by Jeff Laboon
Army and Notre Dame reignite their once prestigious and thrilling "rivalry" this Saturday at Yankee Stadium. Army (6-4) looks for its first win against Notre Dame (5-5) since 1958. The two programs have only played 13 times since, though, with Notre Dame winning each meeting. The programs last met in 2006 in South Bend, Indiana. This will be the 50th meeting between the teams.
From 1919 to 1947, this series was an annual spectacle. Most games took place at the old Yankee Stadium because West Point did not have enough seating for the game, but four of these 29 games were played at West Point (1919, 1920, 1921, and 1922) and the teams played one game at each the Polo Grounds (1924), Chicago's Soldier Field (1930), and South Bend (1947). These match-ups were thrilling, the team's were competitive, and the outcomes were significant.
At the time of the 1945 and 1946 installment's, Army and Notre Dame were ranked 1 and 2, respectively, and despite playing to a scoreless tie in 1946, Notre Dame leapfrogged Army en route to the National Championship (it's important to note, though, that neither team accepted bowl bids at the time). Imagine, regular season meetings in consecutive years between the two best teams in the nation.
But Notre Dame leads the all-time series 37-8-4. While the historical significance is obvious, how can we call this a rivalry when it is clearly dominated by Notre Dame? What constitutes a rivalry? So here at EP we developed 5-Stages to a rivalry.
1. Geography
It’s the simplest form of a rivalry. Two teams “hate” each other because they play relatively close to one another. Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, for example, participate in the Bedlam Series each football season. Oklahoma leads the all-time series 80-15-7. An 85 mile stretch on I-35 separates these two state schools. Oklahoma’s longest winning streak in this 102 year rivalry is 19 straight wins from 1946 to 1964. Oklahoma State’s? Two.
2. Divisional Foes
To be a division rival assumes that the two teams play at least fairly close to one another – or at least close enough to be in the same division – and play annually. “The Battle of Ohio” takes place between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Cleveland Browns twice each season. Since 1970, the teams have played 74 times (remember, the Browns were inactive from 1996-1998), with the Bengals leading the all-time series, 38-36. About 250 miles separate the two cities, but every regular season match-up has implications for the division. These two franchises have never met in the postseason.
3. Just Cause
These rivals do not have to be geographically close or even in the same division. Something ties these teams together and this rivalry gets pushed from close regular season match-ups. The annual meeting between Army and Navy fits this rivalry perfectly. The game is almost always highly contested, despite the talent levels of both teams, and the series is close (Navy leads 54-49-7).
4. Postseason Malice
These can be some of the shortest lived rivalries, but can also be some of the most intense. The Detroit Pistons and the Indiana Pacers met in the 2004 Eastern Conference Finals. The Pacers had the best record in the NBA that season, but they could not defeat the eventual-champion Pistons, who won in six. The physical playoff series carried over into the following regular season when the two teams fought in the infamous Malice at the Palace. Indiana led the game by 15 with under a minute remaining when Ron Artest fouled Ben Wallace. Wallace shoved Artest, which caused both benches to clear. Then Artest was hit with a Diet Coke from the crowd and all hell broke loose. Short-lived, but definitely memorable. Multiple postseason meetings help fuel the fire. The Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals, for example, have met eight times in the playoffs. But, the Penguins are 7-1 in those series.
5. The Total Package
The best of the best. This is the Yankees/Red Sox, Penguins/Flyers, and Chiefs/Raiders to name a few. These rivals are geographically close, play in the same division, have historic regular season meetings, and postseason history, too. These ones are the hardest to find because you have to wade through hundreds of other rivalries. These are far less common in college because division teams rarely meet in the postseason – at least, in football (although, EP will note that UNC beat Duke in 1971 NIT).
So, where does your favorite rivalry fit?
