I was born and raised in Ohio and while there might be a slight bias, it is apparent that th Buckeye State is a breeding ground for Division III powerhouses. With the exception of UW-Whitewater, the top dogs in Division III athletics from the field to the court to the pool live it up in the OH.

FOOTBALL

Mt. Union Raiders

When talking about Division III football powerhouses, the Mt. Union Raiders are at the top of the list. This nine-time Division III National Championship program received 20 of 25 first place votes and is number one on the D3football.com Top 25 poll this year. National Championship years include: ’93, ’96, ’97, ’98, ’00, ’01, ’02, ’05, and ’06. Last year, despite falling one game short of another Stagg Bowl Championship, the Raiders finished with a 10-0 regular season record, winning their 16th consecutive Ohio Athletic Conference Championship. Their 2007 conference title was the schools 19th overall. Mount Union College is located in Alliance, Ohio.

UW- Whitewater Warhawks

Receiving four first place votes on the D3football.com Top 25 poll was the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Warhawks. The Warhawks hold 26 WIAC Conference Championships. They have made five NCAA post-season appearances, three of which were in ’05, ’06, and ’07 where they defeated Mt. Union for the championship title. There have been three head coaches since 1956 and they hold the top three spots in school history for most season wins. Lance Leipold took over in 2007 and is already tied for most wins in a season with 14. The Warhawks opened up the season with a 24-9 victory over St. Xavier University (IL).
 

One of the beauties of college athletics is the feeling of strength and togetherness when it comes to big rivalry games. Students, fans, professors, coaches and players give all of the energy they have to share the glory in victory. Records, statistics, and seasonal standings do not matter on that day. The level of performance heightens and the fans roar. Tears are shed and hearts are broken which is why victory is that much more rewarding. You can count on both teams showing up mentally and physically prepared that day because it only takes one slip up to lose everything. The only thing that matters to an athlete is leaving everything he/she has on the field/court that day. Let’s look at the top three college sports rivalries and how they panned out this year.

#1 Michigan vs. Ohio State
   The No. 1 sports rivalry of all time is unarguably Ohio State vs. Michigan. The match up frequently determines the Big Ten Conference title and each team has numerous chances to spoil the other team’s national championship dreams.

   The battle began in 1897 when the first game was played. Michigan dominated Ohio State until 1919 when the Buckeyes won 13-3. In 1922, the opening year of the Ohio State Stadium, the Buckeyes were creamed by Michigan 22-0. In 1969, Woody Hayes guided Ohio State to a No. 1 ranked and undefeated season before Michigan, under Bo Schembechler, crumbled their glory with a 24-12 upset. Hayes had is revenge in 1970 when the Buckeyes defeated Michigan 20-9. Ohio State was ranked 5th and Michigan was ranked 4th. ESPN, who officially ranked the Ohio State vs. Michigan rivalry No. 1, noted, “Ohio State was 9-0-1 in 1993, 11-0 in 1995, and 10-0 in 1996. The Buckeyes lost each time they faced Michigan. That’s a rivalry.”

   Coaches are often remembered not for the overall record they produced, but the victories they brought in against the school’s rival. For example, Ohio State had two undefeated teams under head coach John Cooper going into the big game. Both resulted in a Michigan victory. While Cooper, in his 13 years at Ohio State, created one of the best records in the history of college football, he lost to Michigan 11 out of the 13 games. This past season the Buckeyes won 14-3 at Michigan. This year the two teams clash in Columbus on Nov 22nd as Michigan hopes to break four straight losses Jim Tressel under new Va Tech leadership.