National Signing Day has come and gone, and the cold reality has sent in: college football is done. With the exception of largely unheralded spring games, we’re approximately seven months away from meaningful Saturday football action.
Thanks to the pageantry, history and tradition, college football is a sport unlike any other. Yet, what truly makes college football special and separates it from everything else is the rivalries.
As is the case with most programs, rivalries hit peaks and valleys. Here is a look at five storied college football rivalries that are currently in decline:
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Alabama vs. Tennessee
The matchup that was forever played on the third Saturday in October has been overwhelmingly one-sided of late. Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, Tennessee was consistently a top 10 or 15 team. Over the past seven seasons, Alabama has become the nation’s most consistent national power, winning three championships over that stretch, while Tennessee has managed just two winning seasons, and each of those were 7-6 finishes. With the exception of a blocked field goal by Terrence Cody as time expired in 2009, the games have not been close. Alabama has won all eight against the Volunteers under Nick Saban, with the average margin of victory more than three touchdowns.
TALLAHASSEE, FL – NOVEMBER 29: Brandon Powell #15 of the Florida Gators makes a catch during a game against the Florida State Seminoles at Doak Campbell Stadium on November 29, 2014 in Tallahassee, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
Florida vs. Florida State
During the 1990s, a national championship was on the line virtually every year when Florida and Florida State met to close the regular season. After six straight victories by Florida from 2004-’09, the Seminoles have taken a stranglehold of the rivalry, winning four of the last five with the four wins coming by an average of greater than 18 points. While Florida State has won three straight ACC titles and a national championship over the last three years, Florida has been in noticeable decline. Florida’s three worst seasons in the last 25 years have come in a 4-year span.
ANN ARBOR, MI – NOVEMBER 30: Wide receiver Jeremy Gallon #21 of the Michigan Wolverines is tackled by defensive back Tyvis Powell #23 of the Ohio State Buckeyes in the first quarter during a game at Michigan Stadium on November 30, 2013 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Michigan vs. Ohio State
Since 2004, Michigan has defeated Ohio State just once. The games in recent years have remained competitive, but the appeal from a national standpoint has simply not been there. For years, the Michigan-Ohio State contest went a long way in determining the champion of the Big Ten. While the Buckeyes have managed to be very good over the last 13 years, winning two national championships and playing for two others, Michigan will be welcoming in its fourth head coach in eight years in Jim Harbaugh. With Ohio State coming off a national championship and heading into 2015 as the favorites to win it again, fans in Ann Arbor aren’t looking for improvement. They’re looking for a savior.
DALLAS, TX – OCTOBER 8: Demontre Hurst #6 of the Oklahoma Sooners returns a interception for a touchdown against the Texas Longhorns at the Cotton Bowl on October 8, 2011 in Dallas, Texas. The Sooners defeated the Longhorns 55 to 17. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
Oklahoma vs. Texas
The 2008 BCS controversy in which Oklahoma was placed in the national championship game over Texas seems like ancient history. From 2000-’09, Texas and Oklahoma combined to play for the national championship six times. Since then, at least one of the two teams has finished with at least four losses every year while combining for just one Big 12 title. The Sooners have won four of the last five in the series, but the days of the Red River Rivalry having perennial national championship implications are — at least for the time being — a thing of the past.
Oregon vs. Oregon State
The annual in-state matchup known as the “Civil War” has become very one-sided over the past six years, with the Ducks winning each meeting. Oregon rallied to beat Oregon State in 2009 with the Pac-10 championship on the line, and the Beavers played Oregon tough in 2013 as well. However, at this point, the programs are worlds apart. Over the last six years, the Ducks have won four Pac-10/12 championships and played for two national titles while Oregon State has managed just three winning seasons. Things didn’t get much better this offseason for Oregon State, as it lost the program’s winnigest coach, Mike Riley, to the University of Nebraska.