One of sports’ biggest trademarks, and especially college football, is a good, ol’ fashioned, (sometimes not-so) friendly rivalry.

There are a lot of rivalry games this season that stand to carry more than just bragging rights, and with that in mind, I thought I’d count down the 15 most important rivalry games of 2008.

If your favorite rivalry isn’t in here (i.e. Florida State-Florida, Mississippi State-Ole Miss, etc.), don’t be offended. It’s still very important, and I’ll still be marking it on my calendar.

By the way, if you want to get tickets for any of these games, just click on the links for each game, and you’re good to go.

20. Miami vs. Florida State, Oct. 4: Not long ago, this would be a must-watch matchup, but the Seminoles and Hurricanes are both in the process of trying to get back into the national spotlight after some forgettable recent history. However, this game stands to mean something, as the winner will gain bragging rights, a valuable victory in their quest to be a contender in their respective divisions, and potentially enhance their top-25 resume. FSU could and should enter this game at 4-0 and ranked, if they can go unbeaten in a season-opening four-game homestand, while Miami could be 3-1 and on the cusp of the top 25 (or just inside) if they can win at Texas A&M and win a tough home game against North Carolina.

Expect a friendly wager on this one between writer Matt Severance and I. I’m a Florida State guy, and he loves the Hurricanes, so keep on the lookout in the week or so leading up to this one.

19. UCLA vs. USC, Dec. 6: As much of an enigma as UCLA has been recently, there’s no telling where they’ll be come December 6. But whether they’re 6-5 or 9-2, the ultimate maker of Rick Neuheisel’s first season would be a win over the archrival Trojans, who have a good chance of being in the national title hunt when they enter their regular-season finale.

Two seasons ago, USC went into the Rose Bowl needing to beat a 6-5 UCLA team to book a berth in the BCS Championship Game, and the UCLA defense snuffed out a late comeback attempt for a 13-9 upset win. Will it be deja vu?

18. Central Michigan vs. Western Michigan, Oct. 18: Central Michigan has owned the MAC in the last two seasons, and they’re the favorite to do so again this season. However, Western Michigan returns their entire defensive starting lineup and most of their key players on offense, and the Broncos (Matt Severance’s alma mater) could emerge as CMU’s biggest challenger in the MAC West.

Last season’s game was a thriller in Kalamazoo that saw 48 points scored in the fourth quarter and multiple lead changes in the final minutes, with Dan LeFevour and the Chippewas delivering the final blow in a 34-31 win.

17. Texas Tech vs. Texas, Nov. 1: Texas Tech has high hopes this season, with a prolific QB-WR combo in Graham Harrell and Michael Crabtree and a defense that’s expected to be pretty good. However, to be a serious contender for the Big 12 South title, the Red Raiders are going to go through the division’s best.

They’ve been pretty good under Mike Leach, with at least eight wins in the last six seasons, but a lack of signature wins has kept Tech in the second tier both in the conference and nationally. Their last win against the Longhorns came in 2002, and if there’s a chance to get that elusive win, it’s this year.

16. SMU vs. TCU, Sept. 20: SMU is expected to make big strides in June Jones’ first season in Dallas, and what better way to give an early indication of how far they’ve come in a short time and to give themselves more confidence for the rest of the season than to beat their archrivals? The last time SMU hosted TCU was in 2005, and the Mustangs dealt the ranked Horned Frogs a 21-10 defeat, just a few weeks after they’d stunned Oklahoma in Norman.

15. Florida State vs. Clemson, Nov. 8: Could this be the last Bowden Bowl? While FSU is still trying to reclaim its prominence and challenge for the ACC title in what could be Bobby Bowden’s swan song, Tommy Bowden’s Clemson team is the prohibitive favorite in the ACC. Their road to the crown could come through Tallahassee, as father could go a long way to dashing son’s conference title hopes and helping his own with FSU’s first win in the series since 2004.

14. Ohio State vs. Michigan, Nov. 22: Regardless of if Ohio State wins or loses their big showdown with USC, the Buckeyes are expected to be in the frame for the national title come their regular-season finale against the Wolverines, who they’ve dominated over the last several years. Given that Michigan is expected to have a down year as Rich Rodriguez has a lot of reloading to do, this one might be a wash for OSU, but you never know what could happen.

13. Boise State vs. Fresno State, Nov. 28: Heading into this season, Fresno State is the trendy pick to claim the WAC title and potentially make a run at the BCS, but to accomplish either of those things, they’ll have to go through the Broncos, who have both of those things on their mind as well.

As it happens, the Broncos might be more likely to have their BCS hopes alive heading into their regular-season finale against Pat Hill’s Bulldogs, but BCS chances notwithstanding, the WAC title should be on the line in this one.

Boise has owned this series since the two became WAC foes in 2001, winning six of the seven annual matchups, so you can bank on them being the favorite in this matchup, even if Fresno may be the higher-ranked team coming in.

12. Tennessee vs. Florida, Sept. 20: Florida has had the upper hand in this rivalry in recent years, winning the last three, including a 59-20 rout last year in Gainesville. But, their national title hopes could get a stiff challenge early on when they go to Knoxville (I’m not discounting the Miami game, but UF should take care of business at home), where it tends to be tight for the Gators. Tennessee is a step behind Florida and Georgia in the East at this point, but an upset of their division rivals could do wonders for the Vols’ hopes at making a run in the SEC this season.

11. Alabama vs. Auburn, Nov. 29: The SEC West is wide open this year, so this Iron Bowl battle could very well be for the division title and a berth in the SEC Championship Game. Even if it isn’t, it’s going to be a huge game for Nick Saban. There’ll be other opportunities to get signature wins along the way, but the best way to keep the ‘Bama fans in good spirits would be to end the six-game losing streak against Auburn.

If you think these first ten games are goodies, just wait for the top 10, which will be revealed later on today.