In perusing the week 13 schedule, it seems to me that rivalry week has become a luxury reserved for CFB’s elite.

Looking at the G5, I only saw 3 games that I’d consider rivalry games:

Fresno St vs San Diego St (MWC)
ULL vs ULM (SBC)
GA SO vs App St (SBC)

I’m going to ignore the PAC 12 for a movement because those schools will all be going their separate ways.

Ever since they dropped to 10 schools, the Big 12 has seemed to abandon the concept of a full blown rivalry week. They end up with a few rivalry games on the last week but hardly a full slate. This year they have:

Texas vs Texas Tech (big for Tech, not so much for the burnt Orange)
Kansas St vs Iowa St (long time series but when I think iconic cfb rivalries, Farmageddon isn’t one that comes to mind)
Houston vs UCF (not so much a rivalry as an (antagonistic) relationship of convenience. Yeah, they have space in common and spent a few yrs in opposite divisions of C-USA/AAC 1.0, but this is basically another Civil ConnFLiCT)

The ACC seems still relatively committed to a true rivalry week (albeit swapping to create Duke-WF and Cuse-Pitt pairing would make more sense). However, it seems like with the growing demand from the networks for compelling content throughout the season, more and more leagues are moving their biggest rivalries to other weeks. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see pressure from ESPN to move games like UVA-VT earlier. Surely, after the next realignment cycle, ESPN will have the leverage to compel the ACC however they want.

In essence, the way things are headed, rivalry week will just be for the P2 which is sad. Rivalry week is a beautiful tradition and a way to salvage a disappointing season by ending on a high note against I heated foe. It should be something that exists throughout FBS.

It will be interesting what former PAC schools do next year. Things may be straight forward for some

BYU-Utah
Ariz-Ariz St
Cal-Stan (unless Stan plays ND)
USC-UCLA (Unless USC plays ND)

I would guess that Wash will start playing Ore and Wash St play Ore St, but could they keep Wash/WSU and Ore/OSU? I would guess Wash and Ore may want to put some distance between WSU and OSU. They might not even play every year.

I am not sure who Colorado's main rival will be now. Looking at Big 12 candidates these are already taken
Utah-BYU
Ariz-ASU
Cincy-WV?
UCF-USF?
Hou-Bay?
TCU-SMU?
TT-Okst?
Kan-KSU?

I guess that leaves Iowa St for Col.?

(10-12-2023 06:59 PM)goofus Wrote:  It will be interesting what former PAC schools do next year. Things may be straight forward for some

BYU-Utah
Ariz-Ariz St
Cal-Stan (unless Stan plays ND)
USC-UCLA (Unless USC plays ND)

I would guess that Wash will start playing Ore and Wash St play Ore St, but could they keep Wash/WSU and Ore/OSU? I would guess Wash and Ore may want to put some distance between WSU and OSU. They might not even play every year.

I am not sure who Colorado's main rival will be now. Looking at Big 12 candidates these are already taken
Utah-BYU
Ariz-ASU
Cincy-WV?
UCF-USF?
Hou-Bay?
TCU-SMU?
TT-Okst?
Kan-KSU?

I guess that leaves Iowa St for Col.?

If rivalries are in conference for the Big XII, here's what I think the lineup would look like for rivalry week:

Arizona-Arizona State
Baylor-TCU
BYU-Utah
Cincinnati-West Virginia
*Colorado-Iowa State
Houston-Texas Tech
Kansas-Kansas State
*Oklahoma State-UCF

*These two can be swapped out every season.

(10-12-2023 08:38 PM)andybible1995 Wrote:  

(10-12-2023 06:59 PM)goofus Wrote:  It will be interesting what former PAC schools do next year. Things may be straight forward for some

BYU-Utah
Ariz-Ariz St
Cal-Stan (unless Stan plays ND)
USC-UCLA (Unless USC plays ND)

I would guess that Wash will start playing Ore and Wash St play Ore St, but could they keep Wash/WSU and Ore/OSU? I would guess Wash and Ore may want to put some distance between WSU and OSU. They might not even play every year.

I am not sure who Colorado's main rival will be now. Looking at Big 12 candidates these are already taken
Utah-BYU
Ariz-ASU
Cincy-WV?
UCF-USF?
Hou-Bay?
TCU-SMU?
TT-Okst?
Kan-KSU?

I guess that leaves Iowa St for Col.?

If rivalries are in conference for the Big XII, here's what I think the lineup would look like for rivalry week:

Arizona-Arizona State
Baylor-TCU
BYU-Utah
Cincinnati-West Virginia
*Colorado-Iowa State
Houston-Texas Tech
Kansas-Kansas State
*Oklahoma State-UCF

*These two can be swapped out every season.

I’d change:

Houston-UCF
OK State-Texas Tech

Most conference rivalry weeks are largely comprised of in-conference games, but they’re not exclusively so. Looking at week 13 in the $EC it looks like they have 4 games with out-of-conference (OOC) matchups.

You can put together a similar schedule with the future Big XII by restoring Border War and Bedlam (the RRR is tied to a date at the Texas State Fair which is cool and isn’t in line with other rivalry week dates), and pushing the ISU/Iowa rivalry later in the year. UCF may not want to “elevate” USF but it’s a logical candidate (at least to an outsider).


Arizona-Arizona State
Baylor-TCU
BYU-Utah
Cincinnati- West Virginia
Colorado-Kansas State
Iowa State-Iowa (OOC)
Houston-Texas Tech
Kansas-Missouri (OOC)
Oklahoma State-Oklahoma (OOC)
UCF - USF (OOC)

(10-12-2023 09:41 PM)BewareThePhog Wrote:  Most conference rivalry weeks are largely comprised of in-conference games, but they’re not exclusively so. Looking at week 13 in the $EC it looks like they have 4 games with out-of-conference (OOC) matchups.

You can put together a similar schedule with the future Big XII by restoring Border War and Bedlam (the RRR is tied to a date at the Texas State Fair which is cool and isn’t in line with other rivalry week dates), and pushing the ISU/Iowa rivalry later in the year. UCF may not want to “elevate” USF but it’s a logical candidate (at least to an outsider).


Arizona-Arizona State
Baylor-TCU
BYU-Utah
Cincinnati- West Virginia
Colorado-Kansas State
Iowa State-Iowa (OOC)
Houston-Texas Tech
Kansas-Missouri (OOC)
Oklahoma State-Oklahoma (OOC)
UCF - USF (OOC)

Pretty sure Iowa prefers the current setup of playing Iowa St in September and playing a Big Ten rival on Black Friday.

(10-12-2023 09:50 PM)goofus Wrote:  

(10-12-2023 09:41 PM)BewareThePhog Wrote:  Most conference rivalry weeks are largely comprised of in-conference games, but they’re not exclusively so. Looking at week 13 in the $EC it looks like they have 4 games with out-of-conference (OOC) matchups.

You can put together a similar schedule with the future Big XII by restoring Border War and Bedlam (the RRR is tied to a date at the Texas State Fair which is cool and isn’t in line with other rivalry week dates), and pushing the ISU/Iowa rivalry later in the year. UCF may not want to “elevate” USF but it’s a logical candidate (at least to an outsider).


Arizona-Arizona State
Baylor-TCU
BYU-Utah
Cincinnati- West Virginia
Colorado-Kansas State
Iowa State-Iowa (OOC)
Houston-Texas Tech
Kansas-Missouri (OOC)
Oklahoma State-Oklahoma (OOC)
UCF - USF (OOC)

Pretty sure Iowa prefers the current setup of playing Iowa St in September and playing a Big Ten rival on Black Friday.

Yes, that was something I’d thought about but hadn’t commented about. That series does have a long-standing history in that time period, so it may be as immutable as the Red River rivalry in terms of scheduling. I was looking to maximize potential rivalry games, but that may well be a trigger for a less optimal matchup, at least on that one weekend.

Ultimately there are only so many time slots in any case, so nothing says all big rivalry games have to be played over the same few days. Never mind Iowa, ISU may also be just as fond of the current timing.

The SEC and ACC have always stuck true to Rivalry week as opposed to conference games in the last week of the season (Florida/Florida State, Georgia/Georgia Tech, Clemson/South Carolina, I will exclude Kentucky/Louisville because they only started playing Rivalry Week in 2014, they only played annually (COVID exception) since 1994 and Louisville only joined the ACC themselves recently.

The Big Ten has for the most part been strict with conference games on Rivalry Week although that will likely be tested by Oregon, Washington, and USC. It's not too hard to have Oregon and Washington to play each other Rivalry Week and assuming the Apple Cup and Oregon-Oregon State (not sure the other name is politically correct these days) earlier in the season but will that other school demand to play in USC in Rivalry Week and will USC screw over UCLA like they always do (or at least every other year)? Once the floodgates are open, could Iowa and Iowa State want their game Rivalry Week? Penn State has no annual opponent now so they'll literally have to change their Rivalry Week schedule annually. If Penn State and Pittsburgh could ever settle their differences and agree to an annual Rivalry Week game the ACC would obviously have no objection.

How about the Big 12? Texas A&M and Missouri left for the SEC and Texas's biggest rivals and one of Kansas's biggest rivals went with them which put a damper on Big 12 Rivalry Week. Now neither Texas-Texas A&M nor Kansas-Missouri was renewed (UT-A&M will be once Texas joined the SEC, no word whether it will be annual). Oklahoma-Texas is obviously played during the Texas State Fair. Bedlam is big but that isn't always played Rivalry Week (this year Nov. 4). Will the Big 12 insist on conference play during Rivalry Week? Is there any schools that have a better non conference opponent? Iowa State has Iowa but we don't know if the Big Ten will allow non conference games Rivalry Week either and even if they do would Iowa and Iowa State move the game to Rivalry Week. Colorado has no obvious Big 12 rival (they were paired with Utah in the Pac 12 but Utah now will be paired with BYU). Colorado could play Colorado State in Rivalry Week but is that one worth making an exception for? Oklahoma State now has Oklahoma but do they even want to play anymore? It would be good if Kansas and Missouri played annually (they will play 2025, 2026, 2031, 2032). TCU and SMU would be good rivals for Rivalry Week but TCU also has a conference rivalry with Baylor and they've played more times than they've played SMU.

This may be a newsflash but traditions are meant to be broken unfortunately: people who don’t respect traditions eventually get power & can wipe it all away in an instant.

I don’t think this one’s that big of a deal. It makes sense for a Michigan / Ohio St match-up that determines who goes to the Rose Bowl / Big 10 Championship / Playoff, but for the average team, it’s just a counterfeit of that to play it on the last day of the season. As a fan in the Midwest, I like when the rivalry games are in nice, sunny September & not -10 & snowy, & the teams still have the whole season ahead so we don't know which team's good yet.

That's a very good point. Who says rival games need to be played the last week of the season? Especially in the north where the weather is so much nicer in Sep and Oct.

Tex-OK, Florida-GA, Bama-Tenn, are all great traditions played in the middle of the season. Of course all of those have alternative in-state rivals they have been playing at the end of the season.

(10-12-2023 06:32 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  In perusing the week 13 schedule, it seems to me that rivalry week has become a luxury reserved for CFB’s elite.

Looking at the G5, I only saw 3 games that I’d consider rivalry games:

Fresno St vs San Diego St (MWC)
ULL vs ULM (SBC)
GA SO vs App St (SBC) ...

And thank goodness there are no MAC rivalry games in there ... Kent State is not going to complain about most MAC games scheduled midweek in November, but if they propose putting the Wagon Wheel on a Tuesday or Wednesday night, like they did in 2017, Kent State is going to complain, and with good reason (setting aside 2020 as an outlier). My preference is for the 3rd Saturday in October or as the Saturday game in the "big bye week" in early November when they are transitioning to the #MACtion schedule.

Could we do Rivalry Week as a 2 week format?

Maybe the week before Thanksgiving, the B1G, SEC, and ACC schedule conference games that will probably be lopsided (but you never know with college football) or annual November cupcake game while the B12 and some G5 conferences play their rivalry games.

Then Thanksgiving weekend, the B1G, SEC, and ACC play their big rivals along with some key non-conference rivalry games (leaves open OU-OSU, UW-WSU out west) while the B12 and G5 play their final conference games. I might allow the MAC to play their rivalries Thanksgiving weekend if they play them Tuesday-Wednesday or Tuesday and Friday.

How can you miss the biggest rivalry week matchup of UMass hosting UConn in week 13?

I got in an argument once (including with other Tech fans) about how fun an actual annual designated late-season rivalry week would have been in the previous version of CUSA. They had sort of seemed to be putting most of the rival games together for a couple of years and then just stopped. The pushback from other CUSA fans was that it just wasn't as much of a priority to do them all at once on a particular week as other considerations (Tech's quarter system issues, UAB not wanting home games against Bama, OOC flexibility, etc.). Not everyone had a conference rival of course, but you had quite a few - Tech/USM, 100 Miles of Hate, Shula Bowl and then some budding ones with the Texas schools. Those games all still got played and they had whatever stakes they had (on top of the rivals aspect), but it just didn't seem to be worth it to make a rivalry week a thing - not at Thanksgiving and not even on some other assigned week that you could promote without competing with the traditional ones (I always thought it would be fun).

In the new CUSA, I think we'll have designated "rivals" for who we don't miss in football and travel partners for other sports. And two of them are real, one seems to be emerging already, and the other two make sense vs the other options. But I doubt they try to schedule those games late, or even at the same time. Heck, this season they stuck the two actual rivalries on weeknights. Doesn't seem like anyone cares that much.

(10-12-2023 06:59 PM)goofus Wrote:  It will be interesting what former PAC schools do next year. Things may be straight forward for some

BYU-Utah
Ariz-Ariz St
Cal-Stan (unless Stan plays ND)
USC-UCLA (Unless USC plays ND)

I would guess that Wash will start playing Ore and Wash St play Ore St, but could they keep Wash/WSU and Ore/OSU? I would guess Wash and Ore may want to put some distance between WSU and OSU. They might not even play every year.

I am not sure who Colorado's main rival will be now. Looking at Big 12 candidates these are already taken
Utah-BYU
Ariz-ASU
Cincy-WV?
UCF-USF?
Hou-Bay?
TCU-SMU?
TT-Okst?
Kan-KSU?

I guess that leaves Iowa St for Col.?

To the bolded, I'm not sure what you mean by "I would guess that Washington will start playing Oregon", what? U-Dub has played Oregon as many ties as they've played WSU. Also if you didn't know the Oregon vs Washington rivalry is the biggest for both of our schools. That being said we have both committed to playing our in state rivalries moving forward, the Apple cup will just become a week 3 matchup opposed to week 12.

(10-13-2023 08:22 AM)Bronco14 Wrote:  This may be a newsflash but traditions are meant to be broken unfortunately: people who don’t respect traditions eventually get power & can wipe it all away in an instant.

I don’t think this one’s that big of a deal. It makes sense for a Michigan / Ohio St match-up that determines who goes to the Rose Bowl / Big 10 Championship / Playoff, but for the average team, it’s just a counterfeit of that to play it on the last day of the season. As a fan in the Midwest, I like when the rivalry games are in nice, sunny September & not -10 & snowy, & the teams still have the whole season ahead so we don't know which team's good yet.

I don't think traditions are meant to be broken haha that's why they're traditions.

(10-12-2023 09:06 PM)esayem Wrote:  

(10-12-2023 08:38 PM)andybible1995 Wrote:  

(10-12-2023 06:59 PM)goofus Wrote:  It will be interesting what former PAC schools do next year. Things may be straight forward for some

BYU-Utah
Ariz-Ariz St
Cal-Stan (unless Stan plays ND)
USC-UCLA (Unless USC plays ND)

I would guess that Wash will start playing Ore and Wash St play Ore St, but could they keep Wash/WSU and Ore/OSU? I would guess Wash and Ore may want to put some distance between WSU and OSU. They might not even play every year.

I am not sure who Colorado's main rival will be now. Looking at Big 12 candidates these are already taken
Utah-BYU
Ariz-ASU
Cincy-WV?
UCF-USF?
Hou-Bay?
TCU-SMU?
TT-Okst?
Kan-KSU?

I guess that leaves Iowa St for Col.?

If rivalries are in conference for the Big XII, here's what I think the lineup would look like for rivalry week:

Arizona-Arizona State
Baylor-TCU
BYU-Utah
Cincinnati-West Virginia
*Colorado-Iowa State
Houston-Texas Tech
Kansas-Kansas State
*Oklahoma State-UCF

*These two can be swapped out every season.

I’d change:

Houston-UCF
OK State-Texas Tech

Houston and Texas Tech are old SWC rivals. I didn't want waste an opportunity by pitting them against each other alongside Baylor and TCU. However, those are good substitutions.

Now, if the Big XII expands to 20, through raiding the ACC alongside the BIG and the SEC, here's what the lineup would look like:

Arizona-Arizona State
Baylor-TCU
BYU-Utah
Cincinatti-Louisiville
Colorado-Kansas State
Georgia Tech-Syracuse
Houston-Texas Tech
Iowa State-Oklahoma State
Miami (FL)-UCF
Pittsburgh-West Virginia

Kansas is absent due to being added by the BIG.

The SBC has just started scheduling Georgia Southern and App on rivalry week last season. Prior to that Georgia Southern almost always had Georgia State on week 13. On one hand I think having a set date for your biggest rival is a great thing but on the other hand late November up on the mountain in Boone sometimes can be brutal weather. None the less this game sold out weeks ago so rain, shine, sleet or snow it's going to be a blast.

GATA Eagles!

(10-13-2023 01:18 PM)andybible1995 Wrote:  

(10-12-2023 09:06 PM)esayem Wrote:  

(10-12-2023 08:38 PM)andybible1995 Wrote:  

(10-12-2023 06:59 PM)goofus Wrote:  It will be interesting what former PAC schools do next year. Things may be straight forward for some

BYU-Utah
Ariz-Ariz St
Cal-Stan (unless Stan plays ND)
USC-UCLA (Unless USC plays ND)

I would guess that Wash will start playing Ore and Wash St play Ore St, but could they keep Wash/WSU and Ore/OSU? I would guess Wash and Ore may want to put some distance between WSU and OSU. They might not even play every year.

I am not sure who Colorado's main rival will be now. Looking at Big 12 candidates these are already taken
Utah-BYU
Ariz-ASU
Cincy-WV?
UCF-USF?
Hou-Bay?
TCU-SMU?
TT-Okst?
Kan-KSU?

I guess that leaves Iowa St for Col.?

If rivalries are in conference for the Big XII, here's what I think the lineup would look like for rivalry week:

Arizona-Arizona State
Baylor-TCU
BYU-Utah
Cincinnati-West Virginia
*Colorado-Iowa State
Houston-Texas Tech
Kansas-Kansas State
*Oklahoma State-UCF

*These two can be swapped out every season.

I’d change:

Houston-UCF
OK State-Texas Tech

Houston and Texas Tech are old SWC rivals. I didn't want waste an opportunity by pitting them against each other alongside Baylor and TCU. However, those are good substitutions.

My thought process was giving priority to legacy member OK State, which also happens to be a founding member of the SWC.

(10-13-2023 12:07 PM)SouthEastAlaska Wrote:  

(10-12-2023 06:59 PM)goofus Wrote:  It will be interesting what former PAC schools do next year. Things may be straight forward for some

BYU-Utah
Ariz-Ariz St
Cal-Stan (unless Stan plays ND)
USC-UCLA (Unless USC plays ND)

I would guess that Wash will start playing Ore and Wash St play Ore St, but could they keep Wash/WSU and Ore/OSU? I would guess Wash and Ore may want to put some distance between WSU and OSU. They might not even play every year.

I am not sure who Colorado's main rival will be now. Looking at Big 12 candidates these are already taken
Utah-BYU
Ariz-ASU
Cincy-WV?
UCF-USF?
Hou-Bay?
TCU-SMU?
TT-Okst?
Kan-KSU?

I guess that leaves Iowa St for Col.?

To the bolded, I'm not sure what you mean by "I would guess that Washington will start playing Oregon", what? U-Dub has played Oregon as many ties as they've played WSU. Also if you didn't know the Oregon vs Washington rivalry is the biggest for both of our schools. That being said we have both committed to playing our in state rivalries moving forward, the Apple cup will just become a week 3 matchup opposed to week 12.

I meant Washington and Oregon would start playing Rivalry Week.