Syracuse vs. Virginia: No. 1 Against No. 1

When Syracuse plays Virginia on Friday, it will quite literally be No. 1 vs. No. 1. At least as far as the USILA Coaches Poll is concerned.

Despite the fact that Virginia has one more first-place vote, both the Cavs and the Orange have 175 points, good enough to split the No. 1 spot. And there's no better way to split the difference than to pit the two teams against one another.

The odd difference between this poll and the previous coaches poll is that two coaches didn't cast votes this time. But I suppose that's inconsequential.

I don't need to sell you on this game, do I? Judging by the lack of comments on my lacrosse posts...apparently I do.

Syracuse vs. Virginia in NCAA Lacrosse might be the best pound-for-pound rivalry of the last decade. Even if the Cavaliers aren't our arch-enemy, they are certainly our nemesis.

We are the two most accomplished program in the nation over the last fifteen seasons and we're statically-even when it comes to our battles.

I've lost track of how many times these two have met as the top two teams in the nation, but assume that's it's more often than not. That was the case last year when the No. 2 Cavaliers knocked off the No. 1 Orange 11-10.

Payback, son.

If you've thought about attending a lacrosse game at Syracuse University, you will do not better than this one. It'll be the biggest crowd and it'll almost certainly be the best game. It's not often you can guarantee something like that. It's such a big game, the Dome is encouraging fans to come early, something usually reserved for basketball and football only. Last time the Orange hosted this one, the crowd maxed out over 16K, this one should be in the same ballpark.

The winner gets a legit clam on the No. 1 spot for now. The loser must re-group as the season gets no easier from here on out. And these guys keep rapping about Virginia (why does every school's designated white rapper look the same...I assumed that was our guy the first time I saw him).