UNC vs. Duke in Final Four has us thinking: What's the ideal College Football Playoff rivalry?

This year brings us a Final Four for the ages as arch-rivals North Carolina and Duke will play for a spot in the NCAA national championship game.

The game brings us the added treat of this being Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski's final season, and a chance for he and the Blue Devils to avenge an ugly loss to the Tar Heels in Coach K's last game at Cameron.

All of which makes this edition of Carolina-Duke arguably the most anticipated of them all. This being College Football HQ, that got us wondering: what rivalry could match that intensity in a semifinal game?

The best College Football Playoff rivalry matchups

Georgia vs. Florida

Imagine the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party on a national scale, a tailgate for the ages, with a trip to the championship game on the line. It would take some doing for two SEC East teams to both make the playoff, but if any two could, it would be these. The series brings a tremendous amount of history and a litany of legends including Herschel Walker, Tim Tebow, Steve Spurrier, and Vince Dooley. Georgia is clearly the more ready of the two, but if this rivalry proves anything, it's that you can't keep Florida down for long.

USC vs. Notre Dame

We've lost count of how many times this game has had a direct impact on the national championship race. USC and Notre Dame have combined to win 39 national titles and have together produced the most NFL Draft picks of all time. Now, as the programs bring on new head coaches, the old rivals could emerge as contenders again. The greatest intersectional rivalry in sports has always brought the intensity, pageantry, and more than a few magical moments.

Oklahoma vs. Texas

Any shot we'd have at seeing this matchup would likely have to come with both teams still members of the Big 12. Because once they get to the SEC, they'll have some pretty stiff competition making the College Football Playoff. Texas and Oklahoma meeting at the Cotton Bowl during the Texas State Fair has always been one of the top five draws on the schedule.

Alabama vs. Auburn

There are few sports rivalries — or really any kind of human conflicts — that matches the sheer intensity, vitriol, and deep-seated generational passion that comes with the Iron Bowl. Now picture all of that wrapped up in a College Football Playoff semifinal. Or in a national championship game. Bragging rights are one thing, but one of these teams notching a W head-to-head in that setting would be galactic.

Ohio State vs. Michigan

The Game. And the one college football rivalry that started with a war. Well, kind of: back in the 1830s, militias from both states engaged in a brief conflict over a piece of land that is today Ohio, but that animosity lived on through the years and found a (slightly) more peaceful outlet in the annual football game. Take all of that pent-up aggression and put it in a scenario in which one of these teams can win a national championship. We already had a hint of that situation back in 2006, when No. 1 Ohio State played No. 2 Michigan for what amounted to a trip to the BCS title game.

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