The 2015 Stanley Cup Finals start on Wednesday night. This year's battle for hockey's ultimate prize pits one of the original six members of the NHL, the Chicago Blackhawks, against one the newer franchises in the sport in the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The matchup between old and new powers got us to thinking about college football matchups between similar programs: one longtime powerhouse against a newcomer to the elite ranks. These are the five we'd most like to see in the near future.
1. Alabama vs. Oregon
When the final College Football Playoff pairings were announced last year, there was notable excitement at the prospect of these two potentially meeting in the title game. Of course, that didn't happen, but we still want to see Oregon's flashy uniforms and high-flying offense go up against the traditional look and salty pro-style systems of Alabama. This would have been even more fun had Chip Kelly stuck around Eugene to set up a Pac-12/SEC game vs. Nick Saban.
2. Ohio State vs. TCU
This is a game plenty of TCU fans would have welcomed to close out last season after the Horned Frogs were left out of the inaugural playoff. However, it's a matchup we might end up seeing in the 2016 playoff. Ohio State is one of the most successful programs in the sport and has returned to the mountain top under Urban Meyer. Plus, how fun would it be to see Meyer's offense go up against Gary Patterson's defense?
3. Notre Dame vs. Boise State
Notre Dame is a true blue-blood in college football, and Boise State is easily the poster child for a power coming out of nowhere. Wouldn't it be fantastic to see the Golden Domers take the field on the blue turf at Boise State, or see the Broncos run out of the tunnel under the shadow of Touchdown Jesus? One subplot to watch if this game takes place anytime soon is that Brian Kelly poached new offensive coordinator Mike Sanford (a BSU alum) from Boise State this offseason.
4. USC vs. Baylor
The Trojans have long been a college football powerhouse and one of the top programs on the West Coast. Baylor has ascended under the leadership of Art Briles to win back-to-back Big 12 championships, and take the title of Texas' best program at the moment. Considering the Bears don't play anybody noteworthy in the non-conference slate, a matchup against a team that plays one of the strongest non-league schedules seems perfect. Throw in Baylor's spread offense against USC's five-star talents, and this would be a fascinating matchup.
5. Michigan vs. Stanford
Stanford has had brief flirtations with success over the years, but hasn't seen a period of winning quite like the era the program is in now. The reason the team is in a position to compete for Pac-12 North titles every year? Jim Harbaugh, who just so happens to be the new coach at Michigan. This one would certainly be more than just two prestigious academic institutions getting together to play a game. The two schools have met nine times (including the 1972 Rose Bowl), but it's time for another matchup.
You can follow Bryan Fischer on Twitter at @BryanDFischer.
