FCS Schools without Rivalry Games

[DFW HOYA]

Not every FCS school gets a rivalry game like Harvard-Yale, Lehigh-Lafayette, or ND-NDSU. Some don't have any rivalry games. I can think of at least a 15 or more FCS schools which seem to have no particular rivalries (as opposed to longer series, which of themselves are not rivalries). Which teams in your conference never developed a rivalry game or opponent, and why?

[gravalico]

Well there is no doubt that Lafayette vs. Lehigh is a result of two very similarly ranked schools separated literally by less than 20 miles. It's a territorial thing at heart.

Sent from my SM-F711U using Tapatalk

[MR. CHICKEN]

......HENS....LEAVE... 'NOVA...WHIF NO RIVALRY............BAWK!

.....MAYBE...START ANEW WHIFF....MONMOUTH....&...MUHAWKS...AWK!

.....OR....UH THREESOME.....WHIFF BILL & MARY...........BRAWK!

[Sitting Bull]

I think the CAA has several already;
W&M/Richmond
Maine/UNH
UAlbany/Stony Brook

A few others that could develop
Elon/Campbell
Hampton/NC A&T

Villanova/Delaware will disappear but I don’t think it will bother the Cats fans that much. I think they could probably look at Holy Cross or even Georgetown even though both would be OOC.

Delaware can pick up Middle Tennessee, maybe Kennesaw. What a freakin mess.

[Go Green]

Dartmouth-Princeton was a rivalry for a while... if only because Harvard and Yale were already taken.

It's not anymore. And neither school really has one.

Dartmouth v. Brown? Yawn...

Princeton v. Penn? Not even a good basketball rivalry anymore and NEVER was a good football rivalry.

[MR. CHICKEN]

I think the CAA has several already;
W&M/Richmond
Maine/UNH
UAlbany/Stony Brook

A few others that could develop
Elon/Campbell
Hampton/NC A&T

Villanova/Delaware will disappear but I don’t think it will bother the Cats fans that much. I think they could probably look at Holy Cross or even Georgetown even though both would be OOC.

Delaware can pick up Middle Tennessee, maybe Kennesaw. What a freakin mess.


33244


.......UH OOC RIVALRY GAME.....EVERAH SO MANY YEARS APART?......JES' START SLAPPIN' TOWSON AROUND.....BRAWK!

...YEAH...WE KNOW YER UNHAPPY WHIFF UD.....WE WON'T FO'GET....'CAUSE YA KEEP ON TELLIN' US.......PROLLY...SAM HOUSTON...TA BEGIN WHIFF.....xcoolx....AWK!

[UNHWildcat18]

Basically the entire NEC I’d imagine lol.

[Sitting Bull]

33244


.......UH OOC RIVALRY GAME.....EVERAH SO MANY YEARS APART?......JES' START SLAPPIN' TOWSON AROUND.....BRAWK!

...YEAH...WE KNOW YER UNHAPPY WHIFF UD.....WE WON'T FO'GET....'CAUSE YA KEEP ON TELLIN' US.......PROLLY...SAM HOUSTON...TA BEGIN WHIFF.....xcoolx....AWK!

I’m not unhappy. I just think it’s funny given the subject that you would be mocking Villanova while you’re standing there mocking while wearing a turd hat. Yeah, Sam Houston vs Delaware. That’s a rivalry,

[MR. CHICKEN]

I’m not unhappy. I just think it’s funny given the subject that you would be mocking Villanova while you’re standing there mocking while wearing a turd hat. Yeah, Sam Houston vs Delaware. That’s a rivalry,



33245



.....AN'.....YER JES'.....SITTIN' IN BULL.....xsighx....AWK!

.......WAS NO MOCKIN'........JES MENTIONED.....'NOVA IS LONELY.......BAWK!

...BUT YOUSE CONTINUE...TA MOCK DUH HENS.....MOVEMENT..........YOU'LL GET FRIENDS FROM BRYANT.....IFIN' YER.......NICE TO 'UM.......BRAWK!

.....SAMMY WOOD BE UH START....FO' RIVALRY.......AS KEELER...xcoolx...WAS ONCE UH BIRD.....DOODLE-DOO!

[FUBeAR]

Wofford doesn’t have a rival, unless y’all wanna count PC or Newberry…which Wofford peeps definitely do not.

They want to think Furman and/or The Citadel is/are their rival(s), but the Terrier peeps are delusional.

Delusion is part of the “Wofford Way,” as was recently discussed on the SoCon Off-season thread in a convo about their current AD Retirement / Non-Retirement / Search / Non-Search.

[KnightoftheRedFlash]

Basically the entire NEC I’d imagine lol.

Because the conference never tried to cultivate a rivalry week.

[Mike296]

I’m sure they’ll cultivate one as they establish themselves as a D1 program but St Thomas lost their rival from their D3 days in St John’s when they made their historic jump.

[bulldog10jw]

Dartmouth-Princeton was a rivalry for a while... if only because Harvard and Yale were already taken.

It's not anymore. And neither school really has one.

Dartmouth v. Brown? Yawn...

Princeton v. Penn? Not even a good basketball rivalry anymore and NEVER was a good football rivalry.

When I was a kid, Yale-Princeton was as big as Y-H. In fact, in the thirties Yale experimented with alternating Harvard and Princeton as the last game so it had always been kind of a split personality thing for Yale.

Two things changed. First, the 29-29 tie in 1968 focused everyone on the Harvard rivalry and second, from 1967-1980 Yale beat Princeton 14 straight years. That, along with the Harvard rivalry intensifying during those same years kind of put the Y-P rivalry on the back burner.

[KPSUL]

Dartmouth-Princeton was a rivalry for a while... if only because Harvard and Yale were already taken.

It's not anymore. And neither school really has one.

Dartmouth v. Brown? Yawn...

Princeton v. Penn? Not even a good basketball rivalry anymore and NEVER was a good football rivalry.

Until now, I'd think the closest thing to a rivalry game for Brown and URI is when they play one another. With Bryant joining the CAA-F the conference is likely to pair them up on Rivalry weekend, and several years from now the teams might view it as such.

The Dartmouth UNH game, although not played annually, is meaningful to UNH fans and for the first time in history; since 2016 neither team is dominating the series.

[rhowdyram]

Until now, I'd think the closest thing to a rivalry game for Brown and URI is when they play one another. With Bryant joining the CAA-F the conference is likely to pair them up on Rivalry weekend, and several years from now the teams might view it as such.

The Dartmouth UNH game, although not played annually, is meaningful to UNH fans and for the first time in history; since 2016 neither team is dominating the series.

Hey, the Brown vs URI game has a trophy and everything. 107 games played going back to 1909. Since the 1981 game we've played for the Governor's Cup and the trophy series is pretty close, with URI having only a 22-19 edge.

It will definitely be interesting what develops between Bryant and URI with them joining the conference. We haven't had a conference rival since UConn and UMass left.

[ST_Lawson]

From a WIU perspective, we consider Illinois State a "mild" rivalry...mostly just because of history. ILSU has an actual rivalry series/trophy with EIU though.
Used to be WIU and EIU were fairly big rivals, but hadn't really been much of anything after EIU left the Gateway conference back in the mid-90s. I'm hoping that picks back up now that we're back in the same conference together for all sports.

[Libertine]

I'm curious as to how many "one-sided" rivalries there are, as in where one school considers it a rivalry but the other doesn't. Back in the old Big South, Gardner-Webb considered Liberty a rival but LU was more interested in beating Coastal who were themselves more into establishing a rivalry with Furman who just weren't interested in any of the above. Kennesaw's admin has actively tried to manufacture rivalries in whatever conference they happen to be in but they haven't been in a conference with any particular member long enough for anyone else to care.

[FUBeAR]

Kennesaw's admin has actively tried to manufacture rivalries in whatever conference they happen to be in but they haven't been in a conference with any particular member long enough for anyone else to care.
Mercer peeps and the 30 or 40 owlet fans known to exist in the wild seem to have a fairly healthy disdain for one another in hoops, baseball, and, in general from their decade or so in the Atlantic Sun together. And, even though they have never played each other, those are 2 Football programs that think quite ill of t’other.

As a Mercer & Furman Fan, just the same way that FUBeAR hopes Furman never plays an unreturned game at Appy or at GaSou, he hopes Mercer also never does that with KayEssYou.

[Go...gate]

Dartmouth-Princeton was a rivalry for a while... if only because Harvard and Yale were already taken.

It's not anymore. And neither school really has one.

Dartmouth v. Brown? Yawn...

Princeton v. Penn? Not even a good basketball rivalry anymore and NEVER was a good football rivalry.

Princeton-Yale is still a very big rivalry, especially among the old Tigers.

I always understood Harvard-Dartmouth to be a pretty solid rivalry....

[aceinthehole]

Basically the entire NEC I’d imagine lol.

While not long-standing, NEC teams do have decent in-state and other rivalries:

CCSU-Sacred Heart
Duquesne-St. Francis
Merrimack-Stonehill
LIU-Wagner

With MC and SHU leaving, they likely won't be league games, but will probably continue as non-conf.

And RMU has a rivals with Duquesne, SFU, and even Dayton.

[aceinthehole]

Because the conference never tried to cultivate a rivalry week.

True, but NEC membership has had a lot turnover.

For example, Albany-Stony Brook was a natural rivalry, but when SBU left, CCSU and Albany developed as a decent rivals.

Monmouth-RMU were also decent rivals in their own right.

[Go Green]

Princeton-Yale is still a very big rivalry, especially among the old Tigers.

I always understood Harvard-Dartmouth to be a pretty solid rivalry....

By definition, "rivalry" goes both ways.

I really haven't seen much evidence that Yale considers Princeton or that Harvard considers Dartmouth anything other than just another conference game (albeit one against a foe that usually is competing for the title).

[ysubigred]

Unfortunately, YSU doesn't have any rivalries. No regional competition all sports are in different conferences.

For me, UNI is my rivalry just because YSU can't beat UNI even "IF" they placed 22 band members on the field... maybe next year [emoji2955]

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[KPSUL]

I'm curious as to how many "one-sided" rivalries there are, as in where one school considers it a rivalry but the other doesn't. Back in the old Big South, Gardner-Webb considered Liberty a rival but LU was more interested in beating Coastal who were themselves more into establishing a rivalry with Furman who just weren't interested in any of the above. Kennesaw's admin has actively tried to manufacture rivalries in whatever conference they happen to be in but they haven't been in a conference with any particular member long enough for anyone else to care.

Love Triangles of the Southeast.

[Go...gate]

By definition, "rivalry" goes both ways.

I really haven't seen much evidence that Yale considers Princeton or that Harvard considers Dartmouth anything other than just another conference game (albeit one against a foe that usually is competing for the title).

Disagree. H Y and P still place significance on the Big Three.

[taper]

A real rivalry has a trophy and is played regularly. I sorted wikipedia's list, removing those missing either criteria. NDSU-UND no longer awards the Nickel so it was dropped but is still in wiki's list. Any other updates?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NCAA_college_football_rivalry_games#NCAA_D ivision_I_Football_Championship_Subdivision



Battle for Chief Caddo
Chief Caddo
Northwestern State
Stephen F. Austin


Battle for the Brice-Cowell Musket
Brice-Cowell Musket
Maine
New Hampshire


Battle for the Golden Horseshoe
The Golden Horseshoe
Cal Poly
UC Davis


Battle of the Blue
Battle of the Blue Trophy
Delaware
Villanova


Battle of the Domes
Battle of the Domes Trophy
Idaho
Idaho State


Brawl of the Wild
The Great Divide Trophy
Montana
Montana State


Brown–Rhode Island
Governor's Cup
Brown
Rhode Island


Butler–Valparaiso
Hoosier Helmet Trophy
Butler
Valparaiso


Capital Cup
Capital Cup
Richmond
William & Mary


Causeway Classic
Causeway Trophy
Sacramento State
UC Davis


Cornell–Penn
Trustees' Cup
Cornell
Penn


Eastern Kentucky–Morehead State
Old Hawg Rifle
Eastern Kentucky
Morehead State


Eastern Washington–Portland State
The Dam Cup
Eastern Washington
Portland State


Empire Clash
The Golden Apple Trophy
Albany
Stony Brook


Empire State Bowl
Empire Cup
Columbia
Cornell


EWU–UM Governors Cup
The Governors Cup
Eastern Washington
Montana


Fordham–Holy Cross
Ram–Crusader Cup
Fordham
Holy Cross


Grand Canyon Rivalry
HintonBurdick Grand Canyon Trophy
Northern Arizona
Southern Utah


Granite Bowl
Granite Bowl
Dartmouth
New Hampshire


Idaho–Montana
Little Brown Stein
Idaho
Montana


Jackson State–Southern
BoomBox Classic
Jackson State
Southern


Labor Day Classic
Durley-Nicks Trophy
Prairie View A&M
Texas Southern


Magic City Classic
Magic City Classic Trophy
Alabama A&M
Alabama State


Mid-America Classic
Mid-America Classic
Eastern Illinois
Illinois State


Military Classic of the South
Silver Shako
The Citadel
VMI


North Dakota–South Dakota
Sitting Bull Trophy
North Dakota
South Dakota


North Dakota State–South Dakota State
Dakota Marker
North Dakota State
South Dakota State


NSU Challenge
NSU Trophy
Nicholls
Northwestern State


Red Beans and Rice Bowl
50 Pound Iron Pot
Central Arkansas
McNeese


River Bell Classic
River Bell Trophy
Nicholls
Southeastern Louisiana


Route 1 Rivalry
First State Cup
Delaware
Delaware State


The Citadel–Wofford
Big Dog Trophy
The Citadel
Wofford


Sgt. York Trophy
Tennessee State, Tennessee Tech, UT Martin

[pardfan]

Brown-Colgate was the rivalry mentioned most around our house. (Much later, a Colgate grad said that they both had Baptist roots.)

[bulldog10jw]

Brown-Colgate was the rivalry mentioned most around our house. (Much later, a Colgate grad said that they both had Baptist roots.)

I know they used to play on Thanksgiving years ago, but I could never figure out why.

[Gangtackle11]

Nova will miss Delaware. We beat them like a rented mule for the past 15 years.

They were at best an average FCS program living in the past.

Now they go “big time” to Tuesday night football in the bright lights of towns like El Paso, Ruston, Bowling Green, & Las Cruces for $5 million.

Football sold the rest of their student-athletes out. xpeacex

[Go Green]

Disagree. H Y and P still place significance on the Big Three.

Princeton does a bonfire for winning a Big Three title.

How or even if Yale and Harvard celebrate their Big Three titles is a mystery to me...

[ElCid]

A real rivalry has a trophy and is played regularly. I sorted wikipedia's list, removing those missing either criteria. NDSU-UND no longer awards the Nickel so it was dropped but is still in wiki's list. Any other updates?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NCAA_college_football_rivalry_games#NCAA_D ivision_I_Football_Championship_Subdivision



Battle for Chief Caddo
Chief Caddo
Northwestern State
Stephen F. Austin


Battle for the Brice-Cowell Musket
Brice-Cowell Musket
Maine
New Hampshire


Battle for the Golden Horseshoe
The Golden Horseshoe
Cal Poly
UC Davis


Battle of the Blue
Battle of the Blue Trophy
Delaware
Villanova


Battle of the Domes
Battle of the Domes Trophy
Idaho
Idaho State


Brawl of the Wild
The Great Divide Trophy
Montana
Montana State


Brown–Rhode Island
Governor's Cup
Brown
Rhode Island


Butler–Valparaiso
Hoosier Helmet Trophy
Butler
Valparaiso


Capital Cup
Capital Cup
Richmond
William & Mary


Causeway Classic
Causeway Trophy
Sacramento State
UC Davis


Cornell–Penn
Trustees' Cup
Cornell
Penn


Eastern Kentucky–Morehead State
Old Hawg Rifle
Eastern Kentucky
Morehead State


Eastern Washington–Portland State
The Dam Cup
Eastern Washington
Portland State


Empire Clash
The Golden Apple Trophy
Albany
Stony Brook


Empire State Bowl
Empire Cup
Columbia
Cornell


EWU–UM Governors Cup
The Governors Cup
Eastern Washington
Montana


Fordham–Holy Cross
Ram–Crusader Cup
Fordham
Holy Cross


Grand Canyon Rivalry
HintonBurdick Grand Canyon Trophy
Northern Arizona
Southern Utah


Granite Bowl
Granite Bowl
Dartmouth
New Hampshire


Idaho–Montana
Little Brown Stein
Idaho
Montana


Jackson State–Southern
BoomBox Classic
Jackson State
Southern


Labor Day Classic
Durley-Nicks Trophy
Prairie View A&M
Texas Southern


Magic City Classic
Magic City Classic Trophy
Alabama A&M
Alabama State


Mid-America Classic
Mid-America Classic
Eastern Illinois
Illinois State


Military Classic of the South
Silver Shako
The Citadel
VMI


North Dakota–South Dakota
Sitting Bull Trophy
North Dakota
South Dakota


North Dakota State–South Dakota State
Dakota Marker
North Dakota State
South Dakota State


NSU Challenge
NSU Trophy
Nicholls
Northwestern State


Red Beans and Rice Bowl
50 Pound Iron Pot
Central Arkansas
McNeese


River Bell Classic
River Bell Trophy
Nicholls
Southeastern Louisiana


Route 1 Rivalry
First State Cup
Delaware
Delaware State


The Citadel–Wofford
Big Dog Trophy
The Citadel
Wofford


Sgt. York Trophy
Tennessee State, Tennessee Tech, UT Martin




A trophy is not necessarily a good indicator. I can easily point to The Citadel and Furman rivalry as being leaps and bounds bigger than The Citadel Wofford rivalry listed above. We've actually played Wofford a lot, but not as many times as Furman. They are our biggest rival, including VMI, which while a rivalry, is a friendly one in comparison. Because, you know, Furman sucks.

[wcugrad95]

The WCU vs ETSU game has a trophy for the "Blue Ridge Border Battle". The overall series stands WCU 27 - ETSU 25 with 1 tie. The trophy and rivalry seems a bit manufactured to me, but we do play every year and there is a trophy, so it should be on this list.

Before App moved up, the "Battle for the Old Mountain Jug" was well-known, even being tabbed I think in a Sports Illustrated article as the "best rivalry game you have probably never heard of" many, many years ago. It was a rivalry that falls into the other conversation of being very one-sided. Earlier on it was pretty even, and were two very similar schools (location, student population, most popular degrees, etc.). But App's administration decided with their pocketbooks that they wanted to be good at football, while WCU has spent decades saying they wanted to but never really doing anything significant to make it happen.

[Go...gate]

Brown-Colgate was the rivalry mentioned most around our house. (Much later, a Colgate grad said that they both had Baptist roots.)

Yes.

[Go...gate]

I know they used to play on Thanksgiving years ago, but I could never figure out why.

Some of the same Baptist theologians and educators who helped sustain Brown in its early years assisted in the founding of the Baptist Theological Society of New York State, later known as Madison University and subsequently, Colgate University. The two schools have always enjoyed a close relationship.

[NY Crusader 2010]

Dartmouth-Princeton was a rivalry for a while... if only because Harvard and Yale were already taken.

It's not anymore. And neither school really has one.

Dartmouth v. Brown? Yawn...

Princeton v. Penn? Not even a good basketball rivalry anymore and NEVER was a good football rivalry.

Ivy shuold go back to the traditional end-of-season rivalry games:

Harvard-Yale
Dartmouth-Princeton
Cornell-Penn
Columbia-Brown

[NY Crusader 2010]

Until now, I'd think the closest thing to a rivalry game for Brown and URI is when they play one another. With Bryant joining the CAA-F the conference is likely to pair them up on Rivalry weekend, and several years from now the teams might view it as such.

The Dartmouth UNH game, although not played annually, is meaningful to UNH fans and for the first time in history; since 2016 neither team is dominating the series.

Prior to 2016, Dartmouth's last win over you guys came when UNH was still Division II. 1979 I think. UNH dominated the series in the 1980's, late 90's and 2000's and then the series was shelved right before Dartmouth started to get good again. Also, the series took a break during the early to mid-1990's when Dartmouth was winning Ivy titles and they had at least one undefeated season.

[NY Crusader 2010]

True, but NEC membership has had a lot turnover.

For example, Albany-Stony Brook was a natural rivalry, but when SBU left, CCSU and Albany developed as a decent rivals.

Monmouth-RMU were also decent rivals in their own right.

Merrimack and SHU are still in league for football (for now), correct?

Sacred Heart-CCSU is a natural rivalry. And Merrimack-Stonehill would also make sense.

Duquesne-St. Francis. Bob Morris coming back too so they'd be a third wheel here.

LIU-Wagner.

[NY Crusader 2010]

The odd number of schools in the Patriot League results in there being no rivalry week aside from Lafayette-Lehigh. Perhaps Villanova-Georgetown could become a thing but somehow I doubt it that will take shape.

With Robert Morris coming back to the NEC, the Patriot League and NEC could collaborate and produce the following rivalry week:

Lehigh-Lafayette
Colgate-Bucknell
Holy Cross-Fordham
Georgetown-Duquesne
Bob Morris-St. Francis
Merrimack-Stonehill
CCSU-Sacred Heart
LIU-Wagner

You could also do HC-Georgetown and Fordham-Duquesne (A-10 connection) but I think HC-Fordham after the last few years + already having a rivalry trophy would be more likely option. As much as I wouldn't mind a game in a slightly warmer DC every other year in late November.

[Puddin Tane]

down south

Lamar-Mcneese
Battle of the Border, in EVERY every sport.

we lost 2 decent rivalry game with sfa going to the wacK wasteland and sammy drifting into fbs obscurity.

Dont think UIW has a true rival, cept nobody likes em.
same for HCU, nobody really thinks much about them

[ElCid]

I'm thinking the ones in the SOCON are Samford and Mercer only because they are relatively recent adds and haven't had time to develop any strong rival yet. Real rivalries usually take decades to develop. The fact that they are geographic outliers is making it hard as well. As the lone Alabama and middle Georgia schools, they lack the natural in state rivalry situations. Both being private might add to the difficulty in developing a solid rival. The bigger rivalries in the conference are mainly due to proximity. Although the long distance rivalry of The Citadel and VMI is obviously due to their military aspect.

[Go Green]

Also, the series took a break during the early to mid-1990's when Dartmouth was winning Ivy titles and they had at least one undefeated season.

Dartmouth won titles in 1990 and 1992, and went 0-1-1 against UNH in those years. For the tie game in 1990, I fully acknowledge that UNH was the better team.

As for 1992, Jay Fiedler was moving the ball just fine against the Wildcats for three quarters. Then it started raining hard and our passing game disappeared. As did our lead...

Long story short-- UNH was just a better program than Dartmouth in the 1990s, even though Dartmouth had some pretty good teams in that era.

[Sader87]

HC really hasn't had a football rival since the annual BC game ended in 1986.

The rotating PL schedules haven't helped matters.

Historically, Colgate makes the most sense. From an institutional/student/familial/geographic etc overlap, Fordham makes the most sense.

[KPSUL]

Prior to 2016, Dartmouth's last win over you guys came when UNH was still Division II. 1979 I think. UNH dominated the series in the 1980's, late 90's and 2000's and then the series was shelved right before Dartmouth started to get good again. Also, the series took a break during the early to mid-1990's when Dartmouth was winning Ivy titles and they had at least one undefeated season.

1979 was a Tie. UNHs 1st win ever was 1973. The all time record now stands at 21-19-2, in UNH's favor. Next Dartmouth game is 2025, followed by 2027 & 28.

We play Harvard next season for the first time since they stopped wearing leather helmets. Our record vs Harvard is 0-7 but the total scores for the 7 games is something like Harvard 214 - UNH 11.

We also play your Crusaders next season and I think the series is currently tied at 9 - 9.

[Go...gate]

Ivy shuold go back to the traditional end-of-season rivalry games:

Harvard-Yale
Dartmouth-Princeton
Cornell-Penn
Columbia-Brown

YES!

[bulldog10jw]

Princeton does a bonfire for winning a Big Three title.

How or even if Yale and Harvard celebrate their Big Three titles is a mystery to me...

There used to be, and maybe still is, a big three trophy. The only reason I know is that one of the Yale football game programs in a year after Yale won the League and the Big Three showed the coaches in front of the Walter Camp Gateway displaying the trophies won the previous year including the Big Three Trophy. That is the only reference I ever saw to it. I have no idea if it still exists.

[ngineer]

......HENS....LEAVE... 'NOVA...WHIF NO RIVALRY............BAWK!

.....MAYBE...START ANEW WHIFF....MONMOUTH....&...MUHAWKS...AWK!

.....OR....UH THREESOME.....WHIFF BILL & MARY...........BRAWK!why can’t UD and Nova play OOC game?😉 Oops! Have to be a “payday” game! Only alternative…join the PL and two rivalries can start within 50 mile radius.

[ngineer]

Lehigh and Lafayette don’t need a trophy to remind them that they are rivals. Indeed, while The Rivalry began with football, it has permeated most other sports as well!

[DFW HOYA]

HC really hasn't had a football rival since the annual BC game ended in 1986.
The rotating PL schedules haven't helped matters.
Historically, Colgate makes the most sense. From an institutional/student/familial/geographic etc overlap, Fordham makes the most sense.

The PL does not value rivalries beyond Lehigh-Lafayette, simple as that. Always has, always will.

Were there annual rivalry games promoted by the league office in Week 12, they would be:

Lehigh-Lafayette
Colgate-Bucknell
Holy Cross-Fordham
Georgetown not included

[grizband]

Montana's three biggest rivalries are:

Montana vs Montana State (Brawl of the Wild)
Montana vs Idaho (Battle for the Little Brown Stein)
Montana vs Eastern Washington

There is no official name, or trophy, for the Montana/Eastern Washington rivalry. However, being the two most dominant Big Sky teams in the 2000s and 2010s, and only 213 miles of highway separating Missoula and Cheney, this has become a large rivarly in the Northwest.

[MR. CHICKEN]

why can’t UD and Nova play OOC game? Oops! Have to be a “payday” game! Only alternative…join the PL and two rivalries can start within 50 mile radius.


33250

...WOOD UD EVEN WANT ANY PART UH WILDCATS....AFTER GOIN' FBS?.......TEMPLE STOPPED PLAYIN' US...'CAUSE WHEN WE WON....THEY LOOKED BAD.....AN' WHEN THEY WON....IT WAS EXPECTED...AWK!

[Gangtackle11]

why can’t UD and Nova play OOC game? Oops! Have to be a “payday” game! Only alternative…join the PL and two rivalries can start within 50 mile radius.

Given what has happened to the CAA in recent years (losing JMU & Delaware) it could make sense for Nova to align with schools in the Patriot. The Academic Index would change the type of student-athlete gets to some degree. We’ve dominated the PL for a long time w/o adhering to the AI.

Any savings in football is seen as a good thing to most of our leaders & alum. Many want to spend $$$ in hoops, track & field, etc. The CAA means little to most at Nova & they certainly aren’t entertaining a move up. That ship sailed in 2011.

The Patriot League makes a lot of sense now. Its still a long putt for those who support football here. xpeacex

[NY Crusader 2010]

The PL does not value rivalries beyond Lehigh-Lafayette, simple as that. Always has, always will.

Were there annual rivalry games promoted by the league office in Week 12, they would be:

Lehigh-Lafayette
Colgate-Bucknell
Holy Cross-Fordham
Georgetown not included

If the league add an eighth, I'm fairly certain some attempt at a rivalry week setup would take place. Right now it can't because you can't unfairly force Georgetown (or whoever the odd man out would be) to take an end-of-season bye every year. Wouldn't be fair.

[NY Crusader 2010]

Dartmouth won titles in 1990 and 1992, and went 0-1-1 against UNH in those years. For the tie game in 1990, I fully acknowledge that UNH was the better team.

As for 1992, Jay Fiedler was moving the ball just fine against the Wildcats for three quarters. Then it started raining hard and our passing game disappeared. As did our lead...

Long story short-- UNH was just a better program than Dartmouth in the 1990s, even though Dartmouth had some pretty good teams in that era.

Thanks for the history. I didn't think UNH was particularly good until the late 90's. I remember William & Mary stomping them 39-0 in 1995 I think it was. and my one and still only trip to Durham for a game was against W&M in 1997. Tribe came in ranked #2 but had lost QB Mike Cook for the season the week before against VMI. UNH won a tight game and I think ended up making the postseason -- Chip Kelly was on the coaching staff I believe.

In 1996 I know Dartmouth went 10-0 and won the Ivy but of course didn't play UNH. I was randomly at the 1996 Dartmouth-Princeton game because a family friend of ours was playing for you guys (RB Pete Oberle) in his last college game. Was also the final game at the old Tiger Stadium.

[KPSUL]

Thanks for the history. I didn't think UNH was particularly good until the late 90's.

1990 thru 1994: 36-18-1. Two Yankee Conf. Championships & NCAA 1AA tournament selections: 91 & 94

Maybe not great, but certainly very good by most standards

[Go Green]

I was randomly at the 1996 Dartmouth-Princeton game because a family friend of ours was playing for you guys (RB Pete Oberle) in his last college game. Was also the final game at the old Tiger Stadium.

I was at that game, too. :)

Oberle had tremendous potential, but wasn't the same runner after he tore his ACL his junior season. Today, the surgery is so advanced that players come back good as new after the recovery. But back then... they were lucky to be playing at all, let alone at the same level.

[Go Green]

1990 thru 1994: 36-18-1. Two Yankee Conf. Championships & NCAA 1AA tournament selections: 91 & 94

Maybe not great, but certainly very good by most standards

You were ranked #3 early in the 1990 season when we played you to a tie.

[Baron Sardonicus]

As hard as it is to develop a rival, it's even harder to maintain a rivalry with schools not in your all-sports conference. For this reason, the PFL has some "former rivalry" games, such as Butler-Valpo and Butler-Dayton.

More recently, a few of the Pioneer schools...Dayton-Davidson and Valpo-Drake...are now conference basketball competitors. We'll see whether those budding rivalries ever catch on with football fans.

[Go...gate]

I was at that game, too. :)

Oberle had tremendous potential, but wasn't the same runner after he tore his ACL his junior season. Today, the surgery is so advanced that players come back good as new after the recovery. But back then... they were lucky to be playing at all, let alone at the same level.


I was, too. The final game in old, beloved Palmer Stadium.

[Go...gate]

Given what has happened to the CAA in recent years (losing JMU & Delaware) it could make sense for Nova to align with schools in the Patriot. The Academic Index would change the type of student-athlete gets to some degree. We’ve dominated the PL for a long time w/o adhering to the AI.

Any savings in football is seen as a good thing to most of our leaders & alum. Many want to spend $$$ in hoops, track & field, etc. The CAA means little to most at Nova & they certainly aren’t entertaining a move up. That ship sailed in 2011.

The Patriot League makes a lot of sense now. Its still a long putt for those who support football here. xpeacex

Thank you. We would welcome you wholeheartedly. It might even encourage programs like Georgetown and Bucknell to bring themselves into line with the rest of the conference.

[bulldog10jw]

I was, too. The final game in old, beloved Palmer Stadium.

I liked Palmer Stadium. Good place to watch a game. Unless it rained. If it rained hard enough the water would come down those concrete seating areas like a waterfall.

[KnightoftheRedFlash]

The odd number of schools in the Patriot League results in there being no rivalry week aside from Lafayette-Lehigh. Perhaps Villanova-Georgetown could become a thing but somehow I doubt it that will take shape.

With Robert Morris coming back to the NEC, the Patriot League and NEC could collaborate and produce the following rivalry week:

Lehigh-Lafayette
Colgate-Bucknell
Holy Cross-Fordham
Georgetown-Duquesne
Bob Morris-St. Francis
Merrimack-Stonehill
CCSU-Sacred Heart
LIU-Wagner

You could also do HC-Georgetown and Fordham-Duquesne (A-10 connection) but I think HC-Fordham after the last few years + already having a rivalry trophy would be more likely option. As much as I wouldn't mind a game in a slightly warmer DC every other year in late November.

Duquesne-SFU is the natural rivalry. Catholic city school versus Catholic country school.

[KnightoftheRedFlash]

True, but NEC membership has had a lot turnover.

For example, Albany-Stony Brook was a natural rivalry, but when SBU left, CCSU and Albany developed as a decent rivals.

Monmouth-RMU were also decent rivals in their own right.

C'mon man, the conference could be stable for 20 years and the leadership wouldn't push for a rivalry week. That type of concept takes effort. The NEC takes the path of least resistance.

[DFW HOYA]

Thank you. We would welcome you wholeheartedly. It might even encourage programs like Georgetown and Bucknell to bring themselves into line with the rest of the conference.

FWIW, Bucknell spends more on football now than Lehigh: $6,319,656 in 2021-22. As for Georgetown, the league had an opportunity in 2011 to require minimum scholarship funding for each school and they chose not to do it. In short, it's a marriage of convenience between a one-bid FCS league that can't attract better expansion targets with a program that is significantly underfunded but cannot justify doubling the school's total existing men's scholarships merely to finish in fourth place instead of fifth.

[Go...gate]

FWIW, Bucknell spends more on football now than Lehigh: $6,319,656 in 2021-22. As for Georgetown, the league had an opportunity in 2011 to require minimum scholarship funding for each school and they chose not to do it. In short, it's a marriage of convenience between a one-bid FCS league that can't attract better expansion targets with a program that is significantly underfunded but cannot justify doubling the school's total existing men's scholarships merely to finish in fourth place instead of fifth.

In Bucknell's case, better coaching and recruiting is most likely the answer,

In Georgetown's case, scholarships, along with increased funding, would make a significant difference. i do not for one moment believe that increasing scholarships and funding would "merely" be the difference between finishing fourth and fifth in the Patriot League.

Seems like more excuses from Georgetown.

[DFW HOYA]

In Bucknell's case, better coaching and recruiting is most likely the answer, In Georgetown's case, scholarships, along with increased funding, would make a significant difference. i do not for one moment believe that increasing scholarships and funding would "merely" be the difference between finishing fourth and fifth in the Patriot League. Seems like more excuses from Georgetown.

An additional $5 million annual spend is no small investment, particularly as its flagship basketball program continues to lose money. Unlike some schools where an additional student on scholarship is only a marginal cost, Georgetown is under a DC-imposed hard enrollment cap, so every kid on scholarship means one less paying customer.

All that aside, as long as the Hoyas are restricted to an academic index along the lines of Brown or Cornell, it makes little difference whether a kid gets financial aid or a grant--there are simply not enough impact players at its GPA/SAT level to effectuate competitive change.

[Go...gate]

An additional $5 million annual spend is no small investment, particularly as its flagship basketball program continues to lose money. Unlike some schools where an additional student on scholarship is only a marginal cost, Georgetown is under a DC-imposed hard enrollment cap, so every kid on scholarship means one less paying customer.

All that aside, as long as the Hoyas are restricted to an academic index along the lines of Brown or Cornell, it makes little difference whether a kid gets financial aid or a grant--there are simply not enough impact players at its GPA/SAT level to effectuate competitive change.

I find that hard to believe. There are many leading academic schools in the Patriot League. Brown, Cornell and Columbia find their share of qualified student-athletes as well.

[NY Crusader 2010]

I was at that game, too. :)

Oberle had tremendous potential, but wasn't the same runner after he tore his ACL his junior season. Today, the surgery is so advanced that players come back good as new after the recovery. But back then... they were lucky to be playing at all, let alone at the same level.

And Oberle scored on a 30-something yard swing pass early in the game. We were very excited for him!

[NY Crusader 2010]

1990 thru 1994: 36-18-1. Two Yankee Conf. Championships & NCAA 1AA tournament selections: 91 & 94

Maybe not great, but certainly very good by most standards

Didn't know this. I remember hearing about the BU glory days around that time as a large portion of the Holy Cross offensive coaching staff in the late 2000's were BU guys. One of my first sports memories ever was seeing BU win at West Point in 1994.

When I think of UNH recent long run of excellence, I mainly date it back to the Ricky Santos-led Rutgers upset in 2004. But really, I guess you guys haven't had an extended stretch of not being good until before the 1990's....more or less the I-AA FWIW. Pretty impressive for a New England school.

[clenz]

I don't think UNI has a rivalry game. There are teams that could be, teams that used to be, and games that have a "bit more" from a fan perspective but nothing really rivalry related.

Missouri State used to be a big deal at UNI. Bear Week was always a big thing. But UNI is something like 36-8 against Missouri State all time (and 3 of those wins for MOSU came in the last 4 games...sadly). It just has no juice.

Illinois State could/should be that team, but it just never built to anything, and the 2 schools took slightly different paths from enrollment and budgets and rather than being true peers they are peer adjacent as universities. UNI leads that series 24-15

SIU was a massive, actual, rival for years in the 00s and early 10s. It's fallen a bit. They are probably the closest thing, but I'm not sure either side actually would call it a "rivalry" like anyone else would think of. UNI leads that series 22-17

[pardfan]

I was, too. The final game in old, beloved Palmer Stadium.
Those games (and the little things surrounding them) that I attended at Franklin Field and Palmer Stadium in the Fifties and Sixties were so memorable. The Brown Bear that refused to get off the goalpost at Franklin Field (seemingly knowing that to do so would allow the game to continue and result in an inevitable loss). Driving around Princeton campus before a game and having my mother say, "That was [her] Cousin Jimmy's eating club." As it turned out, Cousin Jimmy (James T. Aubrey) became a very big deal. (One thing not mentioned in Wikipedia was how angry Aubrey (at MGM at that point) was because he felt he had Al Pacino already under contract for another movie--almost preventing Paramount's Robert Evans inclusion of him in The Godfather.)

[Professor]

I think the CAA has several already;
W&M/Richmond
Maine/UNH
UAlbany/Stony Brook

A few others that could develop
Elon/Campbell
Hampton/NC A&T

Villanova/Delaware will disappear but I don’t think it will bother the Cats fans that much. I think they could probably look at Holy Cross or even Georgetown even though both would be OOC.

Delaware can pick up Middle Tennessee, maybe Kennesaw. What a freakin mess.


NCA&T rival is North Carolina Central. Elon has potential but the students would have to get involved. Hampton and A&T won't ever be rivals

Hampton rivals is Howard and Norfolk State

[Sader87]

My one and only game at Palmer Stadium (we nevah played Princeton until the late 1980s) was our version of the Cal-Stanford game....Tim Donovan taking a lateral from Darrin Cromwell on the last kick-off/play of the 1988 game to the house in an HC 30-26 win.

[NY Crusader 2010]

I don't think UNI has a rivalry game. There are teams that could be, teams that used to be, and games that have a "bit more" from a fan perspective but nothing really rivalry related.

Missouri State used to be a big deal at UNI. Bear Week was always a big thing. But UNI is something like 36-8 against Missouri State all time (and 3 of those wins for MOSU came in the last 4 games...sadly). It just has no juice.

Illinois State could/should be that team, but it just never built to anything, and the 2 schools took slightly different paths from enrollment and budgets and rather than being true peers they are peer adjacent as universities. UNI leads that series 24-15

SIU was a massive, actual, rival for years in the 00s and early 10s. It's fallen a bit. They are probably the closest thing, but I'm not sure either side actually would call it a "rivalry" like anyone else would think of. UNI leads that series 22-17

Who do you guys consider your main rival in Men's Basketball? I imagine Wichita or Creighton when they were in the league. Would it be Drake now?

[McNeese75]

the SFA vs Northwestern battle for Chief Caddo is over with SFA leaving the Southland. The largest trophy has been retired and I assume it belonged to SFA at the end.

[clenz]

Who do you guys consider your main rival in Men's Basketball? I imagine Wichita or Creighton when they were in the league. Would it be Drake now?
Nailed it. It was those 3, and now it's largely just D+.

Bradley could be because their fan base is the typical private school fan base and their attitude towards a school like UNI - "pig farmers in the frozen north". The games tend to be pretty hot.
SIU, just like football, had a ton of juice at one point and is probably the most likely to get to that level again if we both hit stride at the same time again.
ISUr games are much like football where it's a conference game so there is something there, but it's not what you'd think it would be.

After that there are just schools where the fans are annoying and don't care for each other - specifically Evansville - where it's not a rivalry but the fan bases are just so different from each other that we don't care for each other.

Most Valley schools generally don't like UNI to levels no one else is matched at. The "cheery for the conference" mentality doesn't exist for UNI from any other school. It's never reciprocated from UNI enough to be a rivalry because we just don't think of them enough to have that kind of feeling.

[caribbeanhen]

Delaware State

[NY Crusader 2010]

Delaware State

6 teams in the MEAC currently. Seems like it should be set up like this?

SC State-NC Central
Howard-Morgan State
Delaware State-Norfolk State

None of these are really "natural rivals" though. Howard-Morgan closest of the 3.

[Go...gate]

My one and only game at Palmer Stadium (we nevah played Princeton until the late 1980s) was our version of the Cal-Stanford game....Tim Donovan taking a lateral from Darrin Cromwell on the last kick-off/play of the 1988 game to the house in an HC 30-26 win.

I was there - 1988.

[EKU05]

A real rivalry has a trophy and is played regularly. I sorted wikipedia's list, removing those missing either criteria. NDSU-UND no longer awards the Nickel so it was dropped but is still in wiki's list. Any other updates?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NCAA_college_football_rivalry_games#NCAA_D ivision_I_Football_Championship_Subdivision



Battle for Chief Caddo
Chief Caddo
Northwestern State
Stephen F. Austin


Battle for the Brice-Cowell Musket
Brice-Cowell Musket
Maine
New Hampshire


Battle for the Golden Horseshoe
The Golden Horseshoe
Cal Poly
UC Davis


Battle of the Blue
Battle of the Blue Trophy
Delaware
Villanova


Battle of the Domes
Battle of the Domes Trophy
Idaho
Idaho State


Brawl of the Wild
The Great Divide Trophy
Montana
Montana State


Brown–Rhode Island
Governor's Cup
Brown
Rhode Island


Butler–Valparaiso
Hoosier Helmet Trophy
Butler
Valparaiso


Capital Cup
Capital Cup
Richmond
William & Mary


Causeway Classic
Causeway Trophy
Sacramento State
UC Davis


Cornell–Penn
Trustees' Cup
Cornell
Penn


Eastern Kentucky–Morehead State
Old Hawg Rifle
Eastern Kentucky
Morehead State


Eastern Washington–Portland State
The Dam Cup
Eastern Washington
Portland State


Empire Clash
The Golden Apple Trophy
Albany
Stony Brook


Empire State Bowl
Empire Cup
Columbia
Cornell


EWU–UM Governors Cup
The Governors Cup
Eastern Washington
Montana


Fordham–Holy Cross
Ram–Crusader Cup
Fordham
Holy Cross


Grand Canyon Rivalry
HintonBurdick Grand Canyon Trophy
Northern Arizona
Southern Utah


Granite Bowl
Granite Bowl
Dartmouth
New Hampshire


Idaho–Montana
Little Brown Stein
Idaho
Montana


Jackson State–Southern
BoomBox Classic
Jackson State
Southern


Labor Day Classic
Durley-Nicks Trophy
Prairie View A&M
Texas Southern


Magic City Classic
Magic City Classic Trophy
Alabama A&M
Alabama State


Mid-America Classic
Mid-America Classic
Eastern Illinois
Illinois State


Military Classic of the South
Silver Shako
The Citadel
VMI


North Dakota–South Dakota
Sitting Bull Trophy
North Dakota
South Dakota


North Dakota State–South Dakota State
Dakota Marker
North Dakota State
South Dakota State


NSU Challenge
NSU Trophy
Nicholls
Northwestern State


Red Beans and Rice Bowl
50 Pound Iron Pot
Central Arkansas
McNeese


River Bell Classic
River Bell Trophy
Nicholls
Southeastern Louisiana


Route 1 Rivalry
First State Cup
Delaware
Delaware State


The Citadel–Wofford
Big Dog Trophy
The Citadel
Wofford


Sgt. York Trophy
Tennessee State, Tennessee Tech, UT Martin





EKU-Morehead state is no longer played every year (with MSU having gone non-scholarship), and even when it was they stopped awarding the rifle a while before the series went dormant. That said, they do play next year.

Interesting side note: EKU and Morehead State also used to play for having classes cancelled the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. The losing team would be in class, and the winners would be off.

[Ridge1982]

Lindenwood’s newest rival is SEMO called the Game Ball Brawl
https://lindenwoodlions.com/news/2023/9/4/general-mrv-banks-to-sponsor-the-semo-lindenwood-game-ball-brawl-football-rivalry.aspx

[etiger]

In the CAA, Towson has no real rival. There is the Battle of Baltimore between Towson and Morgan State, but it is not much of a rivalry as TU holds a 23-6 win vs loss record. But it is a big deal in Baltimore as it get lots of local new media coverage.
The issue here is - If TU wins (which it does almost always), it is no big deal as we are supposed to win. If by chance TU loses, then the sky is falling!

[NY Crusader 2010]

In the CAA, Towson has no real rival. There is the Battle of Baltimore between Towson and Morgan State, but it is not much of a rivalry as TU holds a 23-6 win vs loss record. But it is a big deal in Baltimore as it get lots of local new media coverage.
The issue here is - If TU wins (which it does almost always), it is no big deal as we are supposed to win. If by chance TU loses, then the sky is falling!

Towson's two closes peers in the CAA were Delaware and JMU. Neither was really a true football rival as both those schools were well established in the CAA/A-10/Yankee well before Towson came on in 2004. Towson and UD were both part of the America East group that moved to the CAA in al-sports in 2001. Towson is the only CAA school remaining that I could see trying to make an FBS push in the next 10 years.

[DFW HOYA]

Towson's two closes peers in the CAA were Delaware and JMU. Neither was really a true football rival as both those schools were well established in the CAA/A-10/Yankee well before Towson came on in 2004. Towson and UD were both part of the America East group that moved to the CAA in al-sports in 2001. Towson is the only CAA school remaining that I could see trying to make an FBS push in the next 10 years.

FBS candidates: Towson, Stony Brook, Albany

[MUMD]

I'm thinking the ones in the SOCON are Samford and Mercer only because they are relatively recent adds and haven't had time to develop any strong rival yet. Real rivalries usually take decades to develop. The fact that they are geographic outliers is making it hard as well. As the lone Alabama and middle Georgia schools, they lack the natural in state rivalry situations. Both being private might add to the difficulty in developing a solid rival. The bigger rivalries in the conference are mainly due to proximity. Although the long distance rivalry of The Citadel and VMI is obviously due to their military aspect.
As a Mercerian I have to agree that we don't have our do or die rival, being the newest member of the conference (I do think we are a good fit for the SoCon, and visa versa). There's not that one game on the calendar you circle when the schedule comes out. Who do I enjoy beating the most? Furman and Samford. But Furman/Citadel is firmly established. Mercer and Samford were conference mates in the old TAAC which became the ASun, and played football regularly before Mercer stopped football in 1941 (Samford was Howard then). There are several non-sports reasons why I don't like Samford too, so for me they are our biggest rival in football anyway. Hatcher being from Macon adds a little too, as did Lamb being from Furman. I wonder what other Mercerians and Samfordites think?