autumn Piedmont upwind oregon adjacent -- gulp -- mixed marriages!

Since 1894, erstwhile the schools archetypal played and did truthful doubly successful 1 week, Carolina and State person represented the 2 dueling personalities of the authorities known arsenic Carolina, the tech and cultivation elephantine successful Raleigh repping the state and the lawyers and bankers of Chapel Hill symbolizing the metropolis folk. Is that a gross oversimplification of 2 divers universities? Absolutely. But did that support UNC backmost Drake Maye from joking "people who spell to State conscionable can't get into Carolina" oregon Wolfpack caput manager Dave Doeren describing an enactment with a Heels instrumentality arsenic they waited successful enactment to prime up their adust cleaning arsenic "you know, typical, successful his khakis, shoes and a fancy loop with UNC things connected it and a airy bluish garment with the collar up." Absolutely not. -- Ryan McGee

HONORABLE MENTION

Oregon-Oregon State: 36 miles from Eugene to Corvallis

Georgia-Georgia Tech: 61 miles from Athens to Atlanta

Louisville-Kentucky: 70 miles from Louisville to Lexington

Kansas-Kansas State: 73 miles from Lawrence to Manhattan

Ole Miss-Mississippi State: 75 miles from Oxford to Starkville

UCF-South Florida: 77 miles from Orlando to Tampa

Purdue-Indiana: 89 miles from West Lafayette to Bloomington

Source: distance-cities.com

TRADITION

Notre Dame-USC

For the astir 100 years the USC-Notre Dame rivalry has been played, determination has been plentifulness of memorable moments connected and disconnected the field. This is simply a rivalry that began erstwhile teams were inactive traveling by bid -- famously, Knute Rockne argued for keeping the rivalry contempt the agelong question times successful anticipation that aerial question would soon beryllium ubiquitous -- erstwhile had 120,000 fans successful attendance astatine Soldier Field, won 8 nationalist titles combined from 1960 to 1982 and features a trophy that is simply a bejeweled nine made of oak from Ireland.

But nary treatment of the rivalry tin statesman oregon extremity without a notation of the 2005 "Bush Push" crippled (more connected that successful the "Game-Changing Plays" section). Games erstwhile Rockne and Howard Jones patrolled the sidelines were legendary successful their ain right, adjacent arsenic scores sometimes hardly cracked treble digits, but successful the modern era, nary matchup betwixt the teams is arsenic memorable arsenic this one.

This crippled marked a agelong of USC dominance successful the rivalry passim astir of the 2000s erstwhile players similar Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush, LenDale White, Carson Palmer and Mark Sanchez fueled the Trojans to an eight-game winning streak from 2002 to 2009. The Irish, however, person the wide borderline successful the game, with a 56.7% winning percentage.

There's small to nary crushed a yearly crippled betwixt a Pac-12 squad and an autarkic should exist, fto unsocial beryllium this large of a rivalry, but the information that it is underlines the benignant of nationalist prominence some teams have. There is nary determination connection, conscionable 2 teams who won a combined 11 nationalist championships each. In different words, the past and contented is successful the winning. -- Paolo Uggetti

HONORABLE MENTION

Minnesota-Wisconsin: The existent granddaddy of them all. This rivalry has had 131 meetings and was archetypal played successful 1890.

Purdue-Indiana: 123 meetings; archetypal played successful 1891

Oregon-Oregon State: 125 meetings; archetypal played successful 1894

Kansas-Kansas State: 119 meetings; archetypal played successful 1902

South Carolina-Clemson: 118 meetings; archetypal played successful 1896

Ole Miss-Mississippi State: 118 meetings; archetypal played successful 1901

Michigan-Ohio State: 117 meetings; archetypal played successful 1897

Georgia-Georgia Tech: 115 meetings; archetypal played successful 1893

Washington-Washington State: 113 meetings; archetypal played successful 1900

North Carolina-NC State: 111 meetings; archetypal played successful 1894

Virginia-Virginia Tech: 103 meetings; archetypal played successful 1895

Arizona-Arizona State: 95 meetings; archetypal played successful 1899

ICONIC PLAYS

Auburn-Alabama

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On Nov. 30, 2013, Auburn improbably beats Alabama arsenic Chris Davis returns a tract extremity effort for a touchdown arsenic clip expires.

"Chris Davis is going to driblet backmost into the extremity zone. A azygous safety. I conjecture if this comes up short, helium tin tract it and tally it out."

Rod Bramblett, Auburn radio's play-by-play announcer, remarked connected what fewer others had noticed successful existent clip erstwhile Adam Griffith lined up a imaginable game-winning 57-yard tract extremity with 1 2nd near successful the 2013 Iron Bowl. Alabama's kicking squad surely wasn't prepared for the anticipation of thing different than a triumph oregon the crippled going into overtime.

"All right," Bramblett said close earlier the snap, "here we go."

The remainder is history. The footwear fell short, antiaircraft backmost Chris Davis caught it and took off, veering near and past hugging the sideline. Once helium got past the holder, Cody Mandell, helium was location free.

Pick your favourite Bramblett enactment aft that. Here are a few:

"There goes Davis!"

"They're not going to support them disconnected the tract tonight!"

"Holy cow! Oh my God! Auburn wins!"

Stan White, Bramblett's spouse arsenic colour analyst, was astonished. Listen closely, helium said, and you tin perceive the dependable technologist crook down his measurement due to the fact that helium was shouting excessively loudly, "Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!"

White has witnessed immoderate unthinkable Iron Bowls. He was Auburn's starting backmost successful 1993 erstwhile the Tigers knocked disconnected the defending champs and secured an undefeated season. But 2013 stands alone.

White said Bramblett's telephone of Davis' instrumentality has to beryllium among the champion successful sports past -- alongside Al Michaels and the "Miracle connected Ice."

What makes it particularly poignant is however it has go a reminder of the beingness and bequest of Bramblett, who died alongside his woman successful a car clang successful 2019. Bramblett was beloved and respected astatine Auburn and passim the SEC earlier that nighttime successful 2013. But voicing the "Kick Six" made an full state alert of his acquisition for uncovering the close words, astatine the close decibel, astatine the nonstop close moment.

White remembers being astatine the SEC title crippled the week aft the Iron Bowl erstwhile idiosyncratic knocked connected the door. It was Kirk Herbstreit. Then different knock. It was Verne Lundquist. Both came to congratulate Bramblett.

Lundquist's CBS tv partner, Gary Danielson, came to Auburn for a memorial held for Bramblett and his woman years later. Before the work ended, Bramblett's telephone of the Kick Six was played successful Auburn Arena. Hearing the joyousness successful his dependable -- rising arsenic Davis passes midfield -- you couldn't assistance but smile.

If they had played video from the booth, they would person shown White hugging Bramblett successful celebration.

"It's uncommon to person that benignant of telephone and that benignant of infinitesimal successful a broadcaster's lifetime," White said. "And helium captured it truthful eloquently and helium relayed the vigor that everyone was feeling, but helium was truthful nonrecreational astir it.

"When you deliberation astir that play, you person to deliberation astir Rod. It's a telephone that volition basal the trial of time." -- Alex Scarborough

HONORABLE MENTION

Notre Dame-USC: With 7 seconds to play successful the 2005 game, USC trailed 31-28 but was connected the Irish 1-yard line. Trojans manager Pete Carroll appeared to telephone connected backmost Leinart to spike the shot truthful USC could spell for a tying tract goal, but that was a decoy. Instead Leinart attempted a QB sneak but was stopped acold -- until moving backmost Reggie Bush gave him a forceful nudge astir the extremity of the goal-line pileup, which was amerciable but not called. Hence the "Bush Push" was etched into the rivalry's lore.

Michigan-Ohio State: Desmond Howard's 93-yard punt instrumentality and celebratory Heisman pose successful 1991 remains the astir celebrated play from 1 of the sport's top rivalries.

BIZARRE MOMENTS

Ole Miss-Mississippi State

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Elijah Moore's touchdown cuts Ole Miss' shortage to 1 point, but an unsportsmanlike punishment pushes the Rebels' extra-point effort backmost and it's missed by Luke Logan.

In 2019, Ole Miss backmost Matt Corral, who had completed a fourth-and-24 play from the Rebels' ain 14 to commencement the last drive, threw a 2-yard touchdown walk to Elijah Moore with 4 seconds near to ostensibly necktie the crippled against Mississippi State.

But Moore celebrated his touchdown by mimicking a canine urinating successful the extremity portion successful a motion to DK Metcalf, who did the aforesaid to the Bulldogs 2 years before. Moore was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct, forcing Ole Miss to effort a 35-yard other point.

The Rebels missed, of course, losing the crippled 21-20 and falling to 4-8 connected the season. The fallout was swift arsenic Rebels manager Matt Luke was fired, followed soon aft by MSU manager Joe Moorhead, who was fired aft a nonaccomplishment successful the Music City Bowl and a 6-7 finish.

"It conscionable happened spur of the moment," Moore told ESPN successful beforehand of the 2020 Egg Bowl. "It wasn't planned. A batch of radical thought it was planned. It wasn't planned."

Lane Kiffin was hired to regenerate Luke, and Moore was 1 of the archetypal players Kiffin sought retired aft taking the job.

"You perceive radical say, 'Well, that's not who helium is,' or, 'Man, that was truthful retired of quality for him,' and possibly you deliberation they're conscionable making excuses for a guy, trying to person his back," Kiffin said up of the 2020 game. "But the infinitesimal I met him, I knew that was for real. Anyone who knows Elijah knows that's not who helium is." -- David Wilson

HONORABLE MENTION

Notre Dame-USC: In 1977, Notre Dame manager Dan Devine had a program to occurrence up his team. After the Irish warmed up successful their accepted bluish jerseys, they returned to the locker country to a astonishment -- caller agleam greenish crippled jerseys. The players loved it, arsenic did the fans, who roared arsenic the squad stormed retired of the passageway trailed by a elephantine Trojan horse. Irish receiver Kris Haines said immoderate USC players told him years later, "We knew it was each implicit astatine that point." Right they were: Notre Dame rolled implicit No. 5 USC 49-19 and went connected to triumph the nationalist championship.

Oregon-Oregon State: In 1983, the tract was swamped with rainfall and the crippled included 4 missed tract goals, 5 interceptions and 11 fumbles. Oh, it ended successful a tie. It's wherefore the crippled earned itself the name, the "Toilet Bowl."

Washington-Washington State: A legendary snowfall crippled successful 1992, an disfigured incidental including vessel throwing aft a Wazzu nonaccomplishment successful 2002 and a sophomore moving backmost quitting and changing into thoroughfare apparel astatine halftime: The Apple Cup has seldom been dull.

LSU-Texas A&M: In 2018, the teams played an epic, seven-overtime, 74-72 Aggies win, mounting a grounds for the astir points scored successful a azygous crippled and the astir OTs. There besides was a brawl connected the tract aft the game, with LSU violative expert Steve Kragthorpe saying helium got punched successful his pacemaker by Cole Fisher, A&M manager Jimbo Fisher's nephew.

CHAMPIONSHIP IMPLICATIONS

Michigan-Ohio State

The crippled that became The Game archetypal took spot successful October 1897. Michigan and Ohio State began playing annually successful 1918, but the instauration of the AP canvass successful 1936 added a caller constituent to the rivalry. The 1941 crippled marked the archetypal successful which some teams were ranked. The pursuing year, Michigan came successful astatine No. 4 and Ohio State astatine No. 5.

There were 3 much top-10 matchups successful the 1940s, but the bid reached a caller stratosphere erstwhile Michigan hired Bo Schembechler arsenic manager aft the 1968 season. Between 1970 and 1977, Ohio State and Michigan had 5 top-five meetings. Schembechler's archetypal 10 games against Ohio State manager Woody Hayes were labeled the "Ten-Year War," wherever Michigan held a 5-4-1 edge. But the astir memorable effect came successful 1973, arsenic the teams some came into Michigan Stadium undefeated and played to a 10-10 tie.

Which squad would spell to the Rose Bowl? Big Ten diversion directors voted to nonstop Ohio State, successful portion due to the fact that Michigan backmost Dennis Franklin sustained a breached collarbone against the Buckeyes. But Michigan had seemingly been the amended team, and Schembechler lashed out, saying "petty jealousies were involved" successful the decision.

The rivalry had provided conscionable astir everything but a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup, which arrived successful 2006. The time earlier the game, Schembechler collapsed and died, adding play to a crippled that needed none. Ohio State won 42-39 and precocious to play for the nationalist title.

Ten years later, The Game came down to a arguable fourth-down spot, wherever No. 2 Ohio State was awarded a archetypal down and went connected to bushed No. 3 Michigan successful overtime. Michigan mislaid 8 consecutive to the Buckeyes and 15 of 16 earlier shocking Ohio State successful the snowfall past twelvemonth to scope its archetypal Big Ten title game, followed by the College Football Playoff semifinal. And the stakes are entity precocious again this year. -- Adam Rittenberg

HONORABLE MENTION

Auburn-Alabama: The Tigers and Crimson Tide person met arsenic top-10 teams 8 times, including 2017 and 2013, erstwhile Auburn knocked disconnected No. 1 Alabama. From 2009 to 2013, 5 consecutive Iron Bowl winners went connected to play successful the BCS nationalist rubric game.

Florida-Florida State: No rivalry tin lucifer the precocious stakes of Gators-Seminoles from 1990 to 2000. In that span, the teams met 13 times, and every one was a top-10 matchup, with six of them a top-five matchup. That includes the Sugar Bowl successful 1995 and 1997, which served arsenic the Bowl Alliance's nationalist title game. Florida rolled 52-20 successful that one, but Florida State had the precocious manus overall, 8-4-1.

Notre Dame-USC: The Irish and Trojans person met arsenic top-10 teams 18 times, the archetypal successful 1938 and the astir caller successful 2006. The teams staged a No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown successful 1988 astatine the L.A. Coliseum, with Notre Dame winning 27-10 en way to the nationalist title.

BANDS AND GAME-DAY ATMOSPHERE

Grambling-Southern

It's conscionable bully readying to person your yearly rivalry crippled a mile oregon truthful from Bourbon Street. New Orleans gives itself to the Bayou Classic implicit Thanksgiving weekend, and thousands marque a play of it. The crippled itself tends to gully good implicit 65,000 to the Superdome, which is awesome enough. But Friday night's Battle of the Bands and Greek amusement tin gully up to 30,000 by itself.

The Battle is simply a show to behold. The assemblage -- filling up astir fractional the Superdome conscionable to ticker 2 bands play -- is engaged and loud. The bands, some large and some huge, are adjacent louder. They march successful to hype videos. They commercialized songs for implicit an hour. Their fans speech smack to each other, past they each rotation down to capable Bourbon Street for the remainder of the night. It has been a uniquely afloat and worthwhile play earlier the game, which is often precise close, has adjacent started.

You mightiness retrieve the 2014 Classic. It went viral erstwhile a erstwhile Southern fullback, Calvin Mills Jr., projected to his woman during the halftime amusement with Southern's band, the Human Jukebox, spelling retired "Marry Me." (The crippled itself was incredible, too, with Southern winning via a last-second goal-line stand.)

Afterward, helium gave the champion imaginable summary of what makes the play -- from the Battle to Bourbon Street to the crippled -- truthful special.

"People program their full Thanksgiving astir the Classic," helium said. "It's similar 1 large household reunion. It's a amusive rivalry. You person families with kids who person gone to some schools." And some schools person an implicit blast before, during and aft the game. -- Bill Connelly

Clemson-South Carolina

Clemson and South Carolina similar to footwear disconnected their rivalry week with fire. Lots and tons of fire.

The existent iteration of "Cocky's Funeral" astatine Clemson and the "Tiger Burn" astatine South Carolina dates to 1902. According to South Carolina, the thought started aft students from some schools had a standoff pursuing the crippled that year, successful which the Gamecocks upset the Tigers 12-6 -- winning for the archetypal clip since they began playing successful 1896.

At contented was a poster depicting a gamecock lasting connected apical of a tiger and holding its tail. Clemson students recovered the poster to beryllium insulting, and fights betwixt some sides broke out. They agreed to pain the poster to easiness the tensions -- hence, the contented of some sides mounting their rivals' respective mascots connected fire.

To execute this, student-led organizations astatine some schools walk months planning. At Clemson, determination is simply a radical of 35 students connected the alumni assembly liable for creating a Gamecock retired of wood, chickenhearted ligament and insubstantial paper. This year's Gamecock is acceptable to beryllium 13 feet tall.

In the past, a casket has been progressive and a eulogy work earlier they airy their Gamecock connected fire. (Not to worry, occurrence marshals are connected manus to guarantee everyone's information astatine some schools). But this year, students person fixed Cocky's ceremonial much of a pep rally feel. It's the archetypal clip they're capable to clasp the lawsuit successful their accepted mode since 2019, earlier the pandemic. Anne Horton, adjunct manager of Cocky's funeral, has a agelong enactment of Clemson alumni successful her family, dating backmost to her great-grandfathers successful the 1930s. She ever dreamed of being a portion of the event.

"In my exertion to the alumni council, I wrote I wanted to beryllium the 1 to airy Cocky connected fire," she said. "It ever stood retired to me. I've ever loved the rivalry. I emotion that affable contention that USC and Clemson person and however chill it is that we each get to get unneurotic connected that Saturday."

At South Carolina, the school's section of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers is successful complaint of gathering their ample standard tiger, with the assistance of a fewer different organizations. This year's tiger is going to beryllium its largest yet, astir 32 ½ feet tall. The physique started successful July. The time of the burn, it is transported to a ample tract extracurricular Williams-Brice Stadium, past enactment unneurotic to scope its afloat height. At this year's event, the assemblage president, manager Shane Beamer, the set and cheerleaders are scheduled to attend.

"The full extremity successful gathering thing is for it to beryllium beardown and basal up," said Jackson Goldsmith, president of the ASME. "But there's thing much satisfying than watching the tiger get caught connected fire." -- Andrea Adelson

HONORABLE MENTION

Ohio State-Michigan: Yes, the Wolverines person an iconic combat song, but the Ohio State marching set has a "signature" move, with a seasoned sousaphone subordinate stepping retired to dot the "i" of his bandmates' publication "Ohio."

Notre Dame-USC: Yes, the Irish person an iconic combat song, but the Trojan marching set has a platinum medium from its 1979 collaboration with Fleetwood Mac, "Tusk."

The Ramblin' Wreck, Georgia-Georgia Tech: The 1930 Ford Model A Sport coupe that leads the Georgia Tech shot squad onto the tract adds a interaction of whimsy and nostalgia. (Rumor has it Georgia fans person stolen the Wreck connected astatine slightest 2 occasions.)

TROPHIES AND GAME NAMES

Minnesota-Wisconsin

Paul Bunyan's Axe. It wasn't the archetypal prize astatine involvement for Minnesota and Wisconsin. Beginning successful 1930, the rivals played for a slab of bacon, but the trophy -- really a slab of achromatic walnut wood with a carving of a shot -- disappeared aft the 1943 game, lone to beryllium recovered successful 1994 wrong a retention country astatine Wisconsin. Needing a replacement, Wisconsin's lettermen group, the National W Club, introduced the axe, named aft the mythical Midwestern lumberjack and featuring Wisconsin cardinal and Minnesota golden connected each side.

Scores of each the games lined the axe's grip until filling it, prompting the archetypal trophy to beryllium retired aft the 2003 game, and donated to the College Football Hall of Fame. In 2004, the existent axe debuted with a six-foot handle. Wisconsin won it that archetypal twelvemonth and didn't relinquish it until 2018, the longest triumph streak by either squad successful a rivalry dating backmost to 1890.

The astir melodramatic axe moments travel erstwhile it exchanges hands. Players sprint crossed the field, drawback the axe, congregate astir each extremity station and statesman to chop. In 2013, Minnesota players tried to forestall the "chop" astir their extremity post, starring to an altercation. The pursuing the year, the axe was not kept successful the seat area, but presented successful the extremity zone, arsenic Wisconsin won again.

"In the celebrations, you spot the creativity travel out," Wisconsin interim manager Jim Leonhard, an All-America safety/returner for the Badgers who went 2-2 successful Axe games, told ESPN. "It's 1 of those trophies that everybody recognizes. It's been amusive to beryllium a portion of it. It's ne'er a bully feeling to beryllium connected the losing side, but it truly is an astonishing acquisition to support the axe oregon to tally crossed to get it backmost from the different team." -- Adam Rittenberg

HONORABLE MENTION

The Old Oaken Bucket, Purdue-Indiana: In 1925, the Chicago chapters of Indiana's and Purdue's alumni associations decided to present a rivalry trophy, and agreed that a bucket from an Indiana good would conscionable their vision. They recovered 1 connected the Bruner household workplace successful confederate Indiana, and created a concatenation with blocks successful the signifier of a "P" oregon an "I" for each team's rivalry win. -- Rittenberg

The Territorial Cup, Arizona-Arizona State: Certified by the NCAA arsenic assemblage football's oldest rivalry trophy, the Territorial Cup dates to 1899, erstwhile Arizona wasn't yet a authorities but a U.S. territory (hence the name). In that archetypal game, the University of Arizona played the Arizona Territorial Normal School, which evolved into Arizona State. (The "Normals" won 11-2.) The trophy's whereabouts were chartless for adjacent to 80 years until it was recovered successful the basement of a religion adjacent the Arizona State campus. The contented of the cupful being passed to the winning squad each twelvemonth started successful 2001.

The Egg Bowl, Ole Miss-Mississippi State: The Golden Egg trophy, a regulation-size gold-plated shot -- which looks similar a aureate ovum -- mounted connected a woody pedestal, was introduced successful 1927 successful an effort to calm fans and adhd dignity and decorum with a postgame ceremonial aft a chair-throwing brawl broke retired pursuing the erstwhile year's game. What was called "The Battle of the Golden Egg" was dubbed the Egg Bowl by The Clarion-Ledger paper successful 1978, erstwhile neither squad was vessel eligible, and the sanction stuck.

The Apple Cup, Washington-Washington State: Why the Apple Cup? Washington authorities produces much than 10 cardinal apples each year. (Sometimes it's that simple.)

The Game, Michigan-Ohio State: If the crippled is known arsenic The Game, it indispensable beryllium beauteous important.

The Iron Bowl, Auburn-Alabama: Auburn manager Ralph "Shug" Jordan is credited with coming up with this sanction successful 1964. It references the power of the alloy manufacture successful Birmingham, location of Legion Field, the neutral tract wherever the crippled was astir often played done the aboriginal 1990s.

Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate, Georgia vs. Georgia Tech: What says Thanksgiving play much than clean, old-fashioned hate?