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Rivalry Games that Could Get Realignment Ugly
The realignment within College Football has been chaotic, with so many programs either moving, planning to, or have rumors of them seeking to change conferences. After Texas, Oklahoma, USC, and UCLA began this landslide of big schools switching conferences, College Football odds will continue to be affected with more programs moving. Furthermore, some conferences are using this to expand, such as the Big 12 and Big Ten.
One thing that has seemingly been overlooked is how realignment will affect rivalries. Some are purely built off teams having the opportunity to face each other in the same conference year after year, which will change when one program moves away. That might take a game usually noticed by College Football betting to be taken off the schedule.
Some schools, like Texas and Oklahoma, will continue their rivalry, moving from the Big 12 to the SEC together. However, Oklahoma will no longer be in a conference with Oklahoma State, meaning their intense rivalry could crumble. The reverse could also be said, with Texas now slated to match up against Texas A&M more often, which could change some College Football lines.
Rivalries Left Behind
The Pac-12 has headlined College Football news by being the main conference diced up by realignment. It started with USC and UCLA moving to the Big Ten, programs with their own rivalry, which will remain intact as they move conferences. However, it does end some of their other rivalries with other two programs from California in the Pac-12.
Four programs in California played in the Pac-12; USC, UCLA, California, and Stanford. All four schools had intense rivalries with each other to be the best team in the state.
Similarly, with Oregon and Washington set to leave the Pac-12, also for the Big Ten, their rivalries with other teams in the Pacific Northwest could die. There will no longer be an annual matchup between Washington and Washington State or Oregon facing Oregon State.
Each rivalry game meant something in the conference standings, while also being an exciting environment for fans and players. The rivalries could persist, but the games will have less value in the regular season, and a lack of consistent matchups could lead to the animosity that the programs have towards each other to dry out.
Potential For New Rivalries
While many teams that are moving conferences have rivalries with each other, some have the opportunity to expand on ones they already have or create new ones. Texas facing Texas A&M is a massive positive for College Football lines. Both schools have been massive instate rivals that never get to meet regularly, last playing in 2011. Now with both teams in the SEC, this matchup is something that every College Football fan can look forward to most seasons.
On top of that, USC has one of the biggest non-conference rivalries in College Football with Notre Dame. While the Fighting Irish are not in the Big Ten, other historic programs have dominated the conference for years in Ohio State and Michigan. Over time, USC has a chance to build a rivalry with them.
It is hard for College Football predictions to see what possible outcomes will happen over the next few years due to realignment. However, we do know that when programs play each repetitively, rivalries will eventually brew.
