It’s official, ladies and gentlemen: We have college football this weekend. The game that has stolen the hearts of countless passionate fans finally returns in mere days, and no one is happier than myself.
One of the reasons that fans are so passionate and I’m so happy falls on the intensity often brought to the college football world through its many rivalries, as there is nothing that captures its emotional control quite like the animosity shared between two heated schools.
But sadly, just because we see rivalries often doesn’t mean that we see them as much as we’d like, nor does it mean that each of them are equally represented.
While 2023 is no exception to the rule, a look at its slate will show that it is nonetheless a relatively good one for fan service, as it includes multiple competitive rivalries that have hardly been seen—if seen at all—in recent memory. I’ve narrowed down three (each from a different conference) that I feel are amongst the best examples of such matchups.
Now, before we dive into them, I wish to warn everyone of one thing: None of them are what I would call “nationally relevant” rivalries. In other words, don’t join me on this journey if you’re expecting to see some Iron Bowl-level pairings, as you will surely be left disappointed.
Yet, I feel the need to mention that all of the following rivalries are shared between renowned programs from Power 5 conferences, so it’s not like we’re going to be using our time to break down UConn-UMass, either. And from an equality standpoint, today’s topics have been a lot better all-time than a fair portion of the bigger rivalries out there anyway.
With all of that said, I hope that everyone is now on the same page as to what awaits them here. So, without further ado, here are three of the best college football rivalries that we will see revived this season.