Beat-Down!!! The Most Lopsided Rivalries in Division 1-A
Thought I'd give you a little teaser while I was figuring the results for next week's list of top intrastate rivalries. Since we're owned by Rivals.com, that's what the focus has been the last week. (nice segueway, if I do say so myself)
Seems that it's very time consuming trying to tabulate those results with my Ouija board, Magic 8-Ball, and roulette wheel. So in the meantime, I give you something easy to digest--the biggest lopsided rivalries in Division 1-A. No historic rankings, no subjectivity, just simple winning percentage--and my smart-ass comments, of course.
However, we do assume the following conditions:
1) Only rivalries existing between BCS-conference schools are considered. Sorry, Ben Prather.
2) Minimum of 50 game series history.
3) Only one beat-down per team to be included in the rankings. However, particular teams with qualifying multiple beat-downs will be acknowledged.
And now, on with our countdown:
15) Michigan-Purdue, 53 games, .770 Pretty bad for a middle-of-road Big 10(11) team to be dominated like this, because for a public school with a fancy sounding name, you'd expect them to be more like that other power in Indiana...
14) Michigan-Iowa, 54 games, .778 Again, a decent Big 10(11) team dominated by the conference bully. Evidently, in Iowa they grow corn and bruises...
13) Nebraska-Kansas, 114 games, .785 The oldest rivalry on this list. Nothing good lasts forever, but apparently something bad does...
12) Alabama-Mississippi State, 92 games, .788 They say that the states of Alabama and Mississippi rank near the bottom nationally with virtually any comparison. However, we didn't know that the drop-off from 49th was this great...
11) Michigan-Wisconsin, 61 games, .795 This is pretty sad for Wisconsin, one of my favorite Big 10(11) teams. Being dominated like this costs big bucks at your local B & D parlor...
10) Oklahoma-Oklahoma State, 102 games, .799 The only intrastate rivalry to make the list. Oklahoma wasn't even a state yet and OU-Ron was still a young man when the Cowboys started getting owned by OU. A decent record against the Sooners is apparently something that T. Boone Pickens can't buy...
9) Ohio State-Northwestern, 73 games, .801 Nothing really earth-shattering here. Private Northwestern is the Vanderbilt of the Rust Belt. The 2nd worst team in the Big 10(11) has been dominated by Michigan, too.
Georgia-Kentucky, 61 games, .803 For decades, Georgia fattened up on Kentucky and Vandy every year before being mandated to play other Appalachian team Tennessee annually in 1992...7) Alabama-Ole Miss, 55 games, .818 Curiously, Miss State has a better record against the Tide than the cross-state Rebels do. Can you call that being Croomed? Eh, maybe not...
6) Nebraska-Kansas State, 89 games, .826 K-State is also seriously owned by old Big Two, Little Six rival Oklahoma. With the Huskers dominating the Jayhawks, too, it's not unfair to say that the state of Nebraska should just move their entire border 200 miles south...
5) USC-Oregon State, 71 games, .845 They get a lot of rain up in the Pacific northwest. Forecast for the Beavers: Cloudy and bleak, with chance of heavy Trojans downpour...
4) Michigan-Indiana, 59 games, .847 Big 10(11) celler-dweller Indiana also gets clobbered by Ohio State, but who's counting? Is it round-ball season yet?
3) USC-Washington State, 67 games, .851 The Pacific bully feasts on yet another victim. If you're wondering why the Arizona teams haven't been included in the Trojan's feast, it's because they've only been in the conference for 30 years and haven't qualified for them--yet.
2) Notre-Dame--Navy, 81 games, .870 You guys thought this one would be number one. Hell, I did, too. Notre Dame only keeps this one alive to repay some eternal debt that they owe Navy. Here's a novel idea, perfect for military men: administer the coup de grace to the midshipmen and let this one die! However, Navy does currently have a one-game winning streak. Hmmm....
1) Oklahoma-Iowa State, 75 games, .919 Okay, I had to look it up, but Iowa State WAS a member of the old Big 8 conference. They decided to continue the despair and moved over to the Big 12, where they are also the designated beat-down'ees of Nebraska and Colorado. Too bad the Cyclones can't match that F-5 tornado that comes out of Oklahoma--they are indeed the drubbing kings in all of BCS Division 1-A.
