Rivalries are funny things. They might be fought neck-and-neck every year, with the bragging rights trading hands perennially. They also might go five, ten, even twenty years in favor of a dominant team, with the bad blood lying dormant the whole time. But as soon as that underdog wins, the animosity is rekindled, the vitriol flows, and hope that the balance will shift springs anew. While my favorite rivalry struggles through one-sided dominance, I'd like to look at other rivalries—some entirely new, some that go way back—with this sense of newfound hope. Some of these games have played out already, while others have yet to be decided. Here are 10 of the hottest rivalries of the 2009 season.

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