CBS SAYS THE IRON BOWL IS NOW SEC'S SECOND-BEST RIVALRY GAME

With fresh blood arriving in the SEC, CBS' Will Backus believes the Iron Bowl between Alabama and Auburn has now been dethroned as the conference's top rivalry.

In his recent football rivalry rankings, Backus argued that Texas and Oklahoma bringing the Red River Showdown to SEC Country makes it the new must-watch game down south.

"The pageantry. The tradition. The stakes. The pure dislike for one another. The Red River Rivalry, née Shootout, checks pretty much every box you want in a college football blood feud," Backus wrote.

"It also helps that the games are competitive," he pointed out. "Neither team has won more than four consecutive installments since 2004, and eight of the last 10 Red River games have been decided by a single score."

There's certainly no shortage of bad blood in the SEC, especially when it comes to the Tigers and the Crimson Tide.

The two in-state foes can't stand each other and winning the Iron Bowl means one school has bragging rights for the entire season.

The Egg Bowl (Mississippi State vs. Ole Miss), the "World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party" (Florida vs. Georgia) and the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry (Auburn vs. Georgia) rounded out CBS' top five.

With the Lonestar Showdown between Texas and Texas A&M narrowly missing the cut.

Related: Texas Athletic Director Throws Shade At The SEC's Biggest Rivalries

2024-07-02T22:06:37Z dg43tfdfdgfd