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Sadly, Middlebury is an outsider when it comes to the traditional NESCAC rivalries. Perhaps it’s because historically, Midd’s biggest football rival was Norwich University, also in Vermont but on the other side of the Green Mountains. But Midd opted to join NESCAC, and is now restricted to playing NESCAC teams, which do not include Norwich. So that rivalry ended.</p>
<p>Williams might seem like a natural alternate choice, except that Williams already has a long and bitter rivalry with Amherst. Williams, Amherst, and Wesleyan have been playing for the “Little Three” championship for over a century (the name was apparently coined after the “Big Three” of Harvard, Yale, and Princeton). Williams and Amherst always play each other in the final game of the season, and Wesleyan’s final game is always with in-state rival Trinity. So no room for Midd there. </p>
<p>In recent years Midd has finished up the season by playing two other NESCAC “outsiders”: Hamilton and Tufts. Middlebury and Hamilton apparently play for the “Old Rocking Chair” trophy, but I’m not sure how much genuine passion exists there. In any case, Hamilton hasn’t won since 1995.</p>