There's no questioning that Boston College and Holy Cross went separate ways after playing their final game against one another in 1986. The Eagles elevated to the highest level of Division I, founded the Big East's football conference and matriculated to the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Crusaders opted for Division I-AA and a run in the Patriot League highlighted by a conference championship in 2009. They are now miles apart from one another after spending the better part of a century competing neck-and-neck.
The best rivalries, however, are built by tradition, and that's something this matchup feeds to its gills.