Blood Feuds

First Played: 1893 Series Record: Alabama leads, 38-28-1.

The Rivalry: This game shuts down an entire state for one afternoon each fall. While Alabama has a more storied football tradition than what Bear Bryant called "that cow college on the other side of the state," it only makes losing that much more painful. In 1989 head coach Bill Curry presided over a conference-title-winning team; yet after losing three years in a row to Auburn, he decided to resign rather than be fired.

Defining Moment: In 1948 the game was reinstated at the prompting of each school's president. The two teams had stopped playing each other in 1907 because they couldn't agree on which officials to use or how to divide the gate receipts.

Greatest Game: Auburn 17, Alabama 16 (1972). With five and a half minutes remaining, SEC champ Alabama was sitting on a 16--3 lead when Auburn's Bill Newton blocked star punter Greg Gantt's kick. David Langner scooped up the ball and ran 25 yards for a TD. On its next possession, Alabama was forced to punt again. Gantt punted, Newton blocked, and Langner scored the decisive touchdown. To this day, Auburn rooters taunt Crimson Tide fans with the chant "Punt, Bama, punt!"

First Played: 1875 Series Record: Yale leads, 64-47-8.

The Rivalry: Sure, it's Division I-AA. But this is the game that matters to the Bushes, the Kennedys and others who have had their fingers on the big red button.

Defining Moment: The so-called Springfield Massacre in 1894 resulted in seven players being carried off the field in "dying condition" and the schools breaking off relations for two seasons. Historian George Sullivan wrote, "Newspapers printed a casualty summary similar to those listing victims of a disaster. The game's violence appalled the world and ignited a national uproar about football ferocity--outrage that threatened the sport's future."

Greatest Game: Harvard 29, Yale 29 (1968). With a squad that boasted future All-Pro running back Calvin Hill, Yale held a 29--13 lead with 42 seconds left, but a touchdown, a two-point conversion, a recovered onside kick, another touchdown and another conversion knotted the score for a Harvard squad led by All-Ivy lineman Tommy Lee Jones. The Harvard Crimson's headline blared Harvard Beats Yale, 29--29.

First Played: 1897 Series Record: Michigan leads, 56-37-6.

The Rivalry: How much venom is there between these Big 10 powers? Ohio State coach Woody Hayes couldn't bring himself to utter the name of his archrival, referring to Michigan only as "that school up north." And while the Woodman is gone, the rivalry is still very much alive, as evidenced by last year's nail-biter: a 14--9 Ohio State victory.

Defining Moment: Late in a blowout 1968 victory with OSU leading 44--14, Hayes went for a two-point conversion, adding insult to Michigan's injury. Asked why he went for two, Hayes said, "Because I couldn't go for three."

Greatest Game: In 1973 both teams entered the game undefeated, with Ohio State ranked number one and Michigan ranked number four. The Wolverines held the Buckeyes to zero yards passing on the sopping Astroturf, but when Michigan missed a 44-yard field goal attempt with just 28 seconds left, the Wolverines had to settle for a 10-10 tie. The Big 10 athletic directors had to choose which team would go to the Rose Bowl and picked Ohio State by secret ballot. Michigan fans threatened to sue. And they're still pissed off about it.

First Played: 1958 Series Record: Florida leads, 27-18-2.

The Rivalry: Though it's the youngest of college football's classic rivalries, this annual matchup has an intensity--and lately, an animosity--that is second to none. In 1996 the duel was reprised in the Sugar Bowl national championship game; Florida avenged an earlier loss with a 52--20 victory.

Defining Moment: "Two guys were on top of me, and I felt someone tugging on my leg. He kept twisting harder and harder until I felt it rip and then pop." That's Florida running back Earnest Graham's account of the knee injury he received in the 2001 game. FSU's alleged perp, Darnell Docket, who was caught on film trying to stomp on QB Rex Grossman's hand during the same game, was reportedly overheard in the locker room saying, "Did you all see what I did to Earnest Graham?" GREATEST GAME: FSU 31, Florida 31 (1994). Depending on your allegiance, you'll remember this game as the Choke at Doak or the Rally at Tallahassee. Steve Spurrier's Gators jumped out to a 31--3 lead, but Bobby Bowden's Noles came back to score 28 points in the fourth quarter, forcing a 31--31 tie.