College Football Preview: Top 5 Rivalries

With the college football season just weeks away, KSJ will look at the players, coaches, teams, conferences, issues, and rivalries in college football. Here is the previous installments in the 2009 college football preview.

Sorry for the lack of installments in the 2009 college football preview. With summer, a new job, baseball trade talks, the Giants competing for a Wild Card berth, and Erin Andrews, I haven't found the time to keep up with my college football preview. But that stops today. Next week, I will break down the BCS conferences and the mid-majors.

Today's installment though is a fun one. I wanted to give you my top 5 college football rivalries.

5. Georgia vs. Georgia Tech- This rivalry makes this list just on the name alone, Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate. I mean is there a better nickname for a rivalry? It definitely blows the Apple Cup out of the water. But this rivalry is good for other reasons to.

Georgia Tech is a engineering school which draws fire from Georgia fans. Georgia fans usually refers to Tech fans as nerds or Techies. While Tech fans refer to Georgia fans as rednecks because of their southern culture. Also both school newspapers go after each other the week prior to the game. But the nickname alone, puts this rivalry in my top five.

4. Florida vs. Georgia- Yes Georgia makes the list twice. And yes I choose this rivalry because of the nickname. What other rivalry is called 'The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party'? None. And you know why they call this rivalry the world's largest outdoor cocktail party? Because both fans get plastered before the game.

Also this game is played in a natural site each year. They play the game each year in Jacksonville and they usually sell out the place. Which is remarkable in itself, because the Jaguars hardly ever sell out their own place. But one game in particular will live on in infamy. In 2007 after a Knowshone Moreno touchdown, the entire Georgia team celebrated in the end zone. This game will forever be called "The Gator Stomp", a game which lead to the Florida beatdown of Georgia last year. And I can't wait for this year's game.

3. Ohio St. vs. Michigan- This rivalry is the Duke-North Carolina rivalry of college football. You have one side that looks at itself as superior in academic terms(Michigan) compared to their rival(Ohio St.). But also you have two of the most legendary coaches in college football history were a part of the rivalry.

Known as 'The Ten Year War' Ohio St. coach Woody Hayes faced off against Michigan coach Bo Schembechler. Bo would gain the edge in the rivalry with a 5-4-1 record against Ohio st. and Hayes. This rivalry has also gotten coaches fired. The John Cooper era at Ohio St. will forever be remembered for the 10-2-1 record Michigan had against Ohio St. For several years the Buckeyes had talented teams, but they were never able to defeat Michigan. Eventually Cooper was fired and replaced with the Sweeter Vest. The rivalry is also intense because of Michigan having to go to Ohio to pull talent for their team. This greatly upsets Ohio st. fans, and just adds to the greatness known as 'The Game'.

2. Oklahoma vs. Texas- Another rivalry with a cool nickname(Red River Shootout) another rivalry that crosses state boundaries another rivalry that plays their games at a neutral site.

Networks don't call this game the Red River Shootout anymore because of political correctness, but I will always call it the shootout. The game is played each year in Dallas, during the Texas state fair. This rivalry is one of the best for numerous reasons.

First was the intense rivalry between Texas coach Darrell Royal and Oklahoma coach Barry Switzer. Unlike Bo and Woody, there was no love loss between Royal and Switzer. Royal was particularly upset at Switzer for numerous reasons. First off Switzer used Royals famed Wish-Bone offense. Second Switzer would go to Texas to recruit top prospects. The rivalry has particularly heated up since the formation of the Big 12. The teams used to never play in the same conference. But now both teams play in the same conference and in the same division. And after last year's game in which Texas won, but Oklahoma received the opportunity to play in the National Championship game, there hasn't been any love loss here.

1. Navy vs. Army- I put this rivalry as my number one for one reason only. These guys aren't playing for NFL contracts, they are playing for pride. They play as a inter service rivalry and for the respect of each other. Also they show respect to each other after the game is played. The winning team stands alongside the losing team and faces the losing academic students. And then the losing team stands alongside the winning team and faces the winning academic students.

This game is my favorite rivalry because of the respect I have for are armed services. They serve as a reminder that we can enjoy sporting events, because of the sacrifices they make. They will always get my ultimate respect.