COLUMN: The granddady of them all

Most people that come to the University of South Dakota are from within the state. That means you are well aware of the rivalry between the Coyotes and the SDSU Jackrabbits. And if you aren’t from the state of South Dakota, and aren’t truly aware of the great rivalry, well, let’s just say it doesn’t take very long to learn.

USD and SDSU is easily the biggest rivalry this school has to offer. Unfortunately, the rivalry was put on hold for 10 years, when SDSU jettisoned to the Missouri Valley football conference and the Summit League for basketball.

The waiting game is over and the rivalry is back. USD joined the Summit League for men and women’s basketball and has had the opportunity to play SDSU twice a year. It wasn’t so pretty for the Coyotes at first, as the men’s squad was run out of the gym, losing by 30 points. But a rivalry doesn’t involve a fight and the men’s team had a shocking upset to make a memorable movement for the 2011-2012 season.

The football team had to wait an extra year. This past year’s record may look concerning for incoming Yotes, and trust me, it is. Going 1-10 is never very comforting. But in all honesty, fans shouldn’t of set high expectations. The team was making a very big leap into the MVC, playing against much better competition, the biggest being SDSU. For the final game of the season the Coyotes traveled to Brookings to take on the eventual winners of the MVC. The score was lopsided, with the Jackrabbits winning 31-8. But the score wasn’t really what mattered. What you could see was the rivalry was back and really only getting started.

Basically all athletic teams at USD are filled with young talent. The Coyotes are still in the transition phase of entering the Division I pool. Right now SDSU sports may look better on paper, but who is going to beat who is anybody’s guess. That’s what makes it fun and that’s what rivalries are for.