Coach declares this college football game the best rivalry in sports

College football’s rivalry week brings up several big games, but one does stand out in a relative class of its own. Opening Week 14, one coach defined the epic Ohio State/Michigan rivalry as the best– not just in college football, but in sports as a whole. It probably figures that it was Michigan coach Sherrone Moore who defined the rivalry in those grand terms.

You can’t describe it. Literally, I could try to describe you the feeling, like it feels like this, it feels like this. You can’t…. It’s a feeling that you can’t really describe. It’s an intensity, it’s an aura about it that you can’t describe until you get on the field. But it’s awesome to be a part of. It’s great to be a part of. It’s the best rivalry in sports in my opinion. The funnest one to be part of. It’s competitive, there’s nothing like it.

– Sherrone Moore

A 2000 ESPN ranking agreed with Moore on a slightly narrower plane, calling Ohio State/Michigan the greatest rivalry in North American sports. Not only is the annual battle virtually always a factor in the Big Ten conference race, but on 14 occasions since 1942, both teams in the game were ranked in the top five of the AP poll when the game was played. Six of those occasions have come since 2000.

Perhaps the most notable Michigan/Ohio State game ever came in 2006, the only time that the two schools have battled as the top two teams in the nation. No. 1 Ohio State outlasted No. 2 Michigan, 42-39. Michigan enters this season’s matchup with a four game winning streak in the rivalry. Michigan took down a higher-ranked Ohio State team in each of the last four seasons.

The all-time series is led by Michigan 62-51-6. The longest run in the series is nine in a row by Michigan early in the 20th century. While Michigan ruled those early years, after an 86-0 loss in 1902, Ohio State’s alma mater “Carmen Ohio” was written on the train ride home by supporters of the Buckeyes.

Much like last season, when an unranked Michigan shocked Ohio State 13-10, Michigan enters this year’s game with little but pride on the line. No. 1 Ohio State is doubtlessly safe in the College Football Playoff either way, but snapping the four-year losing streak to Michigan is undoubtedly a priority. The 121st installment of the matchup will likely provide some memories to back Moore’s massive claim.