Arizona State vs Arizona ranked country’s best college football rivalry by fans
Nov 28, 2014, 6:34 PM | Updated: 6:34 pm
Anyone who lives in Arizona or attended its two biggest universities can attest to the bitter hatred the schools have for each other, especially in athletics.
From protecting the “A” on Tempe Butte, to dancing on the other’s team’s logo at midfield to burning “No 200” into the grass at Sun Devil Stadium, there is no love lost between these two schools.
For those who believe the Arizona State vs. Arizona rivalry is overstated, a study by knowrivalry.com has the rivalry ranked No. 1 on their list.
Fans were given 100 “rivalry points” to allocate across opponents of their favorite team. With 200 points being the highest possible total, the ASU/UA rivalry topped the list with an average of 171.76 points.
David Tyler, an assistant professor of sport management at Western Carolina and organizer of this study, told the Wall Street Journal, “Arizona-Arizona State being the top one surprised me, but when you think about it, it makes sense: They don’t have other rivals to siphon off the points.”
While schools in the SEC, for example, have several rivals, the two Arizona schools really only have each other to bathe in hate.
As for the other rivalries around the nation, Ohio State and Michigan came in at No. 2 while Clemson and South Carolina ranked third.
