Rivalries are only partially built by what happens on the field or on the court between the teams.

The rest of the energy relies on the fans.

Duke’s Cameron Crazies drive the Blue Devils’ rivalry with North Carolina.

Fans pack the Big House so Michigan can knock out the Buckeyes of Ohio State.

Kansas and Missouri fans still fight over what they call the “Border War,” which dates back to the Civil War days.

The list of college rivalries goes on, but few are as strong on a national stage as these.

OU and Texas have a similar rivalry, one built on hatred among fans and on expectations to beat the other school for bragging rights.

University College freshman John Morgan has been to this rivalry game every year for more than half of his life, and he looks forward to it every year.

“I’ve been to the last 12 OU-Texas games, and it’s my favorite day of the year,” Morgan said. “I was born to hate Texas. It’s part of my [family]. If I didn’t hate Texas, I wouldn’t be invited back to Thanksgiving dinner. It’s just a family thing.”

Zoology sophomore Moe Kayyali has a similar view of the rivalry.

“I respect them as a football program because they recruit well, but I still hate them,” Kayyali said.

University College freshman Sean Parks has the same hatred for the University of Texas as Morgan and Kayyali, but for a different reason.

“I used to live down there, and I was never a fan because everyone was a big Texas fan. They just jump on the bandwagon,” Parks said.

All three also said OU-Texas tends to be the most important game of the season for both teams.

“It’s really important to win this game,” Parks said.

And all three admit any thought of losing this game is unbearable.

“It’s the most important sporting event of the year, Morgan said. “More important than Bedlam because we expect to win Bedlam every year. Nobody wants to lose [against Texas] because then you have to walk around the fair and get made fun of for wearing red.”

The south side of the Red River has similar views.

James Brunson, a government and history major at UT, said Longhorn fans have the same outlook on the game as Sooner fans.

“It’s the most important game all year,” Brunson said. “We have a rivalry with A&M also, but I would say if we could pick one game to win every year this would be it.

He believes it is the best rivalry in college football.

“What makes it the best is that both teams have a rich tradition and both are usually really highly ranked,” Brunson said. “The series between OU and Texas in Dallas, with the stadium half-and-half. Anyone that thinks Michigan-Ohio State is the best rivalry should go to the Cotton Bowl and watch the game for themselves.”

The expectations are always there for an important and competitive game.

“We always know we’re in for a good football game,” Brunson said. “I would say it’s an intense dislike. We definitely respect OU and their ability to win games, but we also want to win ourselves. There’s hate that goes along with any good rivalry.”

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The 5th Quarter

The 5th Quarter 10/05/08

The 5th Quarter 10/05/08