by Ben Johnson

Created on: July 19, 2007   Last Updated: September 10, 2009

College football certainly envelops a lot of us. It has the power to unite and lead whole communities to flood together and support their favorite sports teams. Games played on autumn Saturday afternoons, or evenings for that matter, create tremendous spirit and an unrivaled atmosphere of tradition, pageantry and passion.

In terms of evaluating the great football rivalries you have to consider a variety of mitigating factors. Among the biggest items to evaluate is does the rivalry often times determine the outcome of the national championship picture. Secondly, are the games close and played with great emotion, not only by the players but the fan following, and finally, is the series of competitions fairly even between the two schools (is the game literally a toss up year-in and year-out)?

Although the first pick in my Top-10 of all-time rivalries rarely determines the national championship anymore its importance to American society cannot be overlooked. The Army - Navy Game.

1. Army - Navy: There is something about being played at a neutral site that drives up my appreciation rating for consideration in the all-time rivalry series. Not to mention the fact that these particular student athletes have a full plate of responsibilities and are dedicated and disciplined in achieving their responsibility benchmarks on a daily basis. The game is always close as both teams usually utilize a ball control option/wishbone based offense where the game is broken down to its simplest elements; field position, ball security, time of possession and defense. It is traditional football at its finest, and the style of the game matches the lifestyle of a student/athlete/soldier - grind it out! This is one of the oldest rivalries in America and these participants represent non only their institution, but our country as well, and we should extend respect where it is merited!

2. Michigan - Ohio State: This game, due to the outrageous number of fans who attend on both sides of the equation, truly defines college football from a historical and winning perspective as both teams are among the leaders in national championships. The only drawback is that it does not occur at a neutral site, but hey, the "Shoe" and the "Bighouse" are certainly elite venues. This past seasons game, when both teams were ranked atop the polls was perhaps the most entertaining of the series, which is always in doubt and usually fairly low scoring. Defense and turnovers, followed by hard hitting action is the norm.

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