San Jose State The now defunct, nearly 100 year, rivalry match up between the
SJSU Spartans and the
Pacific Tigers began in January 1896 and ended in
1995 when Pacific dropped its football program. The 'Spartan-Tiger Football Game' was played 72 times between 1896 and 1995. Due to the "private vs. public" institutional competitiveness and the close geographical proximity of the two schools, a natural "cross-town" rivalry was born.
University of the Pacific was founded in 1851 in
Santa Clara, California, and claims to be the first institution of higher education in California. San José State University was founded in 1857 and is California's first public institution of higher education. In 1949, in a game which drew national attention, the Victory Bell was unveiled. The Victory Bell would go to the winner of subsequent Tiger-Spartan games. The bell was two feet tall and waist-high on a rolling cart. The bell was half black with an orange "P" for Pacific and half blue with a gold "SJ" for San Jose. The Spartans led the series 43–23–6 when the rivalry ended at the close of the 1995 season.
Fresno State Fresno State and Pacific first met in 1963 in Stockton, CA with a Bulldogs victory 29-7. Due to the 2 campuses close proximity, within 134 miles, and just over a 2-hour drive straight on California State route 99, bragging rights for the best team in the San Joaquin Valley were at stake when these 2 football programs collided on the gridiron. At the end of 1995 season when Pacific dropped its football program the Bulldogs won the 25 game series 17-8.
Sacramento State Sacramento State and Pacific first met in 1973 in Stockton, CA. Due to the 2 campuses close proximity, within 51 miles, and just under an hour drive straight on I-5, bragging rights for the best team in the San Joaquin Valley were at stake when these 2 football programs collided on the gridiron. At the end of 1995 season when Pacific dropped its football program the Tigers led the 20-year series 7-2. ==Final AP Poll rankings==