Best college football feuds of 2015

There’s nothing like a good family feud: Hatfields and McCoys, Capulets and Montagues and the TV show of the same name, especially if Steve Harvey is the host.

But there’s also nothing like a fantastic feud in college football, which we definitely had our share of in 2015. Here’s a look at the Top 10 dramas of the 2015 season:

1. Colin Cowherd vs. Iowa: The Fox Sports personality had been railing against the Hawkeyes’ lofty perch in the College Football Playoff rankings, at least until Kirk Ferentz’s team lost to Michigan State in the Big Ten Championship Game. At one point, Cowherd likened Iowa to “A C-student who got an A on a test.” It’s almost a good thing that the Hawkeyes won’t be playing on New Year’s Eve. Cowherd’s anti-Iowa rants might have been even more insufferable than they already have been.

2. Jim Harbaugh vs. Cowherd: To commemorate his incredibly awkward interview with the Michigan coach earlier this year, Cowherd dressed up like Harbaugh for Halloween. Wonder if Cowherd took Harbaugh’s advice to his own children and wore multiple costumes while trick-or-treating.

3. Ezekiel Elliott vs. Urban Meyer: After Ohio State’s 17-14 loss to Michigan State on Nov. 21, the Buckeyes star tailback said he was “disappointed” in the play calling that led to him getting only 12 carries. Elliott eventually apologized to Meyer, but the damage was done. The day of his postgame rant, Elliott announced he was headed to the NFL, and Ohio State was unable to defend its national title, landing a spot against Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Day instead.

4. Will Grier vs. the NCAA: After being suspended in October for testing positive for performance-drugs, Florida’s starting quarterback eventually lost his appeal before revealing his intention to transfer. At the time of Grier’s suspension, the Gators were 6-0 and were coming off a 21-3 win over Missouri. But with Treon Harris taking over at QB, Florida reached the SEC Championship Game but has gone just 4-3 down the stretch entering its Citrus Bowl matchup with Michigan on New Year’s Day.

5. SEC East vs. FCS/non-Power 5 schools: The SEC would like to forget Sept. 12, when Arkansas lost 16-12 to Toledo at home, Auburn needed overtime to beat visiting Jacksonville State 27-20 and Florida held off East Carolina 31-24 in Gainesville. But Nov. 21 — when The Citadel beat South Carolina 23-22 in Columbia and the host Gators needed OT to beat Florida Atlantic 20-14 — was worse. The worst part about it is that these schools paid a lot of money for these embarrassing results.

6. Laremy Tunsil vs. the NCAA: The Ole Miss offensive tackle was suspended for the first seven games for accepting impermissible benefits. He made his season debut in the Rebels’ 23-3 win over Texas A&M and helped Ole Miss reach the Sugar Bowl against Oklahoma State on New Year’s Day.  The 6-5, 305-pounder is projected to go in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft.

7. Preseason expectations vs. Jeremy Johnson: The Auburn QB was built up out the wazoo by the media, and we at SDS were no exception. But the 6-5, 240-pound junior threw 6 interceptions in first three starts this season en route losing his job to Sean White before eventually regaining it. Entering today’s Birmingham Bowl matchup with Memphis, Johnson had completed 60.3 percent of his passes for 1,043 yards, 9 TDs, and 7 INTs — not terrible stats, but nothing worthy of the preseason Heisman hype he obviously didn’t deserve.

8. Charlie Strong vs. unemployment: Two straight losing seasons have put the Texas coach on the hot seat. But somehow Strong’s Longhorns handed Oklahoma its only loss this season entering the Sooners’ College Football Playoff semfinal on Thursday. Plus, Strong was linked to the Miami Hurricanes’ head-coaching opening after Al Golden was let go. Despite that, Steve Patterson — the AD who hired Strong at Texas — was fired in September. And while it remains true that the Longhorns haven’t had 3 straight losing seasons since 1935-38 (when they had four), you get the sense that Strong will be a goner at the first sign of trouble in 2016.

9. Steve Spurrier vs. the 2nd half of the season: Big things weren’t expected of South Carolina, which was picked to finish fourth in the East during SEC Media Days. And yes, Leonard Fournette and LSU ran all over the Gamecocks in a 45-24 win on Oct. 10. But it was jarring when the Head Ball Coach announced his resignation days later. Spurrier obviously knew what he was doing; under interim coach Shawn Elliott, South Carolina won only one of its final six games. The good news for Elliott is that new head man Will Muschamp has kept him on the Gamecocks’ coaching staff. The bad news for college football is that Spurrier is no longer in the game.

10. Paul Finebaum vs. Bob Stoops: After calling the Oklahoma coach “irrelevant” before the Sooners’ 31-24 double-overtime victory over Tennessee, the ESPN Radio Personality and SEC Nation contributor had to eat crow. Who knows? Maybe Finebaum will have the last laugh if Alabama beats Oklahoma in this season’s national championship game. Of course, both teams have to win on New Year’s Eve for that scenario to even have a chance of happening. But whether the Crimson Tide wins or loses, you can bet that Finebaum will have a lot to say about it.