Chris Murray

RGJ

A few years ago, I asked about 20 Wolf Pack players the same question: Who's Nevada's No. 1 rival?

I figured it would provide a lopsided answer, and it did. But it was that answer that surprised me.

The majority of the players said they considered Boise State, not UNLV, their No. 1 rival.

This informal poll was held in 2010 and the Wolf Pack had lost to Boise State 10 straight times, although the last three were narrow defeats. At the same time, Nevada was treating UNLV like a JV team. So, it made sense that with its in-state rivalry decidedly lopsided, Boise State became the team's biggest rival.

With Nevada and Boise State renewing its 43-year-old rivalry on Saturday at a sold-out Mackay Stadium, you could make a compelling case that the Nevada-Boise State rivalry is bigger than the Nevada-UNLV rivalry.

For starters, the Wolf Pack and Broncos have actually played each other more times than Nevada-UNLV (40 to 39). Here's another: The Nevada-Boise State game is always sold out, which rarely happens when Nevada and UNLV face off (four of Nevada's seven sellouts since 2000 have come against Boise State).

But the strongest argument has come on the field. Nevada and Boise State have played classic games.

• In 2010, No. 19 Nevada beat No. 3 Boise State, 34-31, in overtime in the greatest game in the history of Wolf Pack football and Mackay Stadium. The game, known as Blue Friday, featured more twists and turns than Lombard Street in San Francisco and captivated a national ESPN audience.

• In 2007, Nevada lost to Boise State, 69-67, in four overtimes in what is likely the most exciting game in Wolf Pack history. It also was Colin Kaepernick's first college start as he was introduced to America.

• In 1990, Nevada avenged a regular-season loss to Boise State by beating the Broncos, 59-52, in three overtimes to advance to the Division I-AA title game. Ray Whalen ran for 245 yards on 44 carries.

• In 1997, Nevada beat Boise State, 56-42, one of just two wins at Boise for the Pack, behind a laser show by John Dutton, who passed for 557 yards and five scores (Trevor Insley had 217 receiving yards).

• In 1973, Nevada beat Boise State, 23-21, scoring on the last play of the game to stun the Broncos, who committed a penalty on what would have been the last play of the game, giving Nevada one final shot.

• In 2009, Boise State knocked off Nevada, 41-34, despite the Wolf Pack returning two of Kellen Moore's three interceptions for touchdowns. Two last-second Hail Mary attempts by Kaepernick fell incomplete.

You can't write the history of Nevada football without mentioning these games and the Boise State rivarly.

Twelve Nevada-Boise State matchups have been decided by a touchdown or less, including six that were decided by a field goal or less (or went to overtime). Only one of the 39 matchups between Nevada and UNLV have been decided by a field goal or less, and that was the first game played between the schools.

That game was an instant classic, determined by a last-minute disputed Nevada field goal in near darkness. But, other than that, the most memorable moments between Nevada and UNLV have come in the form of Quincy Sanders throwing his helmet at Chris Ault in 1995 and a Wolf Pack fan hitting John Robinson with a half-full plastic beer bottle in 2003. On the field, it's been mostly dud with these two.

I get the appeal of Nevada-UNLV. It's the two intrastate schools. It's red versus blue. It's Rebels-Pack. There's a cool trophy on the line. It's the game fans circle before the start of every season. For as long as Nevada and UNLV exist, the Rebels will always be the Wolf Pack's No. 1 rival.

But if you told me I could either watch a Nevada-Boise State football game or a Nevada-UNLV football game, I know which one I'm watching. And neither team in my preferred matchup is wearing red.

Columnist Chris Murray provides insight on Northern Nevada sports. Contact him at cmurray@rgj.com or follow him on Twitter @MurrayRGJ.