College Football Off-Field Matchups: Week 12
The Battle of LA calls for campuses to be on high alert for pranks from the opposing school, seen here the Trojan Statue covered in duct tape to protect from possible hijinks from their blue and gold neighbors.
(Photo from ABC7 News).
UCLA at USC at 3:30
The battle of L.A returns in week 12, and while both teams fell out of the AP/CFP rankings, this game is still circled on the calendar as one of the most important games of the year for both programs on and off the field. With campuses only 12 miles apart in the City of Angels, the schools have been intertwined in a rivalry for the past century, becoming a staple of Southern California culture. In a decision driven by football, the two schools shook the world of college athletics by abruptly announcing they are leaving the PAC-12 together in 2024, opting to join the Big Ten and their $7 billion media rights deal. It is a major addition for the Big Ten adding one of the biggest markets in the country to their conference. The Crosstown rivalry is one of the most significant matchups of the year off the field, with the week leading up to the game bringing about a variety of events and the tension between the neighboring schools reaches a peak. UCLA calls the week “Beat SC week” and USC calls it “Troy week”, each school hosting parades, rallies, bonfires, etc. to rally their respective student bodies against their cross-town foes. Both schools cover their statues on campus with a tarp or duct tape to protect against vandalism/pranks, and students even camp out to act as security against possible mischief from the opposition. While there is plenty of pranks/mischievous behavior throughout the week, the schools also compete in many organized competitions leading up to the big game, such as flag football games between their respective ROTC programs, newspapers (Daily Bruin vs Daily Trojan) and even the football equipment managers face off in an annual flag football game. USC and UCLA’s rugby teams also play each other the day after the football game. USC vs UCLA week also spawns competitions that help a good cause, such as a 5k that benefits the Special Olympics and a blood drive competition where the winning school is announced at halftime. The Victory Bell and so much more are on the line this weekend in the L.A showdown, and the off-field implications are what make this rivalry stand out across all of college athletics.
25 Kansas State at 16 Kansas at 7:00
The Dillons Sunflower Showdown gets the primetime slot with both programs coming into the in-state rivalry ranked and both have 7-3 records. Having been played since 1902 and every year since 1911, it is the fourth longest active series in college football. Dillons, a supermarket chain based in Kansas that is a branch of Kroger, bought the naming rights to the rivalry in 2010. The origins of the rivalry can be traced all the way back to the creation of both schools in the 1860’s, when both Manhattan, KS and Lawrence, KS competed to be the city to land the state university. Lawrence ended up with the University of Kansas and Manhattan landed Kansas State. The very first athletic competition recorded between the schools was a baseball game in 1898. Off the field, the University of Kansas and Kansas State are both included in a recent high-tech economic opportunity, forming a coalition that the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration selected as one of 31 Regional Innovation and Technology Hubs (Tech Hubs) intended “to spur American innovation, strengthen manufacturing and create good-paying jobs in every regional of the country.” (kwch news). The initiative will increase biomanufacturing capacity and spur jobs statewide. K-State and the University of Kansas are longtime rivals on the field, but off the field work in tandem to be driving forces in the sunflower state’s economy.
24 North Carolina at Clemson at 3:30
UNC travels down to Death Valley to take on Carolina foe and ACC rival Clemson in a pivotal game for both programs, with UNC sitting at 8-2 and ranked and Clemson grasping onto the final straws of a decade of dominance in college football, uncharacteristically 6-4. North Carolina’s star quarterback, Drake Maye, is expected to be a top draft pick in next year’s NFL Draft, and with that brings a valuable name in the college football landscape, even if Maye himself has not been entirely focused on NIL. Embodying the characteristics of a team leader, Maye recently landed an NIL deal with Mitchell Heating & Cooling, but instead of being the star of the commercials, Maye insisted his offensive lineman also participated and were given the majority of his compensation. This was just the start, as Maye has been getting his protectors on the field involved with nearly every ad with the local brand. This kind of deal, where a college athlete works with a local company, is what NIL was originally intended for, and Maye is using it to make sure his teammates get in on the opportunity as well. Drake Maye has a $1.3 million annual NIL valuation according to on3. Meanwhile, Clemson has quickly felt the repercussions on the field of not prioritizing NIL off the field, coming into this matchup 6-4 after a decade of being national championship contenders. Clemson Head Coach Dabo Swinney has notoriously been outspoken against the use of NIL and the transfer portal to recruit, questioning the integrity of both and how they are shaping college football. While Swinney may have some valid points and college football will indeed never be the same again, the quickly evolving landscape of college athletics will soon make it near impossible to have these traditional viewpoints and stay competitive, as everyone else is using the portal and NIL to their full advantage. This battle of the Carolinas marks two programs trending in opposite directions due to the ever-changing landscape of college athletics.