As a native Texan who grew up there in the 80s. Nope. If you want vitriol it's Texas vs. Oklahoma. A&M is like the little brother good job you played hard but you still lost rival. A&M thinks they won the national championship if they beat Texas.
I think the keyword is 'toxic'. I think Michigan / Michigan State is. A rivalry where it cannot be at night, people are advised not to bring small children to the game, and where one school tried to bar the other from admission to the Big 10. Again, not 'great' or 'best', but TOXIC.
This rivalry can’t be surpassed. Hatred, jealousy, anger…sure. But there is also unspoken mutual respect. No game means more…bragging rights, recruiting momentum, national respect. If you don’t agree, try to get a ticket for the game. Be ready to empty your account. But I wouldn’t call it toxic.
As big a state as Texas is, as big as these schools are, you either are a Longhorn, an Aggie, or hate both of them and wanna see either one of them suffer. When you have random Aggies calling out “TU sucks” just for wearing a Longhorn shirt to lunch, it’s so unbelievably toxic.
I would choose Bama vs Auburn as o remember the documentary where the sports talk in Alabama is 365 days of both fans saying their team sucks and one complete moronic loser poisoned a treats (and like a good percentage of the Bama fan base, never went to that school
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Best? No. That's the Iron Bowl. It just means more.
And I say that as a Tennessee fan.
Georgia/Florida
Both much more toxic.
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