There have been older rivalries, for sure. There have even been rivalries with stronger national ranking implications at stake. And obviously, there have been rivalries with more vitriol and mutual hate among players and their respective fanatics.
No other rivalry, however, has the awe-inspiring aura of the Army-Navy game.
I've been watching this year's installment of what I consider to be the greatest rivalry in college football.
Two primary factors lead me to this conclusion:
1) No other rivalry has comparable parity. Take Texas/OU and Texas/A&M, for example. Texas enjoys a 57-39-5 record in the former and a 73-35-5 record in the latter. Observers of these and other regional rivalries will note that they have all experienced multiple eras whereby one team exerts unbridled dominance over the other every other decade or so.
Not so with Army-Navy. As of last year, Navy sits uncomfortably with a 50-49-7 edge over their inter-service brethren.
True, there are times where one team clearly outshines the other; multiple years of consecutive wins are the exception, Navy's current 4-year streak notwithstanding.
2) No other rivalry has comparable mutual respect. For the most part, mutual respect exists only on the coaching level - and even that's barely masked. For players and fans, there is absolute hate and contempt with nothing less than that deemed acceptable. At the end of each Army-Navy game, however, both teams stand side-by-side and face the other's stands while both school songs are played.
Now imagine Texas fans doing anything other than puking their guts out while those in-breeds play Boomer Sooner and you'll know what I'm talking about.
I can only imagine the thoughts of these players who take the field for their last collegiate contest.
Most players of better-known rivalries (Michigan/OSU, USC/Notre Dame, Alabama/Auburn) understand that greener fields and larger paychecks are reserved for Sunday players.
These kids are surely thinking of it as more than just their last game; assignment and deployment are the future.
It is a game whereby amateur and student-athlete truly mean something. I can name only one NFL legend emerging from this rivalry. In a radio interview yesterday morning, he said it was the most nervous he had ever been before a game, noting that he also played in multiple playoff games and several Super Bowls.
But playing before the President, himself a Naval officer, caused a sleepless night.
Most acts of patriotism are symbolic; many are complete gimmicks.
This game, however, gives me pause and seamlessly fuses love for country and sport.
