In 2013, the University of Connecticut invented the largely fictional “Civil Conflict” trophy, deciding out of the blue that they were now rivals with the University of Central Florida, a campus located 1211 miles away. UCF remains largely uninterested in this fictional rivalry, even going so far as to leave the trophy on the field after the 2016 meeting.
Rivalries, at the college level and throughout sports, are supposed to mean something. Texas hates Oklahoma, and vice versa. Michigan hates Ohio State, and vice versa. The rivalries MEAN something, not just because of geographical distance, but also history and tradition.