There are two things that anyone who knows me will tell you.  I “bleed blue” for Coldwell Banker and I’m a huge college football fan — especially when it comes to my alma mater, the University of Illinois Fighting Illini. It was great to watch us become bowl eligible last week. Watching it happen against our rival Northwestern at Wrigley Field made it even sweeter!

This weekend features some more major rivalry games.  Since we just did our Coldwell Banker College Home Listing Report, I couldn’t help but wonder how the markets involved in some of the country’s greatest rivalries compare in home prices.

Here’s a sample of some of this weekend’s “must watch” games and the average price of a four-bedroom, two-bathroom house in each of the school’s markets.

Auburn Tigers at Alabama Crimson Tide
Auburn ($241,667) vs. Tuscaloosa ($250,261)

Michigan Wolverines at Ohio State Buckeyes
Columbus ($184,045) vs. Ann Arbor ($269,283)

Notre Dame at USC
South Bend ($183,120) vs. LA ($833,087)

BYU at Utah
Provo ($176,550) vs. Salt Lake City ($428,193)

Florida at Florida State
Gainesville ($247,974) vs. Tallahassee ($259,080)

These are just some of the games that will inspire unbelievable passion this weekend.  I couldn’t list them all, but I know we’ve got Georgia-Georgia Tech, the “Backyard Brawl,” the Aggies & Longhorns, the “Border Showdown,” the “Commonwealth Cup,” the “Apple Cup,” Clemson & South Carolina.  I could go on and on!   

If you want to check on how your college town fares, visit www.coldwellbanker.com and click on the Home Listing Report.

Rivalries are a part of sports, a part of business and a part of life. They can be intensely competitive, but they can also inspire us to do our best. Here’s hoping your favorite teams do just that this weekend.

On behalf of everyone at Coldwell Banker, have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving!

Who will you be cheering for?

Image courtesy of flickr