College Football: 25 most underappreciated team rivalries of all time

22. Bowling Green Falcons vs. Toledo Rockets

Proximity is always a great way for a college football rivalry to take shape and that is most definitely the case when it comes to the Bowling Green Falcons and the Toledo Rockets. The two schools are only 20 miles apart and are both located right off of Interstate-75 in Ohio.

As such, the rivalry matched up that was once called The Black Swamp Showdown (referring to the area of Ohio in which the schools are located) has since been called the Battle of I-75.

The rivalry between Bowling Green and Toledo was once played for the Peace Pipe Trophy. Rightly so, though, the trophy was discontinued after the 2010 meeting in trying to not disrespect the Native American population and is no longer handed out. Since then, the two teams have battled for the Battle of I-75 Trophy.

One thing that certainly makes the Battle of I-75 great is that neither of the two teams has ever had a great edge in the rivalry. Overall, Toledo has the advantage but with just a 40-39-4 record since their first face-off back in 1919. The Rockets have gone on a recent nine-game winning streak in the rivalry to get the edge over the Falcons in this matchup.

Because these two teams play in the MAC and are rarely in the national spotlight, the Bowling Green-Toledo rivalry is certainly underrated. However, when you delve into the evenly matched history between the two teams and the strong rivalry that’s been built because of how close the schools are to one another, it’s one of the better games in the country annually.