College Football: 25 most underappreciated team rivalries of all time

10. Washington Huskies vs. Washington State Cougars

The Washington Huskies and the Washington State Cougars conclude every regular season these days with the famed Apple Cup.

It’s a fitting name for the intrastate rivalry game in Washington, a major producer of apples in the United States. It’s also an annual contest that is always raucous and bursting with passion, even in instances like in 2018 when the matchup was a snowy affair.

Of course, the Apple Cup wasn’t introduced until 1962. However, the Huskies and Cougars have faced off since 1900 in a game that, interestingly enough, ended in a 5-5 tie. Since 1945, the two teams have met in every season, including twice in that 1945 campaign, as each team got to host a home game.

If you need any sign of how important the Apple Cup is to the college football fans in the state, the simple fact that the Governor hands out the trophy at the end of every matchup should stand as enough evidence.

And even when the two teams haven’t exactly been good — the 2008 matchup when the Huskies and Cougars had combined for one win to that point stands as an example — the fans don’t care any less.

As is the case with several rivalries that are mentioned throughout this article, though, the reason that Washington-Washington State makes this list is because of the Huskies’ dominance. Washington is 73-32-6 overall in the rivalry, which is incredibly one-sided. If it were a bit closer, perhaps it wouldn’t be an underappreciated rivalry at all.