OHIO, USA — Editor's note: The above video aired Sept. 22, 2023, as part of a report on the Bowling Green State University marching band.
It has been dubbed one of the best rivalries in college sports and most northwest Ohioans would agree. On Tuesday, the college football edition of the Battle of I-75 kicks off at Doyt Perry Stadium in Bowling Green.
The Toledo Rockets football team will take on the Bowling Green Falcons at 7 p.m. on Nov. 14.
BGSU head coach Scot Loeffler held his weekly press conference Thursday ahead of the big home game against Toledo.
The Falcons (6-4, 4-2 MAC) are coming off a 30-point win against the Kent State Golden Flashes.
With the win, Bowling Green secured bowl eligibility for the second year in a row.
"It's great. No question about it. We'll worry about that in a couple weeks. You know, it was great last night, it's an accomplishment, but we've got to be laser-focused on our task at hand here, and it's about the Battle of the I-75 trophy and going to play against a super, super football team," Loeffler said. "So, it's going to be fun. I'm hoping this place is packed and we can just have a really good college football game."
Watch Bowling Green head coach Scot Loeffler's full press conference here:
On Friday, Toledo head coach Jason Candle held his weekly press conference ahead of his team's matchup on the road against BGSU.
The Rockets (9-1, 6-0 MAC) are coming off a win against Eastern Michigan on Wednesday. With a ninth-straight win by a final score of 49-23, Toledo added to its longest win streak in 40 years, clinched the MAC West title and punched its ticket to the conference title game.
It's the 14th consecutive season that the Rockets have become bowl-eligible, and Toledo's second-straight MAC West title.
The Rockets will now have a chance at back-to-back MAC championships at Ford Field on Dec. 2, but first, their eyes are on a different prize and a highly-anticipated game.
"It's pure. It's what college football is all about. It has the feel of a high school rivalry. It's in your face. It's hard to avoid," Candle said.
With a win against BGSU, Toledo would reclaim the Battle of I-75 trophy after last season's loss to the Falcons.
A lot of eyes will be on the game as a nationally-televised broadcast, which Candle acknowledged.
"It's interesting in that way in the sense that it has that high school (rivalry) feel, but it also has the magnitude of it's going to be a national stage and the game's going to be on national TV," Candle said. "So the whole world gets to see our program, gets to see their program and really gets to see how much energy northwest Ohio puts into the game, which I think is really cool."
Watch Toledo head coach Jason Candle's full press conference here:
When it comes to the Battle of I-75, historically since 1919 the Rockets have an edge in wins over the Falcons with 42. The Falcons have won the rivalry game 41 times and there have been four ties.
The game will be televised nationally on ESPN2 with kickoff at 7 p.m. on Nov. 14.
Watch WTOL 11 Sports for highlights and reaction after the game.