College football's rivalries have suffered in recent years. Realignment has bloated conferences and split apart longtime rivals, and the sport risks losing more of its traditions as the playoff expands. Still, Week 7 offers a midseason dress rehearsal for Rivalry Week, full of the essentials that make the sport special.
The third Saturday in October always brings Alabama-Tennessee. This year, two top-20 teams meet with victory cigars and playoff hopes on the line. Alabama was dealt a blow by Georgia a week ago, but Keelon Russell's hot start and a surprisingly dynamic run game have the Tide looking like one of the best teams in the country. Tennessee's offense has spun its wheels recently, but Xavier Gilliam & Co. have the Vols' defense playing elite football.
The Deep South's oldest rivalry also kicks off in Athens. Georgia hosts an Auburn team looking to end a nine-game losing streak to the Bulldogs. Auburn has scored only 60 total points in its past seven visits to Sanford Stadium and hasn't won in Athens since 2005. Florida State, meanwhile, heads to Miami as three-touchdown underdogs after a drubbing by Louisville last week, and Mike Norvell keeps hanging around.
The North Carolina-Duke rivalry remains intense, with the Victory Bell serving as a reminder that it must be earned each year. Kansas State has won 17 straight Sunflower Showdowns, while the biggest game of the week features Ohio State traveling to Indiana for the 100th meeting in a series that dates to 1901, though it has rarely been much of a rivalry.
Source: ESPN General · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing