re: Bigger Rivalry? Michigan and Ohio State or Auburn and Alabama?

Ohio State v. Michigan.

WGAF?

I was at the 2013 Iron Bowl and the 2014 edition of The Game. The Iron Bowl tailgating stared easily before the sun was up. It was 9:00 before I saw anyone on Ohio State's campus and the game started at noon. Take that how you will.

So the conclusion I made is that LSU and Alabama is the biggest rivalry in College Football today. Auburn is relevant and competes with Bama every 3 or 4 years. Same can be said about Michigan. LSU competes with Bama every year and it goes down to the wire when they meet. Thanks Bama fans for finally admitting that we are your true rival

since so many people have moved from the hell hole that is the midwest, you find them dispersed throughout the country, everyone you meet in arizona is originally from the midwest, half my neighborhood in texas are Ohioans.

since the average southerner is born lives and dies within a 70 mile radius from his birthplace you don't find southerners dispersed around the nation.

so nationaly the oh/mi game is probably a bigger rivalry.

Bama/Auburn is easily the most heated rivalry in America. I would even rank Bama/Tennessee with the Yankee rivalry.

OSU-Mich is like Lord Sidious and Yoda fighting. A great and powerful Sith Lord going up against one of the most powerful and wisest Jedi's. Alabama and Auburn are Obi Wan and Anakin Skywalker. Once before, very close friends, now torn between a betrayal and have epic light saber battles.

Damnit auburn. Why'd you have to go on and kill Padme.

39 out 50 states would say Michigan/Ohio. One state would say every rival is irrelevant outside of Texas/OU.

Historically, Michigan- Ohio State

Right now, bama - Auburn

Bama and Auburn took a long break. It think Michigan and OSU have played almost 40 more times

During the 1907 state legislature session, a debate surfaced to move the land-grant college from Auburn to Birmingham. Then later in that same session, the legislature approved the first appropriation to Auburn some 35 years after it first opened its doors, for a promised $800,000. The college only received a third of that appropriation, while the University of Alabama remained fully funded through the State Board of Education. The state legislature, still controlled by University of Alabama alumni, still appeared intent on letting Auburn "dry out".[7] Meanwhile, tensions carried over to the football rivalry when, after both 1906 and 1907 contests, Auburn head coach Mike Donahue threatened to cancel the series if Alabama head coach "Doc" Pollard continued employing his elaborate formations and shifts.[8] The series was suspended after the 1907 game. The official reasons being that the schools could not come to agreement over the amount of travel expenses to be paid to players, as well as from where officials for the game should be obtained.[9] It is also reasons that the University of Alabama halted the series in an attempt to further delegitimize the existence of Auburn.

Attacks on Auburn's existence continued by the legislature. In 1915, appropriations to Auburn were withheld, which continued at times through the 1930s.

In 1947 the Alabama House of Representatives passed a resolution encouraging the schools to "make possible the inauguration of a full athletic program between the two schools".[12] The schools were disinclined to resume the series despite the passage of the resolution, since it did not have the effect of law. However, the Alabama State Legislature threatened to withhold state funding from the schools unless they did resume the rivalry. With that threat in mind, Ralph B. Draughon, the president of Auburn and Alabama president John Gallalee decided during the winter and spring of 1948 to end the disagreement and renew the series.


TL;DR I know... Long story short, Bama refused to play Auburn for all those years because they didn't want to legitimize the institution. To that point, the Alabama government (consisting of mostly Alabama alumni) had tried every means possible to undercut and shut down Auburn, including cutting their state funding in half. They were literally forced by the Alabama House of Representatives to play eachother after that, with the threat of both institutions losing state funds if they didn't.

THAT sounds to me like a pretty heated rivalry, and just about the equivalent of tOSU and Michigan having a mini-war against eachother for a short time. This went on over the first 60 years of Auburn's existence.