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This week we’ve got a double-whammy featuring cross-town rivals who are also on opposite sides of the liberal arts/tech school coin. It seems like the only thing that the University of Rochester and the Rochester Institute of  Technology (RIT) have in common is an area code, but can one take top honors?

Quick Facts

Rochester: A private liberal arts and research university in Rochester, NY with 5,000 undergraduates.  Founded 1850.
RIT: A private technical institute in Rochester, NY with 14,000 undergraduates. Founded 1829.

1. In the News

Rochester: If Julliard or Cornell seem like your type of school but you’d rather live in a mid-size city, Rochester may be for you. In the last three years, Kaplan has named U of R as both the Hottest Music School (Eastman School of Music) and one of 25 “New Ivies.” Take that, establishment!
RIT: Remember that time that Apple released its iPhone only to AT&T customers? Yeah, those of us at networks with (ahem) better coverage are still jealous. But three years ago, a seventeen year old kid famously hacked the iPhone software to make it compatible on other networks. Now he goes to RIT.

Three credits to: RIT. Hacker dude,  rock on wherever you are!

2. Mascot Matchup

Rochester: U of R is home to the Yellowjackets, the angriest bees in Upstate New York! The Yellowjackets compete in the Division III Liberty League.
RIT: The RIT Tigers compete in the Division III E8 conference in all sports except the nationally recognized men’s ice hockey team, which competes within the Division I ECAC conference.

Three credits to: RIT. D1 ice hockey is  freaking intense!

3. Impressive Programs

Rochester: Did you find yourself halfway through senior year of college thinking, “Gee, WTF am I a religion major? I shoulda studied economics!” Well, at U of R, you’ve got your chance! The school boasts the Take Five program, wherein you can grab a FREE extra year of undergrad to study something other than your major. (Offer also extended to hard-nosed biochem majors who may want to live it up for a change!)
RIT: The National Technical Institute for the Deaf is among the undergraduate programs offered at RIT, where more than 10% of its students are hearing-impaired. Dorms even feature doorbells that blink flashing lights (instead of a bell) to accommodate these students, who are fully socially integrated with the RIT community.

Three credits to:  Rochester. Free tuition and another year to party it up wait out the economy? Sign me up!

4. Ass-Kicking Alumni

Rochester: Debra Jo Rupp (That ’70s Show), Francis Bellamy (author of Pledge of Allegiance)
RIT: Tom Curley (CEO, Associated Press), Daniel Carp (former chairman, Eastman-Kodak)

Three credits to:  Rochester. What other lasting images of Americana can you think of besides Kitty Foreman and the Pledge?

5. Acceptance Rate Agony

Rochester: 42.7%
RIT: 60.4%

Three credits to:  Rochester

And the diploma goes to: Rochester! In this case, liberal arts is the way to go (at least in upstate New York)!

Alabama-Auburn is a school rivalry so fierce it once took an act of state legislature to force the two to agree to compete against one another in sports. The Iron Bowl, the annual football match-up between the Crimson Tide and the Tigers, was suspended for forty years after a heartbreaking tie in 1907 left the two sides disgusted with one another.  It wasn’t until the Alabama House of Representatives passed a resolution for the cross-state rivals to resume competition that the rivalry continued.  Now, with over a century of pride, tradition, and competition in the books, who is the top school in the Yellowhammer State?

1. Mascot Matchup

Alabama- Big Al the elephant leads the Crimson Tide in rooting for Alabama. If seeing him at the games simply isn’t enough, you can invite him to your kegger to amp your Bama spirit!
Auburn- Did you know there is a National Mascot Hall of Fame? Well, there is – and Auburn’s own Aubie the Tiger is an inductee, an accolade to add to his arsenal of National Mascot Championships medals.

Three credits to: Auburn, where even the school mascot is beating its rivals!

2. Terrific Traditions

Alabama- What would a storied football school be without its band? The Million Dollar Band is a fan favorite at Bama, with over 300 members
Auburn- To begin each football game, Auburn fans participate in the Tiger Walk, joining Aubie and cheerleaders in leading the football team onto the field.

Three Credits to: Auburn, for the school-wide party on the field!

3. Iron Bowl Record

Alabama- In the annual football game between the two, Bama boasts 39 wins.
Auburn- The Tigers have won the Iron Bowl 33 times.

Three credits to:  The numbers speak for themselves. Alabama, clearly!

4. Crowd-Rousing Cheers

Alabama– The Rammer Jammer Cheer, seen here, is a popular taunt of Bama opponents. What could be more inspiring than tens of thousands of Crimson Tide shouting “Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer, Give ‘em Hell Alabama!”
Auburn- The legend of the War Eagle is treasured at Auburn, where at home games a bald eagle is released into a stadium of over 90,000 cheering fans as the band plays the War Eagle song. It’s unsure how the tradition started, but walk down any Auburn street and holler “War Damn Eagle!” and you’re sure to make hundreds of new friends.

Three credits to: This one is a toughie. The Crimson Tide offer a bone-chilling chant, but Auburn upstages the boys from Tuscaloosa with a live eagle and band performance.

5. Acceptance Rate Agony

Alabama- Roll Tide, Roll! 60.4% of all Alabama applicants are accepted.
Auburn-  Wanna be a Tiger? You’ve got a 70.8% shot of being able to officially don the Orange and Blue.

Three credits to:  Alabama, where the hype to join the Tide is mounting.

And the diploma goes to: Auburn!  In sweet home Alabama, the Tigers are the victors.

And if you’ve always wanted to give props to your school on CC, now’s your chance! Shoot us an email explaining what’s awesome and unique about your school (or what stinks about Rival U) at rivalrundown@collegecandy.com!

This week we zero in on two state schools on opposite sides of Kansas City – University of Kansas and the University of Missouri. The Big 12 conference rivals share rhyming nicknames (KU and Mizzou) but little else. How do the two joke-loving, panty-raiding, prideful colleges measure up?

1. Mascot Matchup

Kansas- The colorful Jayhawks are the pride of Lawrence, Kansas. Their infamous chant, “Rock Chalk Jayhawk!” was once proclaimed by Teddy Roosevelt as “the greatest college chant [he'd] ever heard.”
Mizzou- The mascot of Columbia, MO is named Truman the Tiger, after President Harry Truman.

Three credits to: Kansas. Check out the ominous/grandiose audio to accompany the Jayhawk squawk.

2. Terrific Traditions

Kansas- A website dedicated to KU history notes that campus periodicals were among the first to feature sex columns and frequently reported a regular Kansas activity: panty raids!
Mizzou- In addition to the annual Tap Day (where student leaders are “tapped” into honor society), another mainstay of  Mizzou culture is poking fun of their rivals to the west. Check out this hilarious collection of KU jokes.

Three Credits to: Mizzou. “How can you tell if a Jayhawk is a good cook? The PopTart is still in one piece!”

3. Die-Hard Downloads

Kansas- The school has a link to “KU Fun Stuff” including Jayhawk-themed screensavers, e-cards, and specialized “Hawkagami.” No, really.
Mizzou- Fans can get animated cell phone wallpaper and ringtones of popular chants on the athletics homepage.

Three credits to:  Kansas. The school has its own special origami. And tangrams. And paper airplanes. Does my college have that? Does yours??

4. Ass-kicking Alumni

Kansas– Paul Rudd, Rob Riggle, Betsy Randle (the mom from Boy Meets World)
Mizzou- Sheryl Crow, Jim Lehrer, Brad Pitt (attended)

Three credits to:  Kansas.  Paul Rudd is a mega-stud, and he graduated.

5. Acceptance Rate Agony

Kansas- 92.2% for the class of 2011
Mizzou-  85.6% for the class of 2011. (Both figures are courtesy US News & World Report.)

Three credits to:  Mizzou–though both are state schools, it appears the competition is rougher east of the Kaw River.

And the diploma goes to: Kansas! Hawkagami, fierce chants, and the chance to check out Paul Rudd at alumni events? Hollaa! (But please don’t tell my boss–he’s a Mizzou alum!)

Oh, so I also missed the first twenty minutes of this episode, but I’m sick so please cut me some slack. I tune in to see that Flav and Black are on a date at the Foundry and Flav’s pink suit and matching clock are P.I.M.P.

Why is there a magician at dinner? And a couch in the room? Flav is asking Black about her family and it looks like I missed a lot by skipping the first twenty minutes.

Thing 2 is the thing that stayed and we see her getting dessert ready for Flav so that she can steal some of Black’s night cap time. Flav is impressed with T2′s effort and ditches Black for some pudding and kiss time on the gazebo. T2 tells Flav that this first time alone with him is like losing her virginity again. Um, so it’s uncomfortable, awkward and really disappointing?

Seezinz apparently won some challenge the day before and goes on a date in the backyard with Flav. Where does Flav find sunglasses with dollar signs on them? People who wear those clearly have tons of cash.

In the backyard, we have lots of animals. Which I was sure Flav hated.

(During the commercial break, I see that “The Hills” is on and I want to watch so badly but I fight the urge to skip the rest of FOL…)

I like the idea of tigers. Like sleeping tigers. In a cage. I can’t believe Flav is feeding one.

During lunch, Seezinz tells Flav that Sinceer was wasted during the challenge. NOOO! I can’t believe I missed her finally being drunk!

Post-date, Flav tells the girls to call their families so that he can meet them the next day. Does VH1 pay for that airfare? My parents would not be too thrilled with hoping on a plane at the last minute to come see me embarrass the family by my appearance on a show to win Flavor Flav’s heart.

Anyway, Black has a super-religious family and no one will come out.

Man-Tree is still around. She’s writing on leaf-shaped paper all of her ‘secrets’. She’s been in videos, done extra work, magazines. So you’re totally going home.

(Why is Audrina back with Justin Bobby? So pretty and soooo stupid).

Eliminations: Tree and Sinceer are in the bottom two – and look at that, Proto-type went home, too. I’m so behind.

When Sinceer looks like she’s thinking too hard, she looks like a Star Trek: the Next Generation character.

Tree is being sent home for having a penis. Just kidding – it’s because she is there for TV exposure and not Flav. Don’t cry, Rashida.

We’re down to T2, Black, Sinceer and Seezinz. Wow, only one of the new girls lasted. Next day will be parents day followed by another elimination. Flav’s taking the remaining three to Paris. Great, like they don’t hate us enough over there…